Automation Engineer III

About Freenome 

Freenome is a high-growth biotech company on a mission since 2014 to create tools that empower everyone to prevent, detect, and treat their disease.

To achieve this mission, Freenome is developing next-generation blood tests to detect cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages using our multiomics platform and machine learning techniques. Our first blood test will detect early-stage colorectal cancer and advanced adenomas.

About the Role

You will play a key role in Freenome’s transition from development to product validation and will support the clinical lab in processing thousands of patient samples per week on our fully automated processing line. You will take point on ensuring success in the clinical laboratory via daily support and implementation of short and long term process and engineering improvements. You will build innovative tools using lab automation and principled design considerations to create effective solutions based around scientific and operational requirements. You will be directly responsible for creating and supporting robust processes on robotic systems, and will represent process engineering and automation collaborations with supply chain, regulatory, technology transfer, software engineering, and R&D teams. Our ability to build, maintain, and continuously improve scalable and efficient workflows in a clinical environment to deliver an always better product will be the main driver for adoption and you will be a key stakeholder in our success.  The automation team is a service provider to the laboratory teams and the balance between bringing new ideas and processes to the table with managing existing ones and gathering ideas/requirements from the end-users will be a critical part of the success of the automation team.

About You

You have a strong work ethic, know the value of your contribution, and want to make an impact by contributing to the development and product release of a life-changing test. You’re well versed in the cross functional nature of laboratory automation collaborating with research, development, manufacturing, software, and IT teams.  You are ready to take ownership of your projects and apply your knowledge to build robust automation processes that allow lab teams to maximize their efficiency. You pay attention to the details and are motivated to continuously improve the products you build, as well as grow your own skills and knowledge by working with a great team. You are excited to join a dynamic and growing company to develop early detection blood tests for cancer.

Your contribution:

• Develop and deploy automation with a quality first mentality and support the lab in successfully processing patient and critical study samples 
• Ensure daily success of the clinical lab by providing on site support and working directly with operators to understand their requirements
• Participate in the design and implementation of efficient workflows, from receiving of labware and reagents to the generation of reports, in support of a rapidly growing clinical organization
• Design and execute optimization experiments for the development of genomic and proteomic processes on robotic platforms
• Continuously assess the state of the operations and prioritize improvements based on expected impact
• Provide systematic approaches to implement automation solutions to ensure process scalability, sustainability and reliability
• Integrate or build innovative laboratory automation tools, instruments, and technologies

Your background, perspective and experience: 

• 4+ years developing and implementing high-efficiency automated workflows 
• Experience with lab automation tools for NGS assays, including extraction, library preparation, target capture, etc. or with proteomic and immunoassay workflows.
• Proven track record in developing, transferring, and, maintaining automated workflows into a high-throughput operation
• Experience scripting methods on OEM robotic systems with a strong preference for Hamilton and Agilent Bravo Liquid Handlers
• Experience testing and deploying LIMS integrated automation into production
• Experience scripting/programming using tools including Python, C#, JavaScript, and others
• Experience with off the shelf scheduling software (Momentum, GreenButtonGo, Overlord, VWorks) a plus
• Experience working in a regulated environment (CLIA / CAP / NYS / FDA / GCLP /cGMP) a plus

COVID safety:

As a condition of employment, you agree to know and comply with our COVID-19 vaccination policy requiring all employees who work on-site and/or attend work-related events to be fully vaccinated and to receive a COVID-19 booster once eligible. Company employees working on-site are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and to receive a COVID-19 booster once eligible, unless a reasonable accommodation is approved or as otherwise required by law. Absent a reasonable accommodation or legal exception, you agree to provide proof of your vaccination status and to be fully vaccinated by your first day on-site, in accordance with our policy.  If you are currently eligible for a COVID-19 booster, you also agree to provide proof of having received a booster.  If you are not yet eligible for a COVID-19 booster, you must provide proof of receiving a booster within two weeks of becoming eligible.

Freenome is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity. Freenome does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.

Funding

We have raised more than $1.1B from leading investors including Perceptive Advisors, RA Capital Management, Roche Venture Fund, Kaiser Permanente, Novartis and the American Cancer Society’s BrightEdge Ventures. 

Freenomers

A ‘Freenomer’ is a mission-driven employee who is fueled by the opportunity to make a positive impact on patients' lives, who thrives in a culture of respect and cross collaboration, and whose work makes a significant impact on the company and their career. 

Freenomers are technical, creative, visionary, grounded, empathetic and passionate. We build teams around divergent expertise, allowing us to solve problems and ascertain opportunities in unique ways. Freenomers are some of the most talented experts in their fields, joining together to advance healthcare, one breakthrough at a time. 

Benefits include but are not limited to:

• Competitive compensation 
• Pre-IPO equity
• Flexible PTO (exempt) and generous PTO (non-exempt) 
• Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, dental, and vision 
• Wellness and mental health resources, including Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), Paid maternity and paternity leave
• 401(k) plan 
• $250.00 new hire stipend to enhance your home office experience
• Plus, a variety of other perks, including pre-tax commuter benefits, two paid volunteer days per year, pet insurance, and additional discounts 

# # # 

Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws.  

• Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

• Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA)

Notice to agencies:

Our in-house Talent Acquisition Team manages all employment opportunities at Freenome.  Agencies and independent recruiters must be approved as a vendor by Freenome’s Talent Acquisition team before submitting candidates to any Freenome employee. 

We do not accept unsolicited resumes or biographies from agencies under any circumstances. Any unsolicited resumes sent to Freenome, including those sent to a Freenome email address or directly to Freenome employees, will be considered Freenome property. Freenome will NOT pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. Freenome will consider any candidate for whom an Agency has submitted an unsolicited resume to have been referred by the Agency free of any charges or fees. 

Please do not contact Freenome employees directly. Compliance with this request will impact our decision to work with you. 

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