Staff Systems Design Engineer - Consumables / Microfluidics

Thermo Fisher Scientific • Pleasanton, CA

6d • $135,900 - $181,200 • Onsite

About The Position

Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Genetic Sciences Division develops life-science platforms that integrate instruments, consumables, assays, software and data. The Staff Engineer in Consumables & Microfluidics will lead the design and commercialization of next-generation consumables for molecular biology, genetic-analysis and sample-to-answer workflows. The role integrates fluid handling, materials, reagents and instrument interfaces while meeting requirements for scientific performance, usability, manufacturability, reliability and cost.

The successful candidate will take microfluidic consumables from prototypes through commercial manufacturing and launch, combining hands-on engineering with practical knowledge of suppliers, tooling, manufacturing processes and unit economics. The position leads consumable architecture, materials and manufacturing innovation, supplier partnerships, integrated automated workflows, modeling and data applications, technical development, and capability building. The role is fully onsite at the Pleasanton, California facility; relocation assistance is not provided.

The salary range for this California-based position is $135,900–$181,200. The position may also be eligible for a variable annual bonus. The company describes a comprehensive U.S. Total Rewards package, including medical, dental and vision plans; employee assistance and family support programs; paid time off and holidays; parental leave; insurance and disability coverage; retirement savings; and an employee stock purchase plan.

Requirements

• Master’s degree or PhD in mechanical engineering, bioengineering, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, materials science or a related discipline.
• Industry experience commercializing microfluidic consumables for molecular biology, diagnostics or related life-science applications.
• Proven success taking consumables from concept through tooling, manufacturing scale-up, design transfer and launch.
• Experience developing cost-effective products for repeat production, rather than only research prototypes or low-volume devices.
• Experience working with assay development, engineering, operations, quality, sourcing and external manufacturers.
• Experience in regulated or highly quality-controlled product-development environments.
• Strong knowledge of microfluidics, fluid transport, thermal systems and consumable architecture.
• Experience integrating consumables with molecular biology assays, reagents, instruments and workflows.
• Knowledge of polymers, adhesives, coatings, membranes, surface properties and biological compatibility.
• Direct experience with relevant high-volume manufacturing, bonding, assembly and inspection processes.
• Strong understanding of tooling, tolerances, process capability, yield and manufacturing economics.
• Ability to make design trade-offs based on cost of goods sold, capital investment and supply scalability.
• Experience with CAD, multiphysics simulation or computational fluid-dynamics tools.
• Expertise in experimental design, statistics and root-cause investigation.
• Creative but commercially grounded technical leadership, with the ability to connect molecular biology, engineering, manufacturing and customer value.
• Ability to challenge impractical concepts early and support recommendations with evidence.
• Ability to build effective partnerships with internal teams, suppliers and manufacturers, influence without direct authority, and develop other engineers.
• Ability to balance innovation and speed with quality, scalability and cost.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with qPCR, dPCR or related molecular biology workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design of consumables, cartridges and microfluidic systems for molecular biology and sample-preparation workflows.
• Translate customer and scientific workflows into fluidic functions, consumable requirements and interface definitions.
• Develop architectures for fluid transport, metering, mixing, thermal control, sealing, reagent storage and waste management.
• Lead concept generation, prototyping, modeling and trade studies across materials, mechanisms and form factors.
• Optimize interactions among consumables, assays, reagents, instruments, automation and users, balancing consumable complexity with instrument functionality.
• Evaluate concepts for scientific performance, customer experience, manufacturability, scalability and unit cost.
• Evaluate polymers, adhesives, coatings, membranes and other materials for chemical, biological, optical and mechanical compatibility.
• Develop solutions using injection molding, thermoforming, bonding, lamination, precision assembly and reagent integration.
• Identify materials, surface treatments and manufacturing technologies that enable differentiated capabilities.
• Apply design-for-manufacturing, assembly, automation and inspection principles early in development; set design-to-cost targets and define critical-to-quality characteristics, tolerances and process requirements.
• Lead development from feasibility through tooling, process development, design transfer and commercial launch.
• Validate manufacturing, scale and cost assumptions before significant design or tooling commitments.
• Develop production concepts addressing tooling, equipment, cycle time, inspection, yield and quality controls.
• Identify and evaluate suppliers based on technical capability, quality, capacity, cost and supply resilience; build partnerships with contract manufacturers, tooling partners and specialized technology providers.
• Partner with Operations and suppliers to improve yield, control variation and achieve target cost.
• Make evidence-based trade-offs involving performance, cost of goods sold, capital investment and manufacturing risk; resolve issues involving materials, tooling, processes, consumable lots and supplier variation.
• Partner with systems, assay, instrument and automation teams to define interfaces and operating conditions for complete sample-to-answer systems.
• Develop architectures that support robotic handling, liquid handling and automated execution, while improving workflow simplicity, contamination control, sample integrity and error prevention.
• Consider the full consumable lifecycle, including loading, processing, disposal, traceability and sustainability, and support future connected and intelligent laboratory workflows.
• Use fluidic, thermal, mechanical and statistical models, simulation and model-based methods to guide design and manufacturing decisions and reduce design cycles and prototype iterations.
• Apply AI-assisted engineering and advanced analytics to concept exploration, optimization, tolerance analysis, experiment planning, and analysis of relationships among design and process parameters, yield, cost and scientific performance.
• Explore computer vision and intelligent inspection for defect detection and production quality; ensure AI-generated recommendations receive engineering review and experimental validation.
• Design experiments to characterize fluidic behavior, material interactions and system performance.
• Lead root-cause investigations involving consumables, assays, instruments and manufacturing.
• Apply design of experiments, statistics and risk-management methods to technical decisions.
• Define requirements and test methods with systems and verification and validation teams.
• Develop reusable design principles, models and reference architectures.
• Mentor engineers and scientists in microfluidics, manufacturability and design-to-cost.

Benefits

• 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 and 10 paid holidays annually.
• Paid parental leave, including 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.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan offering eligible colleagues the opportunity to purchase company stock at a discount.
• Potential eligibility for a variable annual bonus based on company, team and/or individual performance results.

What This Job Offers

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