OEM Computer Specialist

Thermo Fisher Scientific · Austin

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Job Description

Role Purpose

The OEM Computer Specialist is the technical visionary responsible for the "compute backbone" of Thermo Fisher’s instrumentation portfolio. This role bridges the gap between scientific instrument design and the rapid release cycles of Tier-1 hardware (Dell, HP), silicon (NVIDIA, Intel), and software (Microsoft) partners.

Key Responsibilities

1. Enterprise Harmonization & Governance

• Multi-Divisional Standards: Drive the harmonization of computer and OS architectures across disparate Thermo Fisher divisions (Analytical Instruments, Life Sciences, Specialty Diagnostics) to leverage enterprise-scale buying power and simplify global support.
• Strategic Interface Management: Negotiate requirements between Thermo Fisher’s specialized scientific groups, Tier-1 hardware vendors (Dell/HP), and external integrators to ensure a consistent, branded, and high-performance product.
• Lifecycle Convergence: Harmonize mismatched product lifecycles across the enterprise by coordinating "Last Time Buy" programs and multi-year supply strategies for shared hardware components.
• Compliance Unification: Consolidate to a single quality management framework for computer systems validation (CSV), reducing redundant documentation efforts across divisions while maintaining rigorous FDA 21 CFR Part 11 standards. 
• Design Synchronization: Help create a unified framework for "Golden Images" and hardware builds that allows different instrument groups to share core components while maintaining the ability to specialize where scientifically necessary.

2. Strategic Lifecycle & Roadmap Management

• Multi-Tier Lifecycle Alignment: Synchronize the 10-year lifecycle of scientific instruments with the 18–36 month refresh cycles of Tier-1 vendors. Secure "Extended Lifecycle" (XE/XL) hardware to prevent premature obsolescence.
• Supplier Diplomacy: Act as the primary technical interface for Dell OEM Solutions, NVIDIA, and Microsoft, influencing their future roadmaps to meet the specific power, thermal, and stability needs of lab environments

3. Regulatory Compliance & Validation

• Define Validated Base Images: Architect and maintain "Locked Configurations" for OS and hardware (e.g., Windows 10/11 IoT Enterprise LTSC) to ensure a stable, reproducible environment required for Installation (IQ) and Operational Qualification (OQ), FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and GxP compliance.
• Serviceable Security: Negotiate cybersecurity requirements to protect instruments from network threats while ensuring the OS is not so "locked down" that Field Service Engineers (FSEs) cannot perform diagnostics or local repairs.
• Quality Risk Management: Conduct Validation Risk Assessments (RA) for any proposed computer hardware changes, ensuring that technology refreshes do not compromise the instrument’s validated state. 

4. Integrator & Operations Management

• Integrator Governance: Direct third-party Computer Integrators (e.g., Unicom, Avnet, MBX) on custom hardware builds, including custom BIOS settings, branding/labeling, and specialized shock-resistant packaging.
• Integrator Management: Act as the primary technical point of contact for external Computer Integrators. Oversee the conversion of standard Tier-1 (Dell/HP) hardware into "Thermo Fisher Branded" appliances through custom imaging, BIOS configuration, and hardware hardening.
• Custom Hardware Engineering: Specify and validate mechanical customizations, including custom labeling (branding/regulatory silk-screening), specialized packaging (shock-vibration protection), and unique physical security features (port blockers, custom cabling).
• OS & Image Governance: Manage the delivery and maintenance of golden images (Windows LTSC/Linux) to the integrator. Ensure the deployment of "Locked" OS environments that disable non-essential services to guarantee instrument stability and security.
• Supply Chain Continuity: Manage "Long-Term Stocking" programs and "Last-Time-Buy" (LTB) events with the integrator to bridge gaps between Dell/NVIDIA hardware EOL dates and the end-of-support dates for Thermo Fisher instruments.

Required Qualifications

• Education: B.S. or greater in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience: 3+ years in systems architecture, specifically within an OEM integration or industrial computing context
• Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of computer hardware fundamentals (CPU, RAM, data logic).Strong knowledge of Dell/HP OEM portfolios and NVIDIA GPU architectures. Expertise in Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC and Linux hardening.
• Soft Skills: Exceptional strategic thinking, analytical problem-solving, and the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Enterprise Architecture: Strong understanding of Enterprise Architecture (EA) governance principles and their application in industrial/scientific environments.
• Technical Soft Skills: Demonstrated ability to negotiate technical requirements across competing internal departments (Quality, Cybersecurity, Engineering, and Field Service).
• Cybersecurity Knowledge: Familiarity with Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools and their impact on high-performance computing environments.
• Manufacturing Instruction & SOPs: Develop the detailed "Build-to-Order" (BTO) documentation for the integrator, defining everything from drive partitioning to the exact torque specs for custom mounting brackets.
• Quality Audit Participation: Participate in technical audits of the integrator’s facilities to ensure their production lines meet the quality standards required for medical device and life science instrumentation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Service Background: (Preferred) Prior experience in field service or technical support to provide "empathy-driven design" for the serviceability of the system.
• Leadership Presence: Proven ability to influence and lead cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders in a highly matrixed global organization.
• Conflict Resolution: Act as the final arbiter when "Security Requirements" conflict with "Instrument Performance" (e.g., anti-virus scans interrupting high-speed data acquisition from a mass spec).
  

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