Laboratory Automation Engineer

Computation is revolutionizing drug discovery. Advances in big chemical data, massive computing power, artificial intelligence, and molecular dynamics simulation are changing the way we develop new drugs. At 1910 Genetics, we put computation at the heart of drug discovery, blending expertise in computational chemistry, structural biology, pharmacology, genetics, data science, and software engineering to develop drugs for previously undruggable targets.

You are someone we can count on to...

• Build and lead the laboratory automation and operations capability at 1910 Genetics. Leveraging your expertise in instrumentation and scientific principles, you will program, maintain, and troubleshoot lab automation and other equipment to support production activities and conduct experiments with bench scientists.
• You will directly improve efficiency in our drug discovery efforts by transitioning bench-based protocols to automation and by enabling high throughput analysis to support clear decision-making. You will ensure that automation efforts are integrated with current research workflows and programs, working with biologists and software engineers to seamlessly integrate automation with existing software and hardware to optimize data flows. You will develop SOPs and training to support the team today, while anticipating needs for a growing team and developing a long-term roadmap for automation and other lab requirements.
• Beyond automation, you will help build and lead a state-of-the-art lab. You will ensure our new lab space is a safe and efficient physical working space. You take pride in creating an organized and thoughtful lab space to help fuel drug discovery efforts.
• You possess strong technical and organizational skills, a problem-solving attitude, and an adaptable mindset. You can see around corners - envisioning weeks and months ahead - to consider all details related to lab automation, lab operations, projects, partnerships, vendor relationships, and more.
• You communicate and respond effectively and efficiently, while maintaining flexibility and a sense of humor. You are a humble team player who is willing to help with other priorities across the growing organization as assigned.

Your key responsibilities will include…

• Designing and optimizing high-throughput workflows and sample production pipelines, including translating bench-scale workflows to automated liquid handlers in an effort to reduce turnaround time, increase throughput and yields, and reduce cost.
• Coordinating experimental design and testing of bench-based protocols on automated platforms.
• Writing, validating, executing, and modifying high throughput and other lab SOPs and supporting documentation.
• Developing ongoing lab-wide training processes and policies, training other team members on the use of the developed automation and other lab workflows, and onboarding new lab members.
• Overseeing equipment procurement and performance, which includes strategic sourcing of new equipment in partnership with internal teams, ensuring its installation and calibration, creating maintenance protocols, and scheduling preventive maintenance and service requests and reports.
• Troubleshooting and responding to complex challenges and putting in controls to prevent future issues.
• Overseeing sample, inventory, and results tracking integration with our LIMS system.
• Analyzing and summarizing large data sets and presenting experimental results to team members and management with recommendations for next steps and improvements.
• Monitoring equipment utilization and optimizing lab resources to within budget allocations.
• Owning the Environment, Health, & Safety (EH&S) Program with a third party partner to ensure lab safety compliance and maintenance of federal and local permits and licenses.
• Serving as the point of contact for all lab needs, including planning and supporting lab designs, moves, and reorganizations.
• Managing stockrooms to maintain stock levels by placing orders for consumables and other special orders and coordinating international and domestic shipping and receiving of packages.
• Partnering with the building landlord and vendors who maintain and repair building systems and collect waste to ensure a fully functional facility.
• Forming an emergency response team and serving as emergency contact.
• Partnering with the Office Manager on procurement coordination and bookkeeping tasks to maximize time and cost efficiencies for the organization.
• Providing other administrative and project management support for the lab and other business areas as assigned.

Ideally, you have…

• An MS degree in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Genomics, an Engineering discipline (Bio, Biomedical, or Mechanical), or related field with 2+ years of relevant automation experience, or a BS degree in the same fields with 4+ years of relevant automation experience.
• Proficiency in using, programming, and troubleshooting liquid handlers and/or plate readers – Hamilton, Cytation 5, or other – and other automation software and hardware is required, including running and automating assays and automating protocols.
• Experience with developing and executing high throughput microtiter plate-based assays, enzyme assays, cell-based assays, etc. is highly desired.
• Experience at a high growth biotech startup is preferred.
• Experience in lab buildout, moving, and setup is a plus.
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams), G-Suite, and lab databases and documentation systems.
• Extremely generous equity package coupled with competitive salary.