Software Engineering Director jobs in San Diego, CA

At Element Biosciences, we are passionate about our mission to empower the scientific community with more freedom and flexibility to accelerate our collective impact on humanity. We have built a highly efficient product-driven organization where employees can learn, grow, and thrive in a challenging but encouraging environment. We are committed to scientific integrity, collegiality, honesty, objectivity, and openness.

We are seeking an experienced Associate Director of Software Test Engineering to join Element’s Software Product Design team whose goal is to define, guide, and verify seamless end-user experiences. The ideal candidate is a strong self-starter with the confidence and discipline to manage, build, and grow the automated and manual software testing teams at Element.  The Associate Director of Software Test Engineering will be responsible for overseeing both manual and automated testing processes to ensure the quality and reliability of our software solutions. This role will play a critical part in the development lifecycle, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality products for research and regulated markets. To work effectively with the team, you will need to demonstrate grit and initiative, learn quickly, and possess the ability to tame (figurative) fires with teamwork and a rich spirit of collaboration.  

If you possess the following and want to make a meaningful impact, we invite you to explore this role.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Provide management, leadership, guidance, and mentorship to the software test engineering team at Element.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, continuous improvement, and efficiency within the team.
• Set clear objectives, define priorities, and ensure the team’s alignment with company goals and timelines.
• Build, maintain, and manage the team’s budget.
• Own and develop software test plans, test cases, protocols, and reports.
• Develop and implement comprehensive test strategies for both manual and automated testing, considering the unique requirements of research and regulated products.
• Oversee the execution of manual testing processes, including functional testing, regression testing, and exploratory testing.
• Drive the development and maintenance of automated test suites using industry-standard tools and frameworks.
• Continuously optimize test efforts to maximize test coverage, efficiency, and reliability.
• Ensure that software testing processes comply with regulatory standards and requirements applicable to the healthcare and life sciences industries.
• Work closely with regulatory affairs and compliance teams to support audits, inspections, and submissions as needed.
• Implement best practices for software validation, verification, and documentation in accordance with relevant quality management systems.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders to provide regular updates on testing progress, issues, and risk mitigation strategies.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Life Sciences, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related field with 10 years in the Life Science Industry.
• Experience with NGS, DNA sequencing, Medical Instrumentation Design, Informatics or Biocomputing platforms.
• Extensive experience in software testing, with a focus on both manual and automated testing methodologies.
• Experience with management of multiple disciplines.
• Experience with building, maintaining, and managing budgets.
• Experience with cloud SaaS, data analysis, and instrumentation software development teams.
• Experience in Medical Device compliance in accordance with FDA 21 CFR Part 820, IEC 62304, ISO 13485.
• Understanding of risk analysis and root cause analysis in the context of ISO 14971.
• Experience with project management and product management (technical emphasis).
• Strong self-starter who is comfortable with ambiguity and good at organizing a development team around a vision or feature set.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and strategic skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Be able to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Experience in participating in cross-organizational or inter-company collaboration.
• Possess a humorous spirit in the face of adversity, with the gifs to support it (desired).

Physical Requirements:

• n/a

Location:

• San Diego, CA

Travel: 

• n/a

Job Type:

• Full-time, Exempt

Base Compensation Pay Range:

• $193,000 - $227,000

In addition to base compensation noted above, you will be eligible for stock options, discretionary annual bonus, no cost health insurance plans, 401k with company match, and flexible paid time off. 

Please note: Base compensation will depend on multiple factors, including geographic location, qualifications, and experience. 

We foster an environment such that all people are afforded the freedom to pursue their passions without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status or any other characteristics protected by law.