Senior Manager, Advanced Technology & Automation

Thermo Fisher Scientific • Pleasanton, CA

12d

About The Position

Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Genetic Sciences Division R&D is developing technologies for next-generation genetic-analysis platforms and automated scientific workflows. The Senior Manager of Advanced Technology & Automation will lead the incubation, prototyping, and maturation of emerging technologies spanning instrumentation, consumables, molecular biology, and laboratory automation. Working within the division’s established architecture and technology direction, this leader will turn promising ideas into evidence-based system capabilities, build a team that experiments rapidly and resolves critical uncertainties, and transition successful technologies into product-development organizations.

The role combines scientific curiosity, hands-on engineering, and disciplined execution. It requires making investment and termination decisions based on customer value, technical evidence, scalability, and commercial potential. The position advances technologies in genetic analysis, multiomics, molecular biology, sample preparation, microfluidics, consumables, optical detection, instrumentation, sensors, embedded systems, intelligent control, automation, robotics, connected workflows, and AI-enabled experimentation and data-driven systems. It also develops automated sample-to-answer workflows, Lab-of-the-Future and Lab-in-the-Loop concepts, and AI applications for science and engineering.

The Senior Manager partners across product management, architecture, product development, customers, external technology providers, and scientific and engineering disciplines to establish feasibility and customer value, identify productization gaps, and transition validated capabilities into scalable products. The role also builds innovation capabilities by recruiting, coaching, and developing technical talent and by cultivating external partnerships.

Requirements

• Advanced degree in engineering, bioengineering, molecular biology, biophysics, applied physics, computer science, or a related discipline.
• Substantial experience in advanced technology development within life sciences, diagnostics, laboratory automation, or complex scientific instrumentation.
• Demonstrated success translating early-stage technology into validated system capabilities or commercial products.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams and a portfolio of exploratory initiatives.
• Experience with molecular biology workflows and integrated instrument, consumable, assay, software, and data systems.
• Strong technical knowledge across several relevant areas, such as genetic analysis, microfluidics, optics, automation, robotics, embedded systems, or AI.
• Experience developing prototypes that integrate scientific and engineering disciplines.
• Understanding of technology maturation, system integration, and transition into product development.
• Ability to evaluate opportunities based on customer value, differentiation, feasibility, scalability, and commercial potential.
• Experience with experimental design, modeling, data analysis, and structured technical problem-solving.
• Practical knowledge of AI/ML and its application to scientific experimentation, automation, or intelligent products.
• Familiarity with design controls, manufacturability, reliability, and product-lifecycle considerations.
• Ability to build teams combining creativity, technical depth, and disciplined execution; operate in ambiguous early-stage environments; test critical assumptions and learn from evidence.
• Ability to connect scientific and technical possibilities with customer and business value and make clear investment and termination decisions.
• Ability to influence across science, engineering, business, and global teams; develop people and external networks; balance innovation with scalability, responsibility, and customer trust.

Nice To Haves

• PhD in engineering, bioengineering, molecular biology, biophysics, applied physics, computer science, or a related discipline.
• Experience in regulated or highly quality-controlled product-development environments.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a focused portfolio of advanced technology and automation initiatives.
• Translate customer needs, scientific trends, and technology opportunities into hypotheses and learning objectives.
• Lead feasibility studies, prototypes, and experiments to address technical and commercial uncertainties.
• Establish staged maturation plans from exploration through feasibility, system validation, and product transition.
• Define evidence-based criteria for continuing, redirecting, or stopping initiatives.
• Balance rapid experimentation with scientific rigor, documentation, and intellectual-property protection; align incubation investments with platform architecture and business strategy.
• Advance technologies across genetic analysis, multiomics, molecular biology, sample preparation, microfluidics, consumables, optical detection, precision instrumentation, sensors, embedded systems, intelligent control, automation, robotics, connected workflows, AI-enabled experimentation, and data-driven systems.
• Integrate scientific, consumable, instrument, software, and data considerations; build prototypes that demonstrate system and customer value.
• Identify scalability, manufacturability, reliability, and regulatory constraints early; align new capabilities with reusable platform foundations.
• Convert experimental learning into technology roadmaps, technical requirements, and product recommendations.
• Develop automated sample-to-answer and multi-instrument workflows, integrating instruments with liquid handlers, robotics, workflow orchestration, and laboratory data systems.
• Build Lab-of-the-Future concepts and Lab-in-the-Loop capabilities that use experimental data and real-time feedback to improve or optimize workflows.
• Partner with customers and automation vendors to test representative scientific applications and ensure concepts can become scalable, supportable product capabilities.
• Identify and prototype AI applications for experimental design, workflow optimization, anomaly detection, intelligent control, and data interpretation; establish foundations for reliable AI-enabled capabilities.
• Use AI-assisted methods for concept exploration, modeling, experiment planning, and technical analysis, with attention to data quality, robustness, traceability, cybersecurity, validation, and human oversight.
• Measure AI initiatives through scientific, customer, and engineering outcomes.
• Partner with Product Management, architecture, and product-development teams to define technology transition pathways.
• Demonstrate technical feasibility, customer value, and architecture alignment before product handoff.
• Identify productization gaps in reliability, cost, manufacturability, serviceability, quality, and regulatory needs.
• Package prototypes, models, data, requirements, and technical knowledge for transfer; support receiving teams during early integration and resolve transition risks.
• Capture lessons from successful and unsuccessful initiatives to improve the incubation process.
• Recruit, coach, and develop innovators, researchers, automation engineers, and future technical and people leaders; build succession depth.
• Create a culture of curiosity, hands-on experimentation, constructive challenge, and accountability; develop capability in rapid prototyping, experimental design, systems thinking, automation, and AI.
• Build partnerships with customers, KOLs, academic laboratories, startups, suppliers, and technology providers; maintain awareness of emerging science, competitive technologies, and external innovation.

Benefits

• Variable annual bonus based on company, team, and/or individual performance results, in accordance with company policy.
• Choice of national medical and dental plans and a national vision plan, including health incentive programs.
• Employee assistance and family support programs, including commuter benefits and tuition reimbursement.
• At least 120 hours of paid time off (PTO) and 10 paid holidays annually.
• Paid parental leave: 3 weeks for bonding and 8 weeks for caregiver leave.
• Accident and life insurance, and short- and long-term disability in accordance with company policy.
• Competitive 401(k) U.S. retirement savings plan.
• Employees’ Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), offering eligible colleagues the opportunity to purchase company stock at a discount.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior