Staff Automation Engineer

At Illumina, we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients.

Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person, in every role, has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people, inspiring leaders, and world changing projects, you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible.

Why Us

Illumina Laboratory Services (ILS) is an exciting and rewarding organization that applies Illumina’s core sequencing technology to the early clinical application of Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) and TruSight Oncology (TSO) to demonstrate the real-world impact of using genomics to improve human health. The team focuses on expanding the utility of NIPT screening to test for genetic abnormalities across the genome. In addition, our goal for TSO is to provide each customer, ranging from research to translational to clinical, with targeted solutions that move NGS into the standard of care. The Foster City Process Engineering and Support Team’s (PEST’s) Lab Automation Engineers are responsible for bringing practical automation solutions to the lab and sustaining our deployed clinical workflows.

 

Why You

You are a seasoned expert in lab automation (liquid handlers) with demonstrated experience in independently developing new methods and complex troubleshooting. You have experience and an interest in integration of automation pieces with software such as LIMS. You see yourself as someone who is positive, innovative, proactive, able to be a technical expert and drive projects forward to success. You like to solve problems and propose solutions and have demonstrated that in the automation space. You thrive within a fast-paced environment. You are passionate about improving human health by making a direct impact with your work on products that are being used in clinical services.

 

The role

As part of the ILS PEST Lab Automation Team, you will use your extensive understanding of laboratory automation to drive the development and validation of our automated and high-throughput clinical laboratory services. You will understand what is available on the market, leading the evaluation of new automation solutions and driving strategic automation decisions. You will lead the development of new automated workflows and/or optimization of existing ones, from requirement gathering, to script programing, risk assessment, troubleshooting and validation. You will be a technical expert within a multi-disciplinary team working to ensure ILS products meet their stated claims, global regulatory requirements, and customer expectations.

 

Responsibilities:

• As part of the ILS PEST Lab Automation team, the Staff Automation Engineer will lead planning and executing technical and cross-functional activities for new product introductions, drive design changes and evaluate performance of specific clinical workflows with a key focus on automation.
• Lead transition of manual workflows onto automated liquid handling equipment or further development of existing automated workflows.
• Lead troubleshooting, root cause analysis and resolution of complex automation problems and work efficiently to reduce equipment downtime in the lab.
• Develop new automation methods and scripts in collaboration with clinical scientists, process engineers, and other cross-functional team members.
• Guide cross functional team to execute verification/validation activities against predefined automation design requirements and specifications.
• Implement proactive risk mitigation within automation discipline and at critical interfaces to other teams. Lead the risk assessment activities for automation.
• Write new scripts or modify existing scripts to run on automation platforms.
• Evaluate new pieces of automation to implement in a clinical lab, develop business cases to justify their use, and drive their implementation strategy.
• Integrate automation components with other sub-systems such as LIMS.
• Own the technical files related to the automation sub-processes of ILS’ pipelines.
• Improve standardization and business processes automation technical documentation.
• Innovate and optimize existing automation processes and equipment
• Lead core teams on medium to large sized, multi-disciplinary projects.
• Collaborate effectively with Operations, Bioinformatics, Software, Quality and other teams as needed to support ILS product development, continuous improvement, and sustaining activities.
• Communicate results and conclusions to aid in decision making in a fast-paced environment.
• Analyze and interpret data. Summarize results in written and oral reports in conformance with quality system documentation needs.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior automation engineers.

 

Listed responsibilities are an essential, but not exhaustive list, of the usual duties associated with the position. Changes to individual responsibilities may occur due to business needs.

 

Requirements:

• B.S./M.S. in Biology, Genetics, or Engineering (or similar) discipline with 8 years of experience, Master’s Degree preferred, PhD with 3 - 5 years of relevant experience, or equivalent automation industry experience.
• Hands on, extensive expertise in laboratory automation and liquid handling is required (e.g. Hamilton, Tecan, Beckman, Agilent, etc).
• Experience with NGS library prep and DNA extraction automation is a plus.
• Proficiency in designing, writing, and optimizing complex scripts on automated liquid handling platforms or automation scheduling software is required.
• Proficiency with optimization of pipetting accuracy, precision, and/or speed beyond default settings is required.
• Experience with automation integration with software such as LIMS is a plus.
• Experience in risk management is a requirement.
• Excellent verbal/written communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to think innovatively towards solving problems effectively and efficiently.
• Proven ability to plan strategically and influence cross-functional decisions.
• Analytical, detail-oriented, organized, takes initiative, and must be self-motivated.
• Must have a desire to be part of a fast-paced, dynamic, cross-functional environment.

 

All listed requirements are deemed as essential functions to this position; however, business conditions may require reasonable accommodations for additional task and responsibilities.

We are a company deeply rooted in belonging, promoting an inclusive environment where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute to our mission. Built on a strong foundation, Illumina has always prioritized openness, collaboration, and seeking alternative perspectives to propel innovation in genomics. We are proud to confirm a zero-net gap in pay, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or race. We also have several Employee Resource Groups (ERG) that deliver career development experiences, increase cultural awareness, and offer opportunities to engage in social responsibility. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to providing employment opportunity regardless of sex, race, creed, color, gender, religion, marital status, domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, pregnancy, military or veteran status, citizenship status, and genetic information. Illumina conducts background checks on applicants for whom a conditional offer of employment has been made. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws. Background check results may potentially result in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment. The background check process and any decisions made as a result shall be made in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws. Illumina prohibits the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the application and interview process. If you require accommodation to complete the application or interview process, please contact accommodations@illumina.com. To learn more, visit: https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf. The position will be posted until a final candidate is selected or the requisition has a sufficient number of qualified applicants. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.