Principal / Senior Principal Software Engineer
Roche is hiring a Principal / Senior Principal Software Engineer. Level rates it ; you can apply on Level.
AI in this role
Roche is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to design and build computational and AI data ecosystems for drug discovery.
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 Position
The Computational Sciences Center of Excellence (CS CoE) is a strategic, unified group whose mission is to harness the power of data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist scientists in delivering innovative, life-changing medicines to patients worldwide. Within the CS CoE, the Data and Digital Catalyst (DDC) organization leads the modernization of our computational ecosystems.
The Role & Opportunity
As a Software Engineer (Principal / Senior Principal) within our Solutions team, you will design and develop the modernized, interconnected computational and data ecosystems foundational to our research. You will build robust, scalable systems that unlock the potential of diverse scientific data, directly accelerating drug discovery and development.
Key Responsibilities
- Interactive Tooling & Platforms: Design and build interactive tools for small and large molecule drug discovery, seamlessly integrating molecular design workflows, data, computational algorithms, and AI models.
- Scalable Data Ecosystems: Build and enhance a modern, scalable ecosystem of applications and pipelines to acquire, capture, move, store, transform, link, share, and prepare scientific data for analysis.
- Architectural Leadership: Leverage modern architecture patterns—such as microservices, event-driven architectures, and cloud-native frameworks (AWS)—to improve data workflows across key scientific domains.
- AI & Agentic Engineering: Integrate diverse data sets to power Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Natural Language Search capabilities. Apply and champion modern AI-assisted and agentic coding practices within the engineering team.
- Stakeholder & Scientific Collaboration: Partner directly with computational and research scientists to translate complex scientific challenges into high-performing, user-friendly technology solutions.
- Technical Excellence & Mentorship: Provide technical leadership on ongoing strategic initiatives, define reusable architecture patterns, and mentor junior developers to uphold high engineering standards.
Who You Are
You are a passionate, collaborative full-stack engineering leader who thrives on solving complex scientific problems and driving software engineering best practices.
Key Qualifications & Experience
- Domain Expertise: Ph.D. or equivalent experience in the life science domain building full-stack software solutions, with a strong preference for drug discovery or pharmaceutical environments.
- Full-Stack Engineering: Deep technical expertise across all stack layers, including backend (e.g., Python, Java) and modern frontend technologies (e.g., React, Vue).
- Data Engineering & Cloud Architecture: Extensive experience in modern data engineering (ETL/ELT, SQL/NoSQL, REST & GraphQL APIs) and cloud-native deployments (preferably AWS).
- SDLC & Engineering Excellence: Proven track record in establishing robust SDLC patterns, including versioning, automated testing, CI/CD, observability, and maintainable code bases.
- Agentic & AI-Assisted Development: Demonstrated proficiency in adopting AI-assisted and agentic coding workflows individually and across teams.
- Communication & Collaboration: Exceptional communication skills with the ability to articulate complex architectural concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders alike.
Apply if you are ready to shape the future of computational medicine!
#ComputationCoE
#tech4lifeComputationalSciences
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.
The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees, and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of Roche Products Ltd. At Roche Products we believe diversity drives innovation and we are committed to building a diverse and flexible working environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion or belief, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, disability or age. We recognise the importance of flexible working and will review all applicants’ requests with care. At Roche difference is valued and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer where you are encouraged to bring your whole self to work.
How we rate this
Principal / Senior Principal Software Engineer at Roche rates 70 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Works on AI (AI Level 3 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Works on AI. The daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Open the description and count.
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Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where software engineering was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where cloud native was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where microservices was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where ai integration was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where mentorship was part of your work. What did you do?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Software Engineering, Cloud Native, Microservices, AI Integration, and Mentorship. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Show where AI is part of your daily process, not a one-off project. This role expects it to be a running habit.
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