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 PositionJob Summary:
Serving as the Lead Architect of AI Transformation, this role is the visionary and technical engine behind redefining how the organization builds software. Much like a technical evangelist and researcher, you will bridge the gap between "Research AI" and "Applied AI Engineering." Your mission is to revolutionize the engineering lifecycle through AI, establish world-class methodologies for AI-native product development, and act as a high-impact coach to transition the entire engineering team into an AI-augmented powerhouse. You will ensure we don't just "use AI," but fundamentally change how we engineer for the future.
The Opportunity:
AI-Driven Engineering Transformation
Methodology Research: Deeply research and define the next generation of software engineering workflows (e.g., Software 2.0, Agentic Workflows, AI-assisted coding architectures).
Process Redesign: Diagnose existing engineering bottlenecks and deploy AI tools/frameworks to automate and optimize the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle), achieving radical efficiency gains.
Evolutionary Catalyst: Serve as a "Strategic Catalyst" to steer the engineering culture toward an AI-Native mindset.
Product Engineering & AI Integration
AI Engineering Excellence: Design and oversee the implementation of robust, scalable AI engineering patterns (LLMOps, RAG architectures, and fine-tuning pipelines) to bring AI capabilities into the core product portfolio.
Agile Prototyping: Rapidly translate the latest breakthroughs in AI research (from multi-modal models to reasoning-step optimizations) into production-ready features with an agile, hands-on approach.
Technical Interpretation: Translate complex algorithmic logic and technical constraints into actionable business roadmaps and product strategies.
Capability Building & Knowledge Hub
Master Educator: Design and lead high-level AI training programs for senior engineers and architects, focusing on Prompt Engineering, model evaluation, and AI-native architecture.
AI Knowledge Hub: Build and iterate an enterprise-level repository of AI best practices, reusable code patterns, and internal benchmarks to ensure consistent technical excellence.
Talent Coaching: Mentor engineering leads on how to leverage AI to scale their own teams’ output and creative capacity.
Who you are:
Education & Qualifications
Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, AI, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field.
A proven track record of open-source contributions or technical thought leadership in the AI space.
Experience
5+ years of senior engineering experience, with at least 3+ years specifically focused on deploying AI/ML systems at scale.
Experience in Digital Transformation or leading large-scale engineering team transitions is highly preferred.
Professional Capabilities/Skills
AI Technical Mastery: Deep expertise in LLMs, Generative AI frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex), and modern AI infrastructure (GPU orchestration, vector databases).
Engineering Methodology: Strong opinions, weakly held, on software architecture, clean code in the age of AI, and "Human-in-the-loop" engineering systems.
Business Acumen: The ability to match bleeding-edge AI capabilities with specific market pain points and IVD/Tech business scenarios.
Soft Skills: Exceptional cross-functional communication and "Change Management" capabilities—the ability to inspire a team to unlearn old habits and embrace new paradigms.
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
- Master's or PhD in Computer Science, AI, Mathematics, or related quantitative field
- 5+ years senior engineering experience with at least 3+ years deploying AI/ML systems at scale
- Proven track record of open-source contributions or technical thought leadership in AI
- Deep expertise with LLMs and Generative AI frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex)
- Experience with LLMOps, RAG architectures, fine-tuning pipelines, and model evaluation
- Experience with GPU orchestration and vector databases
- Experience in digital transformation or leading large-scale engineering team transitions
- Strong cross-functional communication and change management skills; ability to coach senior engineers
- Ability to translate AI research into production-ready features and align technical solutions with business/IVD contexts
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).
