Automation Engineer III, Liquid Handling & MFG Automation

10x Genomics•Pleasanton, CA

9h•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking an Automation Engineer III to join our Manufacturing Systems Engineering Group at 10x Genomics. This is a key position supporting the manufacturing of 10x reagents and consumables. You will develop, validate, and support automated liquid handling methods on Hamilton liquid handlers (Microlab STAR, STARlet, and Vantage), onboard and support analytical instrumentation, and deliver small automation projects, working closely with R&D, Process Development, Manufacturing, and Quality teams. The ideal candidate is a hands-on MFG automation engineer who writes liquid handling code that others can read, reuse, and scale, owns methods from requirements through qualification and production support, enjoys finding the root cause of hard problems like cross-contamination and volume variability, and uses modern tools—including AI—to work faster without cutting corners.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Engineering, Life Science, Computer Science, or equivalent.
5+ years of relevant industry experience with a bachelor’s degree, or 3+ years with a master’s degree, in a manufacturing or laboratory automation environment.
3+ years of hands-on Hamilton liquid handler method development, troubleshooting, and optimization in VENUS, including liquid class development and peripheral integration.
Demonstrated ability to write scalable, maintainable, well-documented liquid handling code that can be reviewed, reused, and transferred.
Experience in life science reagent or consumables manufacturing, including SBS labware, tubes, barcodes, and sample tracking.
Hands-on experience troubleshooting automation equipment, with structured root cause analysis (e.g., 5 Whys, fishbone, etc) across mechanical, electrical, and software systems.
Familiarity with standard equipment such as plate sealers, vacuum sealers, pipettes, labelers, and pumps.
Knowledge of equipment qualification procedures (IQ/OQ/PQ) and experience writing work instructions and qualification protocols and reports.
Experience using statistics to validate or qualify equipment or processes (e.g., capability analysis, gage R&R, DOE).
Experience working in an ISO 9001 quality management system, including document control and change control.
AI fluency: practical, day-to-day use of generative AI tools (e.g., LLM-based assistants and AI coding assistants) to accelerate engineering work, with the judgment to critically evaluate and verify outputs and to use AI responsibly with company data.
Demonstrated skill in problem-solving and the ability to handle operations issues in a fast-paced environment with a customer-focused attitude.
Strong communication, organization, and prioritization skills, with the ability to act independently while balancing a broad range of organizational needs.
Ability and willingness to work swing shift and/or weekends as needed to support manufacturing operations.
Ability to routinely lift, carry, push, and pull equipment, containers, and materials weighing up to 45 lbs.
Capable of standing and walking for extended periods, as well as frequently bending, stooping, kneeling, and reaching to complete daily operational tasks.
Comfortable working in an active laboratory environment with chemical and biological hazards, while strictly adhering to EHS safety protocols and personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with GitHub or Git and maintaining a shared codebase (branching, code review, release versioning).
Ability to write and support Python code for data analysis, scripting, and instrument integration.
Experience with Hamilton TADM, liquid level detection (cLLD/pLLD), CO-RE 96 multi-probe head, iSWAP, and common peripherals.
Experience with analytical instrumentation such as plate readers, spectrophotometers, fragment analyzers, or HPLC.
Familiarity with standard shop tools such as calipers, wrenches, saws, drills, and grinders.
Experience with PLC programming (ideally Allen Bradley) and HMI programming (ideally Ignition).
Light mechanical design capability using SolidWorks (e.g., simple fixtures, brackets, and adapters for manufacturing automation).
Experience with Arena PLM and Oracle ERP.
Experience in regulated manufacturing environments (ISO 13485 or GMP) a plus.

Responsibilities

Develop, program, troubleshoot, and optimize automated liquid handling methods on Hamilton liquid handlers (STAR, STARlet, Vantage) for Manufacturing using VENUS software and Hamilton Scripting Language (HSL), including advanced scripting for complex methods that require collaboration with internal teams and external vendors.
Write scalable, modular, and maintainable liquid handling code with standardized error handling and recovery, managed under version control.
Develop, optimize, and validate liquid classes and integrate Hamilton peripherals.
Lead root cause investigations and corrective actions on liquid handling issues, including cross-contamination, carryover, and volume accuracy and precision, and implement fixes through change control.
Develop and implement QC methods that verify liquid handling performance, and use statistics to qualify equipment and process performance.
Configure, onboard, and support analytical instrumentation, including data and API integrations with liquid handlers and software tools.
Scope, design, and deliver small automation projects, and perform hands-on troubleshooting of automation and manufacturing equipment.
Support equipment transfers, installations, and qualification and validation activities (IQ/OQ/PQ).
Develop work instructions and qualification documentation for new equipment, and review existing documents regularly and update them when needed.
Establish maintenance plans, analyze performance data, identify trends, and recommend improvements to reliability and yield.
Create and maintain procedures supporting the QMS in an ISO 9001 environment, including FMEAs.
Use AI tools to accelerate code development, documentation, data analysis, and troubleshooting.
Provide production support and continuous improvement for existing methods and automation, including off-shift or weekend support as needed.