Automation Engineer II

Why join Freenome?

Freenome is a high-growth biotech company on a mission since 2014 to create tools that empower everyone to prevent, detect, and treat their disease. 

To achieve this mission, Freenome is developing next-generation blood tests to detect cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages using our multiomics platform and machine learning techniques. Our first blood test will detect early-stage colorectal cancer and advanced adenomas.

To fight the war on cancer, Freenome has raised more than $1.1B from leading investors including a16z, GV (formerly Google Ventures), T. Rowe Price, BainCapital, Perceptive Advisors, RA Capital Management, Roche, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, and the American Cancer Society’s BrightEdge Ventures. 

Are you ready for the fight? A ‘Freenomer’ is a mission-driven employee who is fueled by the opportunity to make a positive impact on patients' lives, who thrive in a culture of respect and cross collaboration, and whose work makes a significant impact on the company and their career. Freenomers are determined, patient-centric, and outcomes-driven. We build teams around divergent expertise, allowing us to solve problems and ascertain opportunities in unique ways. We are dedicated to advancing healthcare, one breakthrough at a time.

About this opportunity:

At Freenome you’ll have the opportunity to participate in building a cutting edge clinical laboratory with end to end automation to help fulfill our mission for the early detection and intervention of disease. 

As an Automation Engineer, you will develop automated solutions to support the execution of critical studies, and drive the company toward product commercialization. You will use a wide range of automation tools and grow with our team of highly experienced automation engineers. We work closely with clinical lab teams, service engineers, R&D scientists, and software engineers to evaluate and implement new technology, develop new automated workflows,  and continuously improve the performance and efficiency of the lab. 

What you’ll do:

• Support execution of sample processing in a regulated clinical lab setting using automated liquid handlers and integrated robotic workcells 
• Develop new hardware, software, and process solutions all the way from proposal to implementation and release to the lab
• Create new liquid handling and robotic methods and optimize them to replace manual operations
• Collaborate with Service and Clinical lab teams to minimize downtime and proactively address potential challenges in the lab
• Identify and communicate suggested process improvements throughout the clinical lab by thinking critically about the entire laboratory workflow
• Participate in optimization and troubleshooting efforts with science and laboratory teams 
• Be the automation first responder to carefully plan and document recovery actions for time sensitive processing issues by applying scientific and automation technical knowledge
• Innovate to solve new and challenging problems in a high pace team oriented environment
• Maintain a focus on quality and communication to build trust and collaboration with cross-functional teams

Must haves:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an engineering, biochemistry, or related scientific field
• 2-4 years of laboratory experience in the life sciences, especially in high throughput labs 
• Experience with one or more liquid handling or automation scheduling software with a preference for Hamilton Venus, Agilent VWorks/Bravo, and Thermo Momentum
• Demonstrated ability to work successfully and collaboratively in a cross-functional team
• Functional knowledge in experimental design, bench execution, process documentation, and data analysis
• Experience working with a broad set of instruments
• Critical thinking, attention to detail, and ability to address problems systematically and drive to resolution

Nice to haves:

• Programming automated liquid handlers or robotic laboratory workflows
• Direct experience with immunoassay or NGS workflows and lab processes
• Experience working in a regulated environment (CLIA / CAP / NYS / FDA / GCLP / cGMP) is strongly preferred

Benefits and additional information:

The US target range of our base salary for new hires is $85,000 - $130,000. You will also be eligible to receive pre-IPO equity, cash bonuses, and a full range of medical, financial, and other benefits dependent on the position offered.  Please note that individual total compensation for this position will be determined at the Company’s sole discretion and may vary based on several factors, including but not limited to, location, skill level, years and depth of relevant experience, and education. We invite you to check out our career page @ https://careers.freenome.com/ for additional company information.  

Freenome is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity. Freenome does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.

Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws.  

• Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
• Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA)

#LI-Onsite