Staff Systems Engineer

Description

You will lead reliability engineering for the next generation of staining systems in this Staff Systems Engineer role, working as a senior technical specialist who applies deep systems engineering knowledge to complex programs.

The team works on diagnostic products, and your work will shape how assays perform on current and future instrument platforms.

The role covers design, development, testing and assessment of how system components interact, with reliability as the main focus.

Responsibilities

• Own the systems engineering deliverables that follow the V-model, from requirements through verification.
• Take part in design reviews, development and testing, and check performance against the design specification.
• Study how subsystems interact and assess the effect on the overall system.
• Make sure assays run efficiently and effectively on the newest technologies and systems.
• Work with business stakeholders and systems development teams to turn customer needs into design inputs and outputs.
• Collaborate with R&D, Marketing, Operations, Quality and Regulatory so that work meets company goals and regulatory requirements.
• Manage requirements, risk, configuration, defects, and verification and validation in the company's own tool.
• Integrate automated staining systems, scanners and software updates.
• Convert business and product priorities into reliability outcomes you can measure.
• Build the reliability strategy with the hardware, software, assay and platform teams.
• Lead evidence-based tradeoffs across reliability, delivery, operational risk, capacity and business needs.
• Set measurable acceptance criteria for Agile user stories and features, formally accept work on behalf of the program, and confirm it meets the Definition of Done.
• Split Agile features into smaller, independent user stories so work ships in increments.
• Take part in Agile routines such as iteration planning, daily syncs, retrospectives and Inspect and Adapt events.
• Give system demos and presentations to stakeholders, and hold First-Time Quality as the standard for every project.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a directly related field plus 8 years of related experience, or a master's degree in a directly related field plus 6 years, or a PhD in a directly related field plus 3 years.
• Experience in a regulated environment with working knowledge of FDA, ISO, IVD and other relevant standards for diagnostic products.
• Proven skill in requirements management, system design, user experience and usability, and the ability to mentor others in these areas.
• Ability to turn business requirements and customer needs into actionable system design inputs while weighing alternatives and managing expectations.
• Experience building structured, traceable and compliant technical baselines using recognized international frameworks and industry guidelines.
• Ability to explain technical risk, tradeoffs and investment needs clearly to engineers, product leaders and senior business leaders.
• Expertise in reliability modeling, quantification and analysis, linking high-level architecture to long-term stability so hardware, software and physical systems perform without failure over their lifecycle.
• Experience setting reliability metrics, governance and operating reviews across complex product or platform ecosystems.
• Strong systems thinking and creativity, with effective collaboration to deliver designs that fit business needs and technical constraints.
• Ability to prioritize work based on evidence, apply lean design principles, and actively seek team feedback before deciding.
• Preferred: Understanding of advanced staining functions in pathology labs, slide workflows, and how hardware and pre-filled consumables are used in the lab.
• Preferred: Ability to plan, define and develop characterization protocols and design of experiments that lead to meaningful conclusions.
• Preferred: Experience building authority and accountability within a team, with strong collaboration and communication skills.
• Preferred: Strong organizational skills, including evaluating, prioritizing and handling multiple priorities efficiently.
• Preferred: Familiarity with assay development and manufacturing processes.
• Preferred: Ability to influence others toward consensus on the best solutions for the company and its customers.
• Preferred: Willingness to challenge existing designs or practices, think creatively, and follow through on hard problems.

Conditions

This is an on-site position based in Tucson, Arizona.

Relocation benefits are not available for this posting.

The expected base salary for the Tucson, Arizona location is $110,700 to $205,700 per year. Actual pay depends 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.

Benefits

• This role qualifies for the benefits described in a separate benefits document linked from the posting.