Automation Engineer II
About The Position
Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), one of Danaher’s operating companies, is seeking an Automation Engineer II. This role is responsible for developing, implementing, and sustaining automated liquid handling equipment, processes, and protocols to support an oligonucleotide synthesis platform and associated processing workflows. IDT is committed to collaboration and scientific excellence, aiming to help researchers rapidly move from the lab to life-changing advances in fields like cancer, infectious disease, and rare genetic disorders. The company fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement, leveraging Danaher’s system of continuous improvement to innovate for tangible impact in life sciences, diagnostics, and biotechnology. This position is part of the Emerging Technologies, Platform Development group located in Sunnyvale, CA.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, Bioengineering, or related technical field with 4+ years of related work experience.
- Hands‑on experience developing, programming, and debugging automated liquid handling workflows using Beckman Coulter, Hamilton, Tecan, or similar instrumentation, including familiarity with scripting, method development and risk assessment for automated lab processes.
- Experience automating biochemical or molecular biology workflows such as PCR, nucleic acid extraction or purification, dilution/normalization, or QC sample preparation in a laboratory or development environment.
Nice To Haves
- Experience designing experiments or automation workflows with scalability in mind, including support for technology transfer from R&D into process development or manufacturing environments.
- Experience applying structured continuous improvement tools (e.g., RCA, FMEA, value stream mapping) and working with data systems or LIMS to document methods, analyze performance, and support platform maturation and technology transfer.
Responsibilities
- Drive the design, development, and optimization of automated liquid handling workflows for processing of oligonucleotides, including PCR and other enzymatic reactions, purification and QC sample preparation.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with platform development engineers and scientists and operations teams to translate manual or semi‑automated protocols into robust, scalable automated workflows; create and revise SOPs, methods, and supporting documentation as needed.
- Lead or support troubleshooting and root cause analysis of automation‑related issues using structured problem‑solving approaches (e.g., 5‑Why, Fishbone), and implement corrective improvements to protocols, scripts, and hardware configurations.
- Perform systematic evaluation of liquid handling performance (e.g., accuracy, precision, cross‑contamination); analyze experimental and run data to identify trends, establish acceptance criteria, and support method qualification and technology transfer activities.
Benefits
- broad array of comprehensive, competitive benefit programs that add value to our lives
- health care program
- paid time off
- medical/dental/vision insurance
- 401(k) to eligible employees
- bonus/incentive pay
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Number of Employees
5,001-10,000 employees
