Automation Engineer I/II (Contract)

Location: Palo Alto, CA, United States. Workplace: On-site

Company

hirify.global develops blood-based cancer detection tests using whole-genome sequencing, machine learning, and DNA fragmentomics.

What you will do

• Support, maintain, test, and troubleshoot liquid-handling platforms used in clinical multi-omics workflows.
• Perform preventive and corrective maintenance on liquid handlers, centrifuges, thermal cyclers, cold-storage units, proteomics platforms, and related laboratory equipment.
• Coordinate IQ/OQ/PQ qualification activities, vendor service scheduling, calibration, inventory, and maintenance records.
• Diagnose instrument failures, document corrective actions and root-cause analyses, and manage equipment tickets through resolution.
• Create and maintain SOPs, maintenance logs, equipment records, and quality documentation in LIMS Sapio and the laboratory QMS.
• Collaborate with scientists, laboratory operations, software, systems, data, and quality teams on process improvement, automation, assay support, training, and clinical launch readiness.

Requirements

• B.S. or higher in engineering, biology, or a related field.
• Strong analytical, communication, learning, attention-to-detail, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Level I: Knowledge of liquid-processing equipment and assay automation on platforms such as Hamilton, Agilent, Beckman, or Tecan.
• Level II: 3+ years of assay automation experience on liquid handlers and a track record automating high-throughput next-generation sequencing workflows.
• Level II: Experience with molecular biology and wet-lab techniques, including nucleic acid isolation, purification, and quantification.
• Level II: Experience with automation-LIMS integration and instrument testing or validation plans.

Nice to have

• Computer programming experience and knowledge of programming concepts.
• Experience in regulated environments such as CLIA, CAP, NYS, FDA, GXP, or cGMP.
• Experience in reagent manufacturing or programming Hamilton liquid handlers for NGS assays.

Culture & Benefits

• Work in a science-driven environment focused on improving cancer detection and health outcomes.
• Collaborate across research, clinical laboratory, software, data science, systems engineering, quality, and laboratory operations functions.
• Contribute to development, verification, validation, regulatory readiness, and clinical launch activities.