Systems Engineer - Assay Development

Roche; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 73,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Roche Tissue Diagnostics seeks a Systems Engineer - Assay Development to support our R&D efforts in Tucscon, AZ on site. You will define requirements, manage risks, and drive verification and validation activities across complex diagnostic projects.

Collaborating with R&D, Quality, and Regulatory teams, you will ensure traceability, align with FDA/ISO standards, and craft robust validation plans while presenting clear solution options for stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Educational Background: Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, or related technical field with 4 years of experience (or a Master’s degree with 2 years of experience, or a PhD).
• Experience in assay development at a medical device company.
• Regulatory Familiarity: Experience with FDA, ISO, and other regulatory standards for diagnostics products, especially regarding requirements, risk, and validation.
• Strategic Mindset: Interest in innovative technologies and understanding of the competitive IVD landscape.

Responsibilities

• System Lifecycle Management: Focus on requirements engineering, risk management, and verification & validation stages of the lifecycle.
• Industry and Technology Analysis: Research trends and technologies to identify opportunities for robust requirements and validation strategies.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work with R&D, Marketing, Operations, Quality, and Regulatory for traceability and validation alignment.
• Customer-Focused Innovation: Engage with stakeholders to define validation criteria and address customer needs.

Skills

System engineering

Requirements engineering

Risk management

Verification & validation

Regulatory knowledge

Traceability

RETINA

LucidSpark

LucidChart

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Biomedical Sciences or related technical field

Master’s degree w/ 2 years experience

PhD

Tools

RETINA (Requirements & Test Integration Application)

LucidSpark

LucidChart

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

Systems Engineer - Assay Development

At Roche Tissue Diagnostics, we have revolutionized cancer diagnostics worldwide through state-of-the-art testing automation. We provide more than 250 cancer tests and associated instruments, making us the leading global supplier of cancer diagnostic systems to the pathology market. Through excellence and innovation in science and engineering, our people are leading the discovery, development, and delivery of diagnostic systems and tissue-based cancer tests that are guiding the future of healthcare. This culture of constant innovation at Roche Tissue Diagnostics fuels our vision: to empower our customers by providing the highest quality, most innovative cancer diagnostic solutions. We are passionate in our pursuit of diagnostic solutions that improve the practice of medicine because when we empower pathology professionals, we brighten the outlook for patients.

This position is based in Tucscon, AZ, on site.

The Opportunity

As a member of our R&D team, the Systems Engineer will drive requirements definition, risk management, and verification & validation practices in projects, including defining requirements, designing system architectures, and implementing solutions to meet IVD standards. This individual will take ownership of project deliverables and facilitate the decision‑making process with well‑considered tradeoffs.

Responsibilities include:

• System Lifecycle Management: Apply broad knowledge and skill-sets from Systems Engineering, focusing on the requirements engineering, risk management, and verification & validation stages of the system lifecycle.




• Industry and Technology Analysis: Research and analyze industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitive products to identify opportunities for robust requirements, proactive risk mitigation, and effective validation strategies.




• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with R&D, Marketing, Operations, Quality, and Regulatory teams to ensure alignment with organizational objectives and regulatory requirements, particularly regarding traceability, risk, and validation.




• Customer-Focused Innovation: Engage with business leaders and VoC representatives to ensure technical solutions align with customer needs and market demands, facilitating stakeholder discussions to prioritize requirements, assess associated risks, and define appropriate validation criteria.




• Technical Problem Solving: Analyze complex technical challenges, present multiple solution paths, and help stakeholders make informed decisions; provide innovative and clear options to address requirements definition, risk mitigation, and verification & validation challenges.




• Project Execution: Execute project deliverables specific to requirements engineering, risk analysis, configuration management, defect management, and verification & validation in the company-specific tool.

Who You Are (Required)

• Educational Background: Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, or related technical field with 4 years of experience (or a Master’s degree with 2 years of experience, or a PhD).




• Experience in assay development at a medical device company.




• Regulatory Familiarity: Experience working in a regulated environment, with familiarity with FDA, ISO, and other relevant regulatory standards for diagnostics products, especially regarding requirements, risk, and validation.




• Strategic Mindset: Demonstrated interest in innovative technologies and understanding of the competitive landscape in IVD, with an eye for potential risks, critical requirements, and robust validation approaches.

Preferred

• Systems Engineering Expertise: Demonstrated knowledge of systems engineering principles, specifically in requirements engineering, tradeoff analysis, risk management, configuration management, and verification and validation.




• Knowledge of Cytology assay development in clinical workflow setting. Familiarity with various cytological techniques and their applications.




• Specialized Skills: Deep knowledge in requirements elicitation, risk analysis methodologies (e.g., FMEA), usability engineering, and V&V test strategy development.




• Leadership and Communication: Proven ability to build authority and accountability within a team, with strong collaboration and communication skills, particularly in facilitating discussions around complex requirements, risks, and validation plans.




• Organizational Skills: Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to efficiently evaluate, prioritize, and handle multiple projects and priorities; capability to formulate and solve problems, and complete work in a timely, accurate, and thorough manner, especially in managing extensive requirement sets, risk registers, and verification & validation matrices.




• Assay Development: Familiarity with the assay development process and its associated requirements, risks, and validation needs.




• Technical Tools: Prior experience in RETINA (Requirements & Test Integration Application) and with LucidSpark/LucidChart.




• Advanced Knowledge: Advanced understanding of software engineering, electronics, electro‑mechanical systems, information technology, and basic chemistry, to better define requirements, assess risks, and plan validation across system components.

Relocation benefits are not offered for this job posting.

The expected salary range for this position based on Arizona is 72,800.00 - 135,200.00 USD. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job‑related factors permitted by law. A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance. This position also qualifies for the benefits detailed at the link provided below.

Benefits (https://roche.ehr.com/default.ashx?CLASSNAME=splash)

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. It is our policy and practice to employ, promote, and otherwise treat any and all employees and applicants on the basis of merit, qualifications, and competence. The company's policy prohibits unlawful discrimination, including but not limited to, discrimination on the basis of Protected Veteran status, individuals with disabilities status, and consistent with all federal, state, or local laws.

If you have a disability and need an accommodation in relation to the online application process, please contact us by completing this form Accommodations for Applicants (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZWlsbfQOvFVIQgHE_iDzWUTlhZvj6FytIzjS7xq6IGh1H5g/viewform) .