The Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) Oxford is committed to addressing humanity’s most pressing challenges by reimagining how science and technology transform into solutions that make a global impact. With a focus on innovation across high-stakes areas including health and medical science, food security, sustainable agriculture, climate change, clean energy, and government innovation in an AI-driven era, EIT Oxford integrates pioneering research with practical implementation to deliver high-impact, sustainable results.
At the core of EIT Oxford’s vision is a significant investment in a world-class research and development facility at the Oxford Science Park, set to open in 2027. This 300,000-square-foot campus will feature cutting-edge research laboratories, an oncology and preventative care clinic, and collaborative educational spaces. These resources will bolster EIT Oxford’s partnership with the University of Oxford, creating an environment where groundbreaking research transitions seamlessly into real-world applications. The new facility will also serve as the home for Ellison Scholars, advancing EIT Oxford’s mission to generate societal benefit through science.
Within this ecosystem, the Pathogen Mission exemplifies EIT’s dedication to transformative science. It seeks to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases by leveraging Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)-based metagenomic and pathogen-specific analytical tools. This initiative is building a global, “Always On” pathogen metagenomics system designed to enhance diagnostics, provide early epidemic warnings, and guide treatment through antimicrobial resistance profiling. Enabled by Oracle Inc.’s cloud-computing scale and security, the Pathogen Mission is advancing toward certified diagnostic products for deployment in laboratories, hospitals, and public health organizations worldwide.

JOB SUMMARY:

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Head of Product Engineering to lead the engineering strategy and execution for our cutting-edge SaaS platform in genomic sequencing. This role combines deep software engineering leadership with a strong understanding of regulated environments, particularly as we evolve towards Software as a Medical Device (SaMD).
You will oversee the design, architecture, and delivery of a highly scalable, secure, and compliant cloud-based solution that empowers researchers, clinicians, and bioinformaticians. This is a mission-critical leadership position that will influence product direction, engineering culture, and regulatory readiness.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Deep software engineering experience, including in leadership roles with responsibility for engineering strategy, hiring, delivery, and quality.
• Demonstrated ability to lead end-to-end development of complex, cloud-native SaaS platforms at scale — including architecture, infrastructure, DevOps, QA, and observability.
• Proven track record in building and scaling SaaS applications in regulated or healthcare-adjacent domains.
• Deep expertise in modern tech stacks (e.g., Python, Typescript, Node.js, React), cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle), Kubernetes and IaC with Terraform.
• Strong grasp of data privacy and security frameworks, including role-based access control (RBAC), encryption at rest and in transit, secure API design, and identity/auth protocols (e.g., OAuth2, OpenID).
• Outstanding communication and collaboration skills, capable of influencing stakeholders, external partners, and non-technical contributors.
• Understanding of the software development lifecycle in the context of medical or genomic products.

DESIRABLE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Experience with genomic data pipelines, bioinformatics tools, or medical device software.
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks such as SaMD (FDA, EU MDR, etc.).
• Exposure to health data standards (FHIR, HL7, OMOP) and privacy regulations (HIPAA, GDPR).
• Hands-on experience coordinating or undergoing penetration tests, including third-party audits and remediation planning for sensitive healthcare or genomics platforms.