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The PositionRoche Diagnostics is seeking a Global Customer Support (GCS) - Molecular Labs Senior Specialist to join our team in either Cape Town, South Africa or St Cugat, Spain.
As a GCS Molecular Labs Senior Specialist you will be the technical linchpin for a new era of diagnostic ecosystems. Your primary focus will be the global rollout and support of the Roche new sequencer (AXELIOS) platform and the Avenio Connect cloud-integration suite.
This role is designed for a high-level IT professional who thrives at the intersection of high-performance computing (HPC), advanced networking, and medical hardware. While you will provide sustaining support for legacy NIPT (AcfS) solutions, your core mission is to architect and troubleshoot the high-speed data pathways that power the future of personalized medicine.
Key Responsibilities
1. High-Performance Infrastructure (SBX/AXELIOS Focus)
Data Pipeline Optimization: Support the IT and network architecture for the Roche AXELIOS (SBX) platform across the EMEA region.
Bottleneck Troubleshooting: Optimize high-speed data pathways from bandwidth management to compute clusters and storage nodes.
System Administration: Manage environment-specific OS requirements, including Roche Linux (RLX) and Windows Server for the Unified Gateway.
2. Cloud & Digital Connectivity (Avenio Connect)
Connectivity Architecture: Oversee Avenio Connect integrations, ensuring seamless instrument-to-Cloud and instrument-to-LIMS communication.
Security & Compliance: Configure and manage FortiGate 60F Firewalls, ensuring security certificates and firewall rules align with global medical data standards.
Remote Ecosystems: Implement and support remote user interfaces and service access protocols (SSH, RDP, VNC).
3. Advanced Networking & Support
Topology Design: Troubleshoot and optimize complex network topologies, including VLANs, VPNs, and SD-WAN, within high-output clinical environments.
Escalation Leadership: Serve as the Tier-2/3 escalation point for regional field teams, performing deep-dive analysis into packet loss, latency, and system crashes.
Legacy Maintenance (NIPT/AcfS): Provide secondary sustaining support for the AcfS (Ariosa cell-free DNA System) and associated partner hardware as it phases out over the coming years.
Who You Are as an Ideal Candidate
Qualifications & Experience
Minimum Requirements:
Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Network Engineering, Electronic Engineering, or a related technical field.
Professional Experience: 7+ years in IT/Networking and Hardware support, ideally managing integrated systems in a regulated or clinical environment.
Networking Expertise: Advanced proficiency in firewalls, routing/switching, and security protocols (CCNP level preferred).
Travel Flexibility: Ability to travel up to 30% for site audits and installations. Travel flexibility to Schengen states is preferred.
Preferred Skills (Bioinformatics, Cloud & Documentation):
Knowledge Management: Demonstrated experience in authoring high-quality technical files (SOPs, site preparation guides, network diagrams) and delivering technical training to global field teams and customer IT departments.
Bioinformatics (BFX): Familiarity with NGS pipelines, data storage (NAS/SAN), and genomic file formats like FASTQ and VCF.
Hybrid Cloud: Experience with AWS or Google Cloud hybrid deployments for diagnostic data.
Infrastructure Knowledge: Understanding of high-speed data requirements (10 Gbps RJ45 Cat6a) and storage protocols (NFS/SMB).
Soft Skills
Crisis Management: Methodical and calm under pressure when high-throughput laboratories face downtime.
Global Collaboration: Comfortable working across time zones with R&D teams in the US and EMEA.
Mentorship: Passion for leveling up junior staff through robust documentation and knowledge-sharing.
Where pay transparency applies, details are provided based on the primary posting location. For this role, the primary location is Cape Town. If you are interested in additional locations where the role may be available, we will provide the relevant compensation details later in the hiring process.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.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Network Engineering, Electronic Engineering, or related technical field
- 7+ years in IT/Networking and hardware support, ideally in regulated or clinical environments
- Advanced proficiency in firewalls, routing/switching, and security protocols
- CCNP-level knowledge or certification
- Ability to travel up to 30% for site audits and installations
- Travel flexibility to Schengen states
- Experience authoring technical files (SOPs, site preparation guides, network diagrams) and delivering technical training
- Familiarity with NGS pipelines, genomic file formats (FASTQ, VCF), and storage (NAS/SAN)
- Experience with hybrid cloud deployments (AWS or Google Cloud) for diagnostic data
- Understanding high-speed data requirements (10 Gbps RJ45 Cat6a) and storage protocols (NFS/SMB)
- Crisis management, global collaboration, and mentorship capabilities
Roche Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Roche and has not been reviewed or approved by Roche.
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Retirement Support — U.S. materials describe a 401(k) with both matching and an additional company contribution, supported by formal plan documents and true‑up features. This structure is positioned as a standout element of the total package, particularly at Genentech.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time‑off provisions include substantial vacation, a year‑end shutdown, and a paid six‑week sabbatical after six years. These elements indicate a recharge‑oriented approach within the U.S. offering.
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Healthcare Strength — Company materials emphasize comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and mental‑health resources alongside well‑being programs. Benefits pages consistently highlight breadth across core health coverage elements.
Roche Insights
What We Do
Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics under one roof have made Roche the leader in personalised healthcare – a strategy that aims to fit the right treatment to each patient in the best way possible. Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. The company also aims to improve patient access to medical innovations by working with all relevant stakeholders. Thirty medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer medicines. Roche has been recognised as the Group Leader in sustainability within the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences Industry ten years in a row by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI).
