Senior AI Engineer

We’re passionate about delivering on Our Promise to improve the lives of patients and create healthier communities for all. We foster a culture of inclusivity, integrity and creativity while boldly pursuing answers to the world’s most complex health challenges and transforming society.

The Opportunity

Join our Data and Digital Catalyst organization as a Senior AI Engineer in AI Enablement, where you will partner closely with computational and research scientists to turn artificial intelligence into an everyday utility that accelerates drug discovery and development. Working in a cross-functional, impact-driven team, you will design, build, and scale modern AI/ML and agentic systems that unlock the full potential of our scientific data.

• Design, develop, and test robust, scalable scientific web applications, backend systems, and cloud-native architectures that power AI/ML workflows.
• Build foundational AgentOps capabilities—including evaluation frameworks, observability, secure execution environments, memory/retrieval systems, and model routing—to deploy and operate AI agents at scale.
• Establish AI data readiness capabilities by structuring, validating, and standardizing diverse scientific datasets to ensure reproducibility, traceability, and trustworthiness.
• Develop tooling to evaluate AI/ML model performance and define new metrics for assessing AI output quality.
• Partner directly with product managers, computational scientists, and research teams to translate complex scientific challenges into actionable technical specifications.
• Implement and evaluate emerging AI/ML algorithms, analytical techniques, and GPU performance optimizations to continuously evolve our modern tech stack.

Who you are:

• You hold a Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of relevant experience (or a Master’s degree with 3+ years) in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Software Engineering, or an equivalent practical background.
• You bring strong proficiency in AI/ML frameworks, statistical modeling, machine learning theory, and GPU/ML performance optimization.
• You have hands-on experience building cloud-native architectures (ideally AWS) using Kubernetes alongside relational, NoSQL, or data lake storage systems.
• You apply software engineering best practices across the full stack and demonstrate agility in quickly picking up new technologies and languages.
• You communicate clearly and excel at building trusted, collaborative partnerships across technical and non-technical teams.

Preferred

• Experience working with biological data, scientific imaging, or within a life sciences research environment.
• Hands-on experience building and deploying Generative AI solutions, autonomous agents, or workflow automation tools.

Location

• This role is based in South San Francisco and offers a hybrid schedule working 3 day per week on campus
• No relocation benefits are available for this posting

The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of San Franscico, CA is $168,100- $312,300 Annual.  This position is open to both SE6 and SE7 levels, with final leveling to be determined upon completion of the interview process. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law.  A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance. 

Genentech is an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy and practice to employ, promote, and otherwise treat any and all employees and applicants on the basis of merit, qualifications, and competence. The company's policy prohibits unlawful discrimination, including but not limited to, discrimination on the basis of Protected Veteran status, individuals with disabilities status, and consistent with all federal, state, or local laws.

If you have a disability and need an accommodation in relation to the online application process, please contact us by completing this form Accommodations for Applicants.