Principal Utilities Engineer

About the Role

A healthier future drives us to innovate, advance science, and ensure access to healthcare for generations. At Roche’s Oceanside facility—a cutting-edge, multi-product CHO drug substance manufacturing site—we seek a highly skilled Utilities Engineering System Owner to lead engineering support for critical site infrastructure across its full lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Serve as technical lead for the operation, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement of plant mechanical systems (HVAC, chillers, boilers, natural gas, natural refrigerants) and clean utilities (WFI, clean steam, RO/DI, city/soft water, bulk gases/chemicals).
• Review equipment designs, specifications, P&IDs, and vendor packages; oversee field installations and commissioning activities while guiding subcontractors and vendors on-site.
• Manage change control processes, author/revise controlled technical documents (SOPs, specifications, validation protocols), and support timely closure of deviations, CAPAs, and audit observations.
• Collaborate with Process, Automation, Maintenance, and Quality teams to resolve complex technical issues and participate in regulatory audits as a technical Subject Matter Expert (SME).
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA/FMEA) and apply DMAIC/Six Sigma methodologies to drive system reliability, efficiency, and safety.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical or Chemical Engineering preferred).
• 5–8 years of experience in a corporate or manufacturing engineering environment.
• 5+ years of direct utility engineering experience within biotech, pharmaceutical, or highly regulated cGMP facilities.

Skills

• Hands-on knowledge of clean water purification (RO/DI to WFI, Clean Steam) and/or plant mechanical systems (central plant, chillers, boilers, HVAC, compressed air).
• Practical understanding of Building Automation Systems (e.g., Siemens) and skid/PLC control integrations.
• Demonstrated proficiency with cGMP regulations, validation/commissioning protocols, and change control procedures.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting background using formal RCA/FMEA techniques.

Pay

The expected salary range for this position in California is $95,200 – $176,800 annually. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors. A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance.

Benefits

This position qualifies for the comprehensive benefits detailed at Genentech’s benefits page.