Automation Engineer

About the CompanyForesight Diagnostics is an early-stage, venture-backed molecular diagnostics company that is developing non-invasive cancer detection technologies to improve the lives of patients worldwide. Our portfolio of cell-free DNA based liquid biopsy tests are rooted in novel and proprietary methods developed at Stanford University. Our approach enables the earlier detection of smaller tumors, leading to more personalized and effective cancer treatment strategies for patients. We have deep expertise in molecular biology, bioinformatics, and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), and maintain a dynamic, fast-paced work environment with significant opportunities for high-impact contribution and rapid professional growth. Foresight Diagnostics is headquartered in Aurora, Colorado.

About the Role

The Automation Engineer at Foresight Diagnostics will be responsible for supporting the development of and owning maintenance for Foresight’s laboratory automation function. As the business life cycle evolves to vertically integrate manufacturing, this role will take point in development and implementation with transition to the tech transfer functions within the organization. This position will collaborate cross functionally to deliver on business objectives with the intention of cross functional integration and operational scaling. This is a full-time position working standard business hours, but may require the flexibility to work diverse schedules, including evenings, weekends, and holidays. This position reports to the Director of Clinical Laboratory Operations.

Responsibilities

• Effectively deliver to project deadlines, on time and on budget, with adherence to applicable quality and regulatory requirements.
• Iterate on processes to drive continuous improvement with prioritization managed through the application/interpretation of KPI results.
• Collaborate with laboratory leads to align on automation requirements and develop workflows and instrument methods for laboratory optimization and software integration.
• Develop SOPs to enable successful tech transfer of technology to the laboratory teams for production use.
• Work cross-functionally with Operations, Finance, and laboratory teams as necessary to properly forecast the number of automation instrumentation needed to meet volume demand, plan for and propose upgrades to the Foresight’s automation solution, and perform maintenance to ensure operational capacity never impacts Foresight’s ability to successfully deliver on time results.
• Collaborate with Research to identify manufacturing requirements for vertically integrated products, develop manufacturing processes and QC metrics to enable successful tech transfer of technology to the Reagent Manufacturing and QC teams for production use.
• Ensure effective resource utilization, planning and execution of people, process, and products in alignment with corporate objectives and volume projections across cross-functional teams.
• Implement laboratory processes that are compliant with appropriate regulations, to include but not limited to GxP, ISO, CFR, CAP/CLIA, NYSDOH.
• Guide troubleshooting and resolution of incident reports and CAPAs while driving continuous improvement.

Skills and Qualifications

• 5+ years engineering experience supporting laboratory environments.
• A bachelor’s degree: BA/BS. An advanced degree, such as a Ph.D. or Masters degree preferred.
• Additional technical training would be a plus with an understanding of molecular biology and genomics.
• Working knowledge of liquid handling platforms such as Hamilton Star line and Agilent Bravo preferred
• Proven ability to deliver actionable results to complex problems.
• Strong organizational skills with an understanding of scaling and capacity planning.
• Advanced analytical and operational skills with an ability to identify meaningful insights from complex data.
• Self-starter who thrives in ambiguity in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to deliver on end-to-end projects with a high level of autonomy.

This role is offering a salary between $118,000-140,000, and is eligible for equity offerings.

Foresight offers benefits including paid vacation, sick time, and parental leave (if applicable), alongside medical, dental, vision, life, disability coverage, flexible spending accounts, and a 401k with company match.

The application deadline for this position is October 15, 2024

You will be working on interesting problems with extremely high impact. We promote the professional development of our employees and will encourage upward mobility within the company for high performing employees. Foresight Diagnostics is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.