Principal Software Engineer, Early Clinical Development (ECD)

We advance science so that we all have more time with the people we love.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced AI Software Engineering manager/leader to lead the development of innovative software solutions within our Early Clinical Development (ECD) department in Roche/Genentech. In this critical role, you will drive the strategic direction and execution of software engineering initiatives, enabling the acceleration of clinical trial  development and ultimately bringing life-changing medicines to patients faster. You will lead a talented team of engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

The Opportunity:

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will make a significant impact by:

• Spearhead the architecture and deployment of production-grade pipelines and services, systematically transitioning rapid prototypes into secure, highly maintainable enterprise systems.

• Architect and develop advanced applications and AI assistants, integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) through retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), multi-agent architectures, and complex function-calling methodologies.

• Institute comprehensive evaluation frameworks, operational guardrails, and continuous monitoring protocols for GenAI and ML systems, serving as a steadfast champion for rigorous data quality and validation standards.

• Forge strategic cross-functional partnerships with data, clinical, and product teams to accelerate and optimize clinical data review, site feasibility analyses, enrollment forecasting, and portfolio decision-support capabilities.

• Direct the architectural strategy for cloud-native, API-first services and interoperable data products, proactively mitigating technical debt and eliminating systemic redundancies.

• Foster a highly inclusive and collaborative engineering culture, providing dedicated mentorship to peers and scientists through rigorous code reviews, comprehensive design documentation, and paired programming.

• Deliver strategic engineering leadership by continually identifying and capitalizing on opportunities to develop scalable, foundational solutions that serve broader organizational needs.

• Lead, develop, and empower a diverse, high-performing team of software, data, and machine learning engineers, cultivating an enduring environment of professional growth and technical excellence.

Who You Are:

We are looking for a leader who is passionate about technology, people, and creating impactful solutions. You are someone who can think strategically while delivering on commitments, and you thrive in a collaborative environment.

To be successful in this role, you should have:

• 8+ years of progressive experience leading high-performing software engineering teams and directing complex technical initiatives.

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science or a related technical discipline, paired with an extensive, demonstrable tenure in advanced software engineering.

• Extensive background in engineering management, characterized by a proven ability to lead high-functioning teams and a steadfast commitment to mentoring and talent development.

• Profound technical expertise across modern software engineering paradigms, enterprise cloud platforms, advanced data storage architectures, and the development of highly scalable applications.

• Proven track record of spearheading large-scale, complex technical projects from inception to delivery ("zero to one"), decisively influencing technical strategy, and fostering seamless cross-functional collaboration.

• Exceptional communication and strategic partnership capabilities, demonstrating the ability to think holistically while cultivating a highly inclusive and equitable team environment.

• Deep commitment to driving engineering excellence, optimizing product usability, ensuring robust system scalability, and systematically reducing architectural complexity.

• Distinguished as a highly influential and collaborative leader, adept at building cross-organizational trust, skillfully negotiating complex technical trade-offs, and driving consensus to realize shared business objectives.

Onsite presence on our South San Francisco campus is expected for at least 3 days a week.

Relocation benefits are not available for this job posting.

The expected salary range for this position based