Integration Engineer

Exthymic•San Diego, CA

2d•$90,000 - $110,000

About The Position

Exthymic is an early-stage deep-tech startup developing a platform to manufacture patient-specific curative cell therapies at the point of care. The Integration Engineer will build, integrate, test, and maintain prototype instruments that combine fluidics, optics, thermal control, motion, electronics, software, and cell biology. The role works closely with engineers and scientists who design each subsystem and requires making progress when drawings are incomplete or priorities change. The engineer will assemble prototype instruments, subassemblies, and test rigs; plan and execute subsystem and integrated-instrument tests; document builds and results; troubleshoot and investigate failures; maintain instruments and test equipment; improve assembly instructions and SOPs; and train junior engineers and technicians.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, biomedical, or mechatronics engineering, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience.
At least 3 years of experience in instrument assembly, integration, testing, or manufacturing engineering; experience with electromechanical or laboratory instruments is preferred.
Hands-on mechanical assembly from drawings, wiring and cable harnessing, fluidic tubing and fittings, and safe use of hand and power tools.
Ability to troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, fluidic, and software faults using multimeters, oscilloscopes, pressure and flow sensors, and data acquisition systems.
Experience writing and executing test protocols and documenting builds and tests so others can reproduce them.
Ability to read CAD models, such as Onshape or similar, and electrical schematics.
Experience analyzing test data and drawing conclusions from it.
Willingness to work with biological systems and learn aseptic technique.
Ability to work across multiple engineering and scientific disciplines and make progress when drawings are incomplete or priorities shift.

Nice To Haves

Experience integrating and testing fluidic, optical, thermal, or motion-control systems.
Experience maintaining and calibrating laboratory or production equipment, or supporting equipment qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ).
Test automation or data acquisition scripting experience using Python, LabVIEW, or similar.
Experience with embedded controllers, sensors, and motor drivers.
Exposure to design controls, ISO 13485, or GMP documentation practices.
Mammalian cell culture or biology laboratory experience.
Early-stage startup experience.

Responsibilities

Assemble and integrate prototype instruments, subassemblies, and test rigs, including mechanical assembly, fluidic plumbing, cable harnesses, and sensor and actuator connections.
Bring up new builds with design engineers, document deviations and fixes, and report assembly issues to the design team.
Work with design engineers and scientists to translate requirements into test plans and protocols with acceptance criteria, sample sizes, and measurement methods.
Plan test campaigns for subsystems and integrated instruments in support of upcoming design decisions.
Run bench and integration tests on prototypes, subsystems, and full instruments, covering flow and volume accuracy, pressure, leak integrity, and thermal, optical, motion, and electrical performance.
Support cell-based runs with scientists and build and maintain required test fixtures and harnesses.
Write test reports supporting design verification and maintain traceability from requirements to test results.
Characterize failures, file reproducible issue reports, and support root-cause investigation and retesting.
Maintain prototype instruments and test equipment, including preventive maintenance, calibration, cleaning, spare parts, and records of hardware and software revisions.
Diagnose and repair faults, and help automate data capture and instrument health checks.
Follow assembly instructions and SOPs, identify unclear, incorrect, or missing information, and work with authors to revise them.
Train and mentor junior engineers and technicians on assembly, test execution, and documentation.