Senior Application Specialist – Molecular Diagnostics & Sequencing

About the role

Roche is hiring a Senior Application Specialist for its Global Customer Support Team in Cape Town. As a technical expert for its products, you will lead and support complex projects, support cross-functional teams and mentor junior team members in troubleshooting and requirement definition.

Key responsibilities

• Work closely with the development team and support new applications from development through to post-market support.
• Help potential partners develop new applications, using your knowledge of customer workflows and the product portfolio.
• Handle complex Level 2 technical inquiries after launch, solving problems independently.
• Design and optimise training programmes for internal teams and customers, and run training sessions and regional support centre sessions.
• Create and/or review customer-facing documentation and technical application notes.
• In design review teams, represent the service and application view, lead projects and ensure design changes meet functional requirements.
• Ensure compliance with the Roche quality system, suggest process improvements and help shape new departmental procedures.
• Take on additional tasks and projects in consultation with management.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree or higher in cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry or a related field.
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in a laboratory, technical support or troubleshooting role, ideally with direct customer contact.
• Ability to understand complex customer workflows and quickly learn new portfolio strategies.
• Strong communication skills, able to explain complex technical solutions simply to users with or without technical background.
• Enjoys independent, structured work and collaboration with cross-functional teams across regions.
• Customer-focused, polite and takes ownership of stakeholder expectations.

Required skills

• In-depth knowledge of next-generation sequencing (NGS), including sample preparation, NGS workflows and common molecular biology techniques.
• Experience with sequencing instruments (e.g. Illumina or other systems) and collaboration with development teams is a major plus.
• Knowledge of bioinformatics and NGS data analysis.
• Experience creating and reviewing technical documentation, training or mentoring colleagues, and ideally some project management experience.

To apply, submit a current resume and a motivation letter; no other documents are required.