Principal Scientist - Pharma Biosample Services (PBS) Lab Head Basel

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

Are you a visionary scientific leader with a passion for operational excellence? As the Principal Scientist – Lab Head in Basel, you will be the driving force behind our regional Biosample Lab Operations. You will have end-to-end accountability for laboratory activities, integrating  innovative technologies with robust business processes to ensure our scientific experiments and sample quality meet the highest global standards.
 

In this role, you aren’t just managing a lab; you are shaping the future of Biosample strategy, identifying high-impact technologies, and leading a high-performing team to support life-changing clinical development.
 

The Opportunity

• Strategic Leadership: Contribute to the global Pharma Biosample Services (PBS) Biosample Lab scientific and operational strategies, identifying and implementing innovative technologies and process improvements 

• Operational Excellence: Own the end-to-end accountability for lab activities, including sample receipt, tracking, accessioning, processing, destruction and data integrity ensuring all samples are of superior analyzable quality.

• People Development: Direct and mentor a team of Scientific Researchers,  designing in collaboration with Ethic & Quality Manager appropriate training strategies, fostering a culture of continuous learning, high motivation, and strict adherence to GCP/Health & Safety standards.

• Scientific Oversight: Design and oversee scientific experiments and workflows, ensuring data integrity and technical precision.

• Stakeholder Management: Collaborate with cross-functional internal/external stakeholders, researchers, study teams and vendors to decide on optimal sample processing pathways. Present solutions to appropriate stakeholder groups. 

• Project & Resource Management: Manage cross-functional projects, and resource allocation and prioritization to meet service requests and organizational goals.

• Operational compliance management: In collaboration with PBS Ethic & Quality Manager, manage organization-specific and local EHS-specific policies and regulations implemented in the lab and workflows. Oversee Lab training compliance, SOP accuracy, Lab method, LIMS and other relevant system validations and equipment qualifications.

Who You Are

You are a decisive, service-oriented leader who thrives in regulated environments. You balance a "big picture" strategic mindset with the technical grit required to run a sophisticated laboratory.
 

• Education: MSc in Science, Healthcare, or an equivalent field.

• Leadership Experience: Minimum of 5 years in a supervisory or leadership role within an academic or industry lab setting (human sample management experience preferred).

• Technical Expertise: Significant experience with LIMS, instrument workflows, and molecular techniques (e.g., DNA/RNA extraction, PCR, RT-PCR, Picogreen/Ribogreen, microarray, protein analysis and other cutting edge technologies).

• Regulatory Knowledge: Deep understanding of GCP/GCLP in the context of clinical development.

• Communication & Influence: Proven ability to build collaborative relationships at all levels and present complex information to diverse stakeholders and executive leadership.

• Strategic Mindset: Demonstrated experience in functional strategy, goal setting, and leading large-scale change initiatives.

Ready to bring your unique qualities to Roche and make an impact? Apply now and join us in our mission to shape the future of healthcare.

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.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.