Principal System Architect - Instrument

Overview

At Cytek Biosciences
, we’re transforming the future of flow cytometry. As a global leader in spectral technology, our advanced platforms enable deeper scientific discovery, empowering researchers in academic, clinical, and biopharma labs to accelerate their breakthroughs with unmatched precision and efficiency. Cytek Biosciences is seeking an experienced Instrument System Architect to define and guide the architecture of next-generation flow cytometry platforms. This role is responsible for translating customer, application, and business needs into robust instrument designs, with particular focus on subsystem architecture, system reliability, and cross-functional execution with global teams and suppliers, including partners in China.

Based in Fremont, CA, this position will build and manage a small team of system engineers located in China, including responsibility for hiring, developing, and leading that team. The role requires quarterly travel to China and close collaboration with China-based engineering and operations teams. This role is ideal for a professional who has worked with Class I, II, or III devices (including 510(k) cleared products) and thrives in environments undergoing cGMP and design control maturation.

• Own the end-to-end system architecture for flow cytometry instruments, ensuring strong integration of fluidics, optics, electronics, software, and serviceability requirements.
• Define system requirements, interface specifications, and performance budgets to balance performance, reliability, manufacturability, cost, and scalability.
• Lead architecture decisions for fluidics subsystems, including sample handling, sheath flow, flow cell design, clog resistance, and contamination control.
• Drive reliability engineering activities, including failure mode analysis, reliability risk assessment, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and long-term robustness improvements.
• Establish and track system-level reliability goals such as uptime, MTBF, failure rates, maintenance intervals, and field performance metrics.
• Collaborate closely with R&D, quality, manufacturing, service, and NPI teams to ensure design choices support product reliability and lifecycle performance.
• Build, hire, and manage a small team of system engineers based in China, including defining roles, recruiting candidates, onboarding, and ongoing performance management.
• Directly manage and lead the China-based system engineering team, providing technical mentorship, project guidance, career development, and performance management across time zones.
• Travel to China quarterly to support team building, hiring interviews, onboarding, design reviews, supplier alignment, and in-person technical and operational collaboration.
• Work directly with internal teams and suppliers in China to align on technical requirements, resolve issues, support qualification, and drive on-time execution.
• Participate in supplier development, design reviews, risk mitigation, and technical issue resolution with global and China-based partners.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with China-based engineering, operations, and supplier teams to ensure seamless collaboration, knowledge transfer, and organizational effectiveness.
• Guide subsystem teams through integration, verification, and validation activities, ensuring robust performance under real-world use conditions.
• Support design for manufacturability, serviceability, and supply chain resilience.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship across engineering teams in both the US and China.

• Ph.D. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, Physics, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience developing complex analytical, diagnostic, or life science instrumentation.
• Demonstrated experience in system architecture and cross-functional technical leadership.
• Experience hiring, building, and managing engineering teams, ideally in a global or multi-site environment.
• Strong understanding of fluidics systems, including flow control, microfluidics, particle transport, and contamination mitigation.
• Experience with reliability engineering methods such as FMEA, fault tree…