Job Description

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

Job Title: Contract Sequencing Platform Operator

Department: Sequencing Assay Development

Location: Roche Diagnostics, Cape Town, South Africa

Employment Type: Contract (12 months)

The Opportunity

The Sequencing Assay Development team is seeking a dedicated Contract Sequencing Specialist to join us on a 12 Month Fixed-Term Contract. In this position you will assume primary operational ownership of Axelios 1 sequencing systems. This role directly supports research and development projects by ensuring consistent instrument performance, precise protocol execution, and high data quality across experimental runs.

Key Responsibilities

• Instrument Operation: Prepare reagents, load libraries, and execute sequencing runs on Axelios 1 platforms following standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• System Maintenance: Perform weekly instrument washes, sensor calibrations, and routine preventative maintenance to maximize system availability.
• Sample Prep Support: Assist scientists in sample pooling, conduct basic quality control checks, and submit pools to sequencing queue app
• Inventory Management: Monitor inventory for platform-specific consumables and reagents, escalate the need for orders.
• Troubleshooting & Escalation: Diagnose routine run errors, software flags, or hardware anomalies; liaise directly with internal specialist and/or Axelios core team members for technical resolution.
• Data Management & Logging: Maintain thorough laboratory records, tracking run metrics, flow cell performance, failure rates, and maintenance logs as deemed necessary by the Axelios core laboratory.
• Research and development collaboration: Partner with research and development scientists to schedule runs, test experimental formulations, and provide feedback on instrument performance should it be required.
• Small Axelios Instrument specific projects: When necessary, design and perform Axelios run experiments to test elements of Axelios run performance.

Who You Are as an Ideal Candidate

Qualifications & Requirements

• Education: BSc (Hons), BTech, or MSc in Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, or a related discipline.
• Practical Experience: Minimum 3 years of hands-on experience operating automated liquid handlers; Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) platforms or similar instrumentation within an R&D, industrial, or diagnostic laboratory setting.
• Core Skills: Proficiency in operating and maintaining automated lab hardware, molecular biology assay workflows, basic laboratory management skills.
• Quality Standards: Familiarity with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and ISO Quality Management Systems.
• Attributes: High attention to detail, strong troubleshooting abilities, strong collaboration skills and self-directed time management.

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.