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 Biospecimen Acquisition and Management (BAM) has four sites (Subchapters) across Europe and North America. BAM is a Research and Development (R&D) service organization that leverages global capabilities with local support structures to drive integrated biological specimen solutions that accelerate the DIA strategy. BAM supports project teams through all aspects of their biospecimen needs. BAM’s role is to work with multiple stakeholders to acquire biological material for project-specific requests. We ensure biospecimens are received in accordance with global ethics/consent and data privacy regulations.

You as Automation Engineering Manager (f/m/d) are the key engineering point of contact within Research and Development (R&D) for human biospecimen management in Roche Diagnostics Germany and have the technical oversight for a high density, automated, ultra cold (-80ºC) central storage solution as well as a growing fleet of automated liquid sample handling equipment focused on end to end sample processing.  Biospecimens are among Roche’s most valuable physical assets and cumulatively, multiple millions of diverse samples are required to support all phases of R&D projects.

The opportunity

You will report to the Biospecimen Acquisition and Management (BAM) Biorepository Sub Chapter Lead and collaborate with other BAM and site functions to further establish digital and automated processes in the biospecimen lab environment.  Future automation opportunities include liquid sample pooling, spiking, and aliquotting.  At this scale, robotic solutions that are fully integrated within the digital lab ecosystem are key to operational efficiency.

You deliver high value for the BAM function and the Core Lab Research and Development teams overall.  You play a key role in crafting and implementing key aspects of BAM’s mid- to long-term strategy and ultimately contribute to the overall Roche Diagnostics Vision.

As part of your responsibilities, you develop and implement the strategic roadmap for the automation of the biorepository. In this capacity, you act as the primary subject matter expert to evaluate, procure, and integrate new high-throughput technologies and complex systems. 

You also lead medium to large-scale CAPEX projects in project management from concept to completion and are responsible for the entire system implementation, aligning on designs with stakeholders, approving test protocols, and ensuring validated installation according to safety standards. You guarantee the operational reliability and optimal performance of all automated systems by overseeing preventative maintenance and calibration, as well as leading troubleshooting for complex software, hardware, and IT issues. 

Finally, you actively drive process optimization using Six Sigma principles and serve as a key technical advisor for colleagues and project teams to resolve challenges and guide technical decisions.

You are a Champion to bring a collaborative and inclusive culture to life by breaking down silos, navigating organizational change with open communication, and fostering a psychologically safe, ‘Speak Up’ environment to achieve optimal results.

Who you are

You hold a Master (Bachelor) degree in automation engineering, systems engineering, robotics or related field with several years of experience

Because of your deep experience in automation engineering or other related disciplines you are an expert in planning lab automation and digital laboratory processes

You leverage your deep knowledge in problem solving to minimize system downtime which is a critical workflow parameter

Your work is notable for your experience in system design, installation and qualification, testing and optimization of robotic, electric, and pneumatic systems, software interfaces and system integration

Diagnostics industry experience would be a plus

You are characterized by courage, vision, and the drive to be at the forefront of innovative change

The location for this position is Penzberg (Germany).

Some business travel within Europe (