Senior Manager, Advanced Technology & Automation

Work Schedule
Standard (Mon-Fri)
Environmental Conditions
Laboratory Setting, Office
Job Description
As part of the Thermo Fisher Scientific team, you’ll discover meaningful work that makes a positive impact on a global scale. Join our colleagues in bringing our Mission to life every single day to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We provide our global teams with the resources needed to achieve individual career goals while helping to take science a step beyond by developing solutions for some of the world’s toughest challenges, like protecting the environment, making sure our food is safe or helping find cures for cancer.
About the Role
Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Genetic Sciences Division R&D is developing the technologies needed for the next generation of genetic-analysis platforms and automated scientific workflows.
We are seeking a Senior Manager of Advanced Technology & Automation to lead the incubation, prototyping and maturation of emerging technologies across instrumentation, consumables, molecular biology and laboratory automation.
Working within the architecture and technology direction established for the division, this leader will turn promising ideas into evidence-based system capabilities. The role will build a team that experiments rapidly, resolves critical uncertainties and transitions successful technologies into product-development organizations.
The successful candidate will combine scientific curiosity, hands-on engineering and disciplined execution. This person must be comfortable making investment and termination decisions based on customer value, technical evidence, scalability and commercial potential.
What You’ll Do
Lead Advanced Technology Incubation
Build and manage a focused portfolio of advanced technology and automation initiatives.
Translate customer needs, scientific trends and technology opportunities into clear hypotheses and learning objectives.
Lead feasibility studies, prototypes and experiments that address the most important technical and commercial uncertainties.
Establish staged maturation plans from exploration through feasibility, system validation and product transition.
Define evidence-based criteria for continuing, redirecting or stopping initiatives.
Balance rapid experimentation with appropriate scientific rigor, documentation and intellectual-property protection.
Ensure incubation investments remain aligned with platform architecture and business strategy.
Develop Next-Generation Technologies
Advance technologies across areas such as:
Genetic analysis and multiomics workflows
Molecular biology and sample preparation
Microfluidics and consumable architectures
Optical detection and precision instrumentation
Sensors, embedded systems and intelligent control
Laboratory automation, robotics and connected workflows
AI-enabled experimentation and data-driven systems
Integrate scientific, consumable, instrument, software and data considerations from the beginning.
Build prototypes that demonstrate system and customer value—not isolated technical performance.
Identify scalability, manufacturability, reliability and regulatory constraints early.
Partner with system architects to ensure new capabilities align with reusable platform foundations.
Convert experimental learning into technology roadmaps, technical requirements and product recommendations.
Advance Automation and Lab-in-the-Loop
Develop automated sample-to-answer and multi-instrument workflows.
Integrate instruments with liquid handlers, robotics, workflow orchestration and laboratory data systems.
Build Lab-of-the-Future concepts that improve throughput, reproducibility and ease of use.
Develop Lab-in-the-Loop capabilities using experimental data and real-time feedback to adapt or optimize workflows.
Partner with customers and automation vendors to test representative scientific applications.
Ensure automation concepts can evolve into scalable, supportable product capabilities rather than one-off demonstrations.
Apply AI to Science and Engineering
Identify high-value applications of AI in experimental design, workflow optimization, anomaly detection, intelligent control and data interpretation.
Use AI-assisted methods to accelerate concept exploration, modeling, experiment planning and technical analysis.
Develop data and system foundations required for reliable AI-enabled capabilities.
Partner with data science, software and domain experts to prototype and evaluate AI-enabled workflows.
Ensure appropriate attention to data quality, robustness, traceability, cybersecurity, validation and human oversight.
Measure AI initiatives through scientific, customer and engineering outcomes—not tool adoption alone.
Transition Technology into Products
Partner with Product Management, architecture and product-development teams to define transition pathways.
Demonstrate technical feasibility, customer value and architecture alignment before product handoff.
Identify productization gaps involving reliability, cost, manufacturability, serviceability, quality and regulatory needs.
Package prototypes, models, data, requirements and technical knowledge for effective transfer.
Support receiving teams during early integration and resolve critical transition risks.
Capture lessons from successful and unsuccessful initiatives to improve the incubation process.
Build Innovation Capability and External Connections
Recruit, coach and develop innovators, researchers and automation engineers.
Create a culture of curiosity, hands-on experimentation, constructive challenge and accountability.
Develop capability in rapid prototyping, experimental design, systems thinking, automation and AI.
Build partnerships with customers, KOLs, academic laboratories, startups, suppliers and technology providers.
Maintain awareness of emerging science, competitive technologies and external innovation.
Develop future technical and people leaders and build succession depth.
What You Bring
Education and Experience
Advanced degree in engineering, bioengineering, molecular biology, biophysics, applied physics, computer science or a related discipline; a PhD is preferred.
Substantial experience in advanced technology development within life sciences, diagnostics, laboratory automation or complex scientific instrumentation.
Demonstrated success translating early-stage technology into validated system capabilities or commercial products.
Experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams and a portfolio of exploratory initiatives.
Experience with molecular biology workflows and integrated instrument, consumable, assay, software and data systems.
Experience collaborating with external technology partners, startups, customers or academic researchers.
Experience in regulated or highly quality-controlled product-development environments is preferred.
Technical and Strategic Depth
Strong technical knowledge across several relevant areas, such as genetic analysis, microfluidics, optics, automation, robotics, embedded systems or AI.
Experience developing prototypes that integrate scientific and engineering disciplines.
Understanding of technology maturation, system integration and transition into product development.
Ability to evaluate opportunities based on customer value, differentiation, feasibility, scalability and commercial potential.
Experience with experimental design, modeling, data analysis and structured technical problem-solving.
Practical knowledge of AI/ML and its application to scientific experimentation, automation or intelligent products.
Familiarity with design controls, manufacturability, reliability and product-lifecycle considerations.
Leadership and Behaviors
Builds teams that combine creativity, technical depth and disciplined execution.
Operates effectively in ambiguous, early-stage environments.
Moves quickly to test critical assumptions and learn from evidence.
Connects scientific and technical possibilities with customer and business value.
Makes clear investment and termination decisions without becoming attached to individual ideas.
Influences effectively across science, engineering, business and global teams.
Develops people, external networks and future leadership depth.
Balances ambitious innovation with scalability, responsibility and customer trust.
Why This Role Matters
This role will ensure that advanced technologies, automation and AI move beyond promising ideas into validated, architecture-aligned solutions that can strengthen future platforms and customer workflows.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range estimated for this position based in California is $165,800.00–$200,000.00.
This position may also be eligible to receive a variable annual bonus based on company, team, and/or individual performanc