Roche

Lead SDET (Software Engineering Manager, Test Automation Lead)

Roche$121K — $225K *
Healthcare
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related field.
  • 8+ years of software engineering or SDET experience.
  • 3+ years of leadership experience managing a Software Quality team.
  • Proven coding experience with C#/.NET.
  • Experience transitioning teams from manual testing to automation preferred.

Responsibilities

  • Lead the design and implementation of automated verification strategies.
  • Mentor Software Quality Engineers on best coding practices and automation.
  • Oversee the development of scalable test frameworks using advanced programming techniques.
  • Architect integration strategies for Hardware-in-the-Loop testing.
  • Collaborate with DevOps to integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health insurance packages.
  • Generous paid time off including sick leave and holidays.
  • Retirement savings plans with company match.
  • Continuous learning and professional development opportunities.
  • Wellness programs and employee assistance resources.
Full Job Description
The Position

Roche / GenMark Diagnostics’ mission is to revolutionize patient care by providing high-value, simple-to-perform, and clinically relevant multiplex molecular diagnostics. 

Roche/Genmark Diagnostics is seeking aSoftware Engineering Manager, Test Automation Lead to join our team. In this role, the Software Managerwill architect the next generation of our automated verification strategy. In this pivotal leadership role, you will define the vision for automated verification, steering both technical strategy and team development to enhance laboratory efficiency and patient outcomes through rapid, sample-to-answer solutions. This is a high-impact "Player-Coach" role where you will balance hands-on framework development with the leadership of a dedicated team of Software Quality Engineers.

You will lead the technical evolution of our testing capabilities for FDA-regulated diagnostic instruments. Your mandate is to champion a culture of automation—architecting robust C#/.NET test harnesses, integrating them into modern CI/CD pipelines, and mentoring the team to ensure high-velocity, high-quality releases. 

Supervisory Responsibilities

  • Technical Mentorship: Act as the technical anchor for the SW Quality team. Mentor Quality Engineers on coding best practices, automation scripting, and source control management.

  • Team Growth: Foster a collaborative environment where manual testing expertise is complemented by growing technical skills. Lead code reviews for test scripts to ensure they meet production-quality standards.

  • Resource Management: Balance hands-on coding (the "Player") with team leadership (the "Coach"). Align team activities with the software roadmap, ensuring that verification activities happen in parallel with development rather than lagging behind.

The Opportunity

Automation Architecture & Technical Leadership

  • Automation Optimization & Rapid Feedback: Lead initiatives to streamline testing processes and accelerate delivery cycles. Strategically prioritize high-impact, quick-win automation to deliver immediate value, free up team bandwidth, and establish fast, reliable feedback loops.

  • Framework Design: Design and build scalable, maintainable test frameworks (C#, Playwright, Appium) to unify UI and backend testing logic using advanced object-oriented practices. 

  • Hardware & Integration Testing: Architect strategies for complex Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) testing, ensuring seamless software interactions with diagnostic instruments and sensors. 

  • CI/CD & Security: Partner with DevOps to embed automated suites into Azure pipelines. Drive "shift-left" security by automating SAST/DAST analysis to meet modern FDA cybersecurity guidelines. 

  • Modernization & Tooling: Own the tech stack. Evaluate and modernize tools for performance and security profiling, actively deprecating legacy debt to ensure comprehensive, future-proof test coverage. 

Regulatory & Process Excellence

  • Regulatory Partnership: Partner with Regulatory Affairs to validate testing tools, ensuring rigorous compliance with industry standards.

  • Modernized Validation: Update Master V&V Plans to automate evidence generation, streamlining compliance with FDA 21 CFR Part 820 and ISO 13485.

  • Data-Driven Quality: Track key metrics (e.g., Defect Density, Automation Coverage) to provide actionable insights and drive continuous quality improvement.

  • Risk-First Strategy: Champion safety-critical workflows by embedding software hazard analysis (FMEA) directly into the automation strategy.

Who You Are:
(Required)

  • You have a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related technical discipline.

  • You have 8+ years of software engineering or SDET experience

  • You have demonstrated coding experience

  • You have 3+ years of leadership experience in a team lead/manager role. You have experience supervising a team of Software Quality Engineers.

  • You have demonstrated experience transforming a manual testing team into an automation-first team is highly preferred.

Required Technical Skills:

  • Mastery of C#/.NET: You have demonstrated ability to write production-grade, scalable code leveraging modern .NET features (async/await, RESTful APIs, and Moq/dependency injection).

  • Framework Architect: You have demonstrated experience building robust automation frameworks from the ground up, utilizing Playwright, Appium, and NUnit/xUnit to drive comprehensive end-to-end testing.

  • Engineering Methodology: You have demonstrated the ability to embed quality early by implementing TDD or BDD (SpecFlow) practices that bridge the gap between development and QA.

  • Hardware Integration: You have demonstrated experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) testing or sensor-driven validation is highly preferred.

  • CI/CD Expertise: You have demonstrated experience optimizing the delivery by configuring and maintaining build pipelines in Azure DevOps, Jenkins, or GitHub Actions.

Preferred:

  • You have experience working in an FDA-regulated environment 

  • You have strong communication skills including the ability to communicate with all levels within the organization

  • You have strong problem-solving, judgment and decision-making skills; you have the ability to think and work both tactically and strategically to meet financial and operational needs for GenMark’s business            

  • You have strong time management and organizational skills in a dynamic, continually changing environment; you have the ability to respond effectively to sensitive inquiries, customer inquiries or complaints as well as communicate effectively both orally and in writing with management, peers and individuals.

This position is an onsite position based in Carlsbad, CA. (This is not a hybrid role.)
Relocation benefits are not being offered for this role.

The expected salary range for this position based in Carlsbad, CA is $121,400 - $225,400.  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.


WORK ENVIRONMENT

The essential functions of the job are usually performed in an environmentally controlled facility where the noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.  This position may involve a combination of office and biotechnology laboratory environments. The employee may be exposed to hazardous chemicals, blood borne pathogens and automated equipment. While performing the job duties, the employee is regularly required to sit; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear.  The employee is frequently required to stand and walk.  The employee may sometimes be required to lift and/or move up to 35 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision and ability to adjust focus.

 

 

About Roche

Roche Holding AG is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, Roche Holding AG, has bearer shares listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The company headquarters are located in Basel. Roche is the largest pharmaceutical company in the world, and the leading provider of cancer treatments globally. The company also produces a range of diagnostic tests for medical professionals and patients. Roche was one of the first companies to bring targeted treatments to patients. In 2019, Roche had over 100,000 employees worldwide, and generated revenue of CHF 61.5 billion.
Learn more about Roche
Size
100,920 employees
Industry
NASDAQ

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