Director, Systems Engineering – GSD Platforms

About the Role
You'll supervise a global organization of senior system and project leaders driving development across multiple sites and product portfolios. You'll set direction, hold accountability for technical and organizational excellence, and empower your teams to complete their work with autonomy, and speed. At Thermo Fisher Scientific, we enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. Our genetic analysis platforms are crucial to that mission - helping scientists decode biology, accelerate discovery, and deliver precision diagnostics across the globe!

What You'll Do

Shape the Systems Vision
Ensure system-level strategy directly supports divisional growth goals - delivering differentiated performance and cost efficiencies that expand Thermo Fisher's leadership in genetic analysis.

• Define and own the long-term systems architecture for genetic analysis platforms - ensuring scalability, reliability, and alignment with strategic business goals.

• Partner with divisional R&D, Product Management, and Business Unit leaders to align technology roadmaps with market opportunities and customer needs.

• Drive technology scouting and platform evolution by identifying emerging trends in automation, AI, and digital workflows.

Empower Leaders
Welcome experienced systems leaders from adjacent high-reliability or data-driven instrumentation fields who thrive at the intersection of science and engineering.

• Build, mentor, and develop a team of senior systems and project leaders who drive major platform programs from concept to commercialization.

• Empower teams to make technical and programmatic decisions within a clear framework of accountability and trust.

• Build a culture that values systems thinking, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement.

• Champion collaboration across global R&D sites and partner functions - ensuring systems engineering remains the connective tissue across the organization.

Drive Executional Excellence

• Hold ultimate accountability for program delivery - ensuring timelines, budgets, and performance targets are met through focused leadership rather than direct control.

• Institutionalize systems engineering standard methodologies, including model-based approaches, structured requirements management, and design-for-manufacturability.

• Ensure robust design control, risk management, and regulatory compliance (ISO 13485, FDA QSR, CE-IVD).

• Lead critical technical reviews and strategic trade-offs with a focus on long-term platform sustainability.

Build Culture and Capability

• Establish a culture of curiosity, rigor, and collaboration that attracts and retains top R&D talent.

• Invest in developing next-generation technical leaders - strengthening the organization's systems and architectural capability.

• Model Thermo Fisher's leadership behaviors driven by passion, customer focus, integrity, intensity, and innovation.

What You Bring

• Education: MS or Ph.D. in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, or Applied Physics) or equivalent.

• Experience: 12-15 years of experience in complex instrument development within life science or diagnostic industries, including leadership of senior technical managers or multi-disciplinary teams.

• Demonstrated success leading multiple platform developments from concept to market, balancing innovation with disciplined execution.

• Broad technical fluency across at least two engineering domains (e.g., AI/ML, precision mechanics, optics, or control systems).

• Strong strategic and organizational leadership - able to build alignment and momentum across a matrixed global structure.

• Skilled communicator with the ability to translate vision into action and inspire accountability through others.

• Deep understanding of regulated product development processes (ISO 13485, FDA QSR).