Process Modelling & Simulation Lead – Synthetic Molecules Technical Development

1201 F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG; Basel; On-site; CHF 300,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Roche is seeking a senior leader to head the Modelling & Simulation Centre of Excellence (CoE). You will define strategy, governance, and a roadmap for M&S across the Synthetic Molecules Technical Development organisation, leading 20+ experts across functions.

You will influence senior leaders across a 700+ employee organization, drive strategic alignment, and champion data-driven modelling approaches spanning Drug Substance and Drug Product lifecycles, from early lab development to scale-up and

Qualifications

• 12+ years of process engineering and modelling experience in the pharmaceutical or science-based industries.
• Advanced modelling and programming expertise with standard platforms and languages.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Modelling & Simulation Centre of Excellence (CoE): define strategy, roadmap, standards, and governance for M&S across PTDC.
• Drive alignment across a 700+ person organization, guiding senior leaders without direct authority.
• Shape end-to-end M&S strategy across Drug Substance and Drug Product lifecycles from development to commercial manufacturing.
• Deliver high-impact process solutions and act as senior technical authority on complex development challenges.
• Build reusable digital capabilities, including validated model libraries and digital twins, to standardize modelling practice.
• Coach and mentor scientists and engineers to elevate M&S literacy and collaboration.
• Establish external partnerships to integrate cutting-edge M&S advances into Roche.

Skills

Matrix leadership

Strategic thinking

Excellent communication

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

English proficiency

Education

Master’s degree or PhD in Chemical Engineering / related field

Tools

gPROMS/gWAP

Dynochem

Python

MATLAB

COMSOL

M-Star

Job description

At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections, where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

The Position At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections, where you are valued, accepted, and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop, and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

Opportunity

• Lead the Modelling & Simulation Centre of Excellence (CoE): Define the strategy, vision, roadmap, standards, and governance for M&S across Synthetic Molecules Technical Development (PTDC), matrix-leading a cross-departmental community of 20+ experts around shared organizational priorities.
• Drive Strategic Alignment & Leadership: Influence and guide senior leaders across an organization of 700+ employees, proposing innovative ways of working, prioritizing high-impact applications, and serving as a key cross-functional connector without direct formal authority.
• Shape End-to-End M&S Strategy: Identify where mechanistic, hybrid, and data-driven modelling deliver maximum impact across both Drug Substance and Drug Product lifecycles—from early lab development through scale-up, technology transfer, and commercial manufacturing.
• Deliver High-Impact Process Solutions: Act as the senior technical authority on complex development challenges, leveraging chemical engineering principles to optimize processes, support experimental design, refine scale-up/scale-down models, and support regulatory submissions.
• Build Reusable Digital Capabilities: Spearhead the creation of validated model libraries, digital twins, scale-up tools, and self-service applications to establish consistent, scalable modelling standards and reduce duplicated effort across project teams.
• Drive Organizational Capability & Literacy: Coach and mentor scientists and engineers, elevating M&S literacy across project teams while fostering seamless collaboration between domain experts, modellers, data scientists, and technical partner functions.
• Connect Roche with External Innovation: Establish external partnerships with universities, research consortia, and technology vendors to evaluate emerging scientific advances and integrate cutting-edge M&S methodologies into the organization.
• Manage Hardware & Software Strategy: Influence high-value technology investments and vendor partnerships, maintaining governance and decision-making over a six-figure software portfolio.

Who You Are

• Advanced Academic Foundation: Master’s degree or PhD in Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, or a closely related discipline.
• Extensive Process & Modelling Leadership: 12+ years of professional experience in process engineering and M&S within the pharmaceutical or science-based industries, demonstrating deep technical expertise across end-to-end Drug Substance and Drug Product development.
• Proven Matrix Leadership & Stakeholder Influence: Demonstrated ability to lead complex initiatives across matrixed organizations, challenge the status quo, and align senior decision-makers across PTD and R&D without relying on direct organizational authority to champion, advocate for, and bring visibility to M&S initiatives.
• Advanced Modelling & Programming Expertise: Hands-on experience with industry-standard modelling platforms (e.g., gPROMS/gWAP, Dynochem) and scientific programming languages (Python, MATLAB), combined with strong knowledge of scale-up/down dynamics and pharmaceutical manufacturing phenomena.
• Integration of Emerging Technologies: Deep understanding of classical mechanistic modelling, computational fluid dynamics (e.g., COMSOL, M-Star), model-based process control, PAT, and emerging AI/ML paradigms (including hybrid models, digital twins, and agentic AI).
• Strategic & Conceptual Mindset: Exceptional conceptual thinking skills, with a proven track record of translating complex individual technical problems into reusable model libraries, digital capabilities, and scalable organizational frameworks.
• Strong Communication & Scientific Collaboration: Fluent in English (written and spoken) with exceptional communication skills to translate sophisticated modelling concepts, assumptions, and limitations into clear, actionable insights for both technical specialists and leaders.

Ready to bring your unique qualities to Roche and make an impact?

Who we are

Who we are A healthier future drives us to innovate. Together, more than 100’000 employees across the globe are dedicated to advance science, ensuring everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Our efforts result in more than 26 million people treated with our medicines and over 30 billion tests conducted using our Diagnostics products. We empower each other to explore new possibilities, foster creativity, and keep our ambitions high, so we can deliver life-changing healthcare solutions that make a global impact. Let’s build a healthier future, together.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe it’s urgent to deliver medical solutions right now – even as we develop innovations for the future. We are passionate about transforming patients’ lives. We are courageous in both decision and action. And we believe that good business means a better world. That is why we come to work each day. We commit ourselves to scientific rigor, unassailable ethics, and access to medical innovations for all. We do this today to build a better tomorrow. We are proud of who we are, what we do, and how we do it. We are many, working as one across functions, across companies, and across the world. We are Roche.