Senior Engineer, R&D Systems Design

ThermoFisher Scientific; Singapore; On-site; SGD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A global science company in Singapore is seeking a Systems Design Engineer to contribute to the development of advanced real-time and digital PCR systems. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Applied Physics, with over 5 years of relevant experience. Responsibilities include defining system requirements, testing integration, and collaborating with diverse teams. The role demands strong analytical skills, hands-on development experience, and familiarity with systems engineering processes.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience developing complex instruments or 0–3 years with a Master's/Ph.D.
• Strong background in electro-mechanical or optical instrumentation development.
• Experience in regulated product development environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Define system-level requirements and interfaces for instruments.
• Conduct hands-on integration, testing, and problem resolution.
• Collaborate with multi-functional teams to ensure functionality.

Skills

Prototype development

Integration and testing

Signal processing

Thermal control systems

Data-driven problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Applied Physics

Master's/Ph.D. in relevant fields

Tools

SolidWorks

MATLAB

LabVIEW

Python

JMP

Job description

Work Schedule

Standard (Mon-Fri)

Environmental Conditions

Office

Job Description

How You’ll Make an Impact

As a Systems Design Engineer in our qPCR/dPCR Platform R&D team, you’ll contribute to the development of advanced real‑time and digital PCR systems that help scientists and clinicians uncover insights from genetic information. You will help define, design, integrate, and verify system solutions that connect hardware, software, assays, and algorithms into platforms for life science and diagnostic applications.

What You’ll Do

System Definition and Design

• Support the definition of system-level requirements and interfaces for integrated qPCR/dPCR instruments.
• Contribute to architecture discussions and trade‑off analyses balancing performance, manufacturability, and cost.
• Develop and maintain system documentation, design inputs, and requirement traceability in alignment with quality and regulatory standards.

System Integration and Testing

• Conduct hands‑on integration, testing, and resolving problems across hardware, software, and assay subsystems.
• Carry out experiments and verification studies to characterize system performance and identify root causes of issues.
• Apply systems engineering tools and methods (DOE, FMEA, RCA, statistical analysis) to guide design improvements.
• Support prototype build, configuration control, and test data analysis during system development cycles.

Collaboration and Communication

• Partner with multi‑functional teams including Mechanical, Electrical, Software, and Assay Engineering to ensure cohesive system functionality.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Quality, and Service teams to support design transfer and validation activities.
• Summarize and present test results, analyses, and findings through clear technical documentation and presentations.

Continuous Improvement

• Contribute to model‑based system design and simulation efforts to predict and optimize performance.
• Stay on top of emerging technologies and standard methodologies in systems engineering, instrumentation, and qPCR/dPCR technologies.

How You’ll Get Here

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, or Software) or Applied Physics with 5+ years of experience developing complex instruments; or
• Master’s/Ph.D. with 0–3 years of proven experience in life science or diagnostic product development.

Technical Expertise

• Strong, hands‑on background in prototype development, integration, and testing of electro‑mechanical or optical instrumentation.
• Understanding of thermal control systems, fluidics, optics, detection technologies, and signal processing relevant to qPCR/dPCR platforms.
• Familiar with systems engineering processes, from requirements gathering through verification and validation.
• Proficiency with tools such as SolidWorks, MATLAB, LabVIEW, Python, JMP, or similar modeling and analysis software.
• Experience in regulated product development environments (ISO 13485, FDA QSR, CE‑IVD) preferred.

Personal Attributes

• Highly analytical, meticulous, and data‑driven with strong problem‑solving ability.
• Effective collaborator who builds strong relationships across fields and functions.
• Communicates clearly, both in writing and in technical discussions.
• Self‑motivated and adaptable in a fast‑paced, matrixed R&D environment.

Thermo Fisher Scientific is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.