Sr. Director/Director, Software Engineering - Early Cancer Detection (ECD)

Sr. Director/Director, Software Engineering - Early Cancer Detection (ECD)

Position Summary

Natera is at the forefront of personalized genetic testing, transforming the management of disease worldwide. We are at the cusp of a new inflection point with the development of the next generation of life-saving products in Early Cancer Detection (ECD).

We are seeking a seasoned and visionary Sr. Director/Director of Engineering to lead the software strategy and development for our Early Cancer Detection (ECD) portfolio. You will architect and build the technical foundation for a suite of software products designed to detect cancer earlier than ever before, acting as the technical bridge between cutting-edge R&D and a scalable, regulated commercial software platform.

This role requires a leader who thrives in a "Zero-to-One" environment, possessing the scrappiness of a startup founder combined with the rigor required for Software as a Medical Device (SaMD). You will establish an internal startup culture defined by high agency, urgency, and agile execution while ensuring strict adherence to regulatory standards.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Founder’s Mindset: Ability to thrive in ambiguity, drive decisions with incomplete information, and execute with high urgency.

• Define and execute the multi-year engineering roadmap for the ECD business unit, balancing the need for rapid prototyping with long-term commercial stability.

• Serve as the technical visionary for the ECD software suite, translating complex scientific and clinical requirements into robust, scalable software solutions. 

Product Development & Execution

• Lead the end-to-end "Zero-to-One" development of ECD software solutions, from sample ordering to reports back to clinicians.

• User-Centered Focus: Passion for building software that solves real problems for users & customers.

• Oversee the transition of research prototypes (e.g., CRC screening, MCED) into robust, commercial-grade software products.

• Drive cross-functional execution with Product Management, R&D, and Lab Operations to ensure software solutions meet user needs and business goals.

• Collaborate closely with Computational Biology and Bioinformatics teams to productionize complex algorithms into scalable clinical workflows.

• Technical Agility: Proficiency with modern software development practices, including Agile/Scrum, CI/CD, and test-driven development.

•  Cross-Functional Communication: Ability to translate complex technical concepts for diverse stakeholders, including biologists, clinicians, and executives.
   

Regulatory & Quality Excellence

• Partner with Quality and Regulatory teams to ensure all software complies with FDA (PMA/510k), IEC 62304, and ISO 13485 standards.

• Serve as the engineering technical lead for regulatory submissions and audits, ensuring documentation and processes meet the highest standards of SaMD compliance.

• Embed compliance and security into the software development lifecycle (SDLC) without compromising development velocity.

Team Building & Mentorship

• Recruit, mentor, and retain a world-class team of Full-Stack, DevOps, and Data Engineers.

• Foster an engineering culture of accountability, user-centered design, and continuous improvement.

• Provide technical mentorship and career development coaching to engineering managers and technical leads.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role (Director or above) within the HealthTech, MedTech, or Biotech space.

• Proven track record of building "Zero-to-One" products, taking complex software from initial concept through clinical validation to commercial launch.
  Deep experience in a highly regulated environment, with specific expertise in SaMD, FDA design controls, and HIPAA/GDPR compliance.

• Strong technical background in cloud-native architectures (AWS), distributed systems, and handling large-scale genomic or clinical datasets.

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (PhD is a plus).
   

Compensation & Total Rewards 

This range reflects a good-faith estimate of the base pay we reason