Sr. Plant Engineer – Shaping the Future of Critical Infrastructure

Are you ready to make a tangible impact on Roche's mission by keeping our most critical facilities running seamlessly? As a Sr. Plant Engineer in Facilities and Engineering, you'll take ownership of the complex mechanical, electrical, and process infrastructure that powers world-class research and manufacturing at our Dixon and South San Francisco sites. In this strategic role, you won't just maintain systems—you'll be the principal technical authority driving capital projects from conception through commissioning, leading reliability initiatives that prevent costly downtime, and ensuring our facilities operate at peak efficiency and safety. This is a unique opportunity to combine hands-on technical expertise with strategic leadership, working autonomously as a trusted subject matter expert who directly influences multi-million-dollar investments and operational decisions. If you thrive in solving complex technical challenges, collaborating across teams, and driving continuous improvement through data and innovation, we want to hear from you.

The Opportunity

As a Sr. Plant Engineer in Facilities and Engineering, you will own the technical systems and ensure the efficient, safe, and reliable operation of critical mechanical, electrical, and process/utilities infrastructure at the Dixon and South San Francisco (SSF) sites. This high-impact, strategic role directly mitigates severe business interruption risks to critical research and manufacturing facilities, influencing multi-million-dollar investments and operational costs. You will serve as the principal technical authority and design consultant for capital projects throughout the complete project lifecycle—from initial design through construction, commissioning, and turnover to operations. You will consult on construction, represent the organization on infrastructure initiatives, collaborate with IFM providers, and develop maintenance and operation strategies and procedures. You will work autonomously as a subject matter expert, supporting gRED Research Customers and Facilities leadership. This role combines hands-on technical system ownership, strategic capital project leadership, and data-driven reliability analysis to enable our mission.

Technical System Ownership
Mechanical, Electrical, and Process/Utilities Infrastructure Management:

• Provide technical expertise and operational support for mechanical, electrical, and process/utilities infrastructure, maximizing system uptime and ensuring equipment reliability.

• Maintain engineering documentation, risk/criticality assessments, maintenance strategies, and critical spares, overseeing the full asset lifecycle.

• Own the sequence of operations and functional requirements for equipment controlled, monitored, and alarmed by the Building Automation System (BAS), leveraging BAS data for trending, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement.

Capital Project Lifecycle Technical Leadership:

• Act as the principal technical authority and design consultant for mechanical, electrical, and process/utilities infrastructure capital projects, ensuring adherence to operational standards, safety codes (NFPA, ASHRAE, OSHA), and facility design requirements to maximize reliability.

• Develop and review technical specifications, P&IDs, process flow diagrams, and control strategies, ensuring reliability, maintainability, and operational efficiency from conceptual design through execution.

• Serve as the principal technical liaison during construction execution, equipment procurement, and installation phases, ensuring seamless transition and operational readiness.

Asset Reliability Responsibilities and Expertise

• Champion Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) and execute risk/criticality assessments to maximize system uptime, reliability, maintainability, and availability (RMA).

• Lead structured Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) for equipment failures and emerging issues, analyzing data from CMMS, BAS, and Historians for continuous improvement.

• Ensure reliability and maintainability from design through handover to operations for capital projects, acting as system owner throughout the asset lifecycle.

Areas of Expertise

• Comprehensive knowledge of critical facilities infrastructure including HVAC (cooling towers, chillers, refrigerated water, heating hot water), industrial/domestic water, purified water, compressed air, and steam generation systems.

• Ownership of electrical infrastructure including emergency backup power, UPS, lighting, and building electrical distribution.

• Reliability Engineering proficiency in root cause and failure analysis methods (FMEA, RCFA), statistical process control, and sustainability/energy efficiency optimization.

Who You Are

• BA/BS in Mechanical, Chemical, Industrial Engineering, or equivalent technical field.

• Minimum 8 years of relevant mechanical, electrical, and process/utilities infrastructure design/operation experience in high-tech, industrial, life sciences, or chemical manufacturing.

• Minimum 3 years of experience in a large, multi-functional campus environment.

• Proficient knowledge of BAS and CMMS (e.g., SAP, Siemens) and industry standards (ANSI/ASHRAE, NEMA, NFPA, EPA, OSHA).

• Proven experience investigating, troubleshooting, and correcting mechanical, electrical, and process/utilities infrastructure equipment/systems, with demonstrated expertise in optimizing equipment operation for efficiency and reliability.

This position is not eligible for relocation.

The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of California is $109,500 - $203,300 USD Annual.  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.