Lead Automation Engineer
Company: Disability Solutions
Location: Boston
Posted on: May 2, 2024
Job Description:
About the Job
The Lead Automation Engineer works as part of a new product team,
focused on improving blood-based cancer diagnostic capabilities in
areas such as cancer detection, minimum residual disease, and other
related applications. This team is comprised of talent from across
the Roche ecosystem, including Roche Diagnostics, Roche Pharma and
Foundation Medicine, operating as a single unit.
The Lead Automation Engineer is responsible for automating and
scaling complex workflows and implementing processes---for
deployment of automated systems in---clinical laboratories---at
multiple sites. This position is involved in all aspects of assay
automation development and instrument integration. From concept to
requirements definition, method development, optimization,
troubleshooting and validation, the Automation Engineer identifies
problem areas and develops solutions to reduce Turn-Around-Time
(TAT), increase sample processing capacity and reduce cost of goods
sold.--
The incumbent leverages advanced knowledge and skills of automation
to work collaboratively on cross-functional teams on a variety of
projects to explore, develop, optimize, test, and implement robust,
scalable solutions for FMI's sample processing workflows.
Additionally, this position partners with outside vendors to
develop integrated robotic solutions and ensures all automated
solutions fully address business and user requirements.--
The Lead Automation Engineer position requires working in a lab
environment in the presence of chemicals and reagents.--
This is a regulated position and additional information may be
available from QA on the qualifications for this role pertaining to
regulatory guidelines.
--
Key Responsibilities
- Participate in and lead cross-functional teams focused on the
development, qualification and deployment of robust and scalable
integrated automation solutions.
- Lead project planning and process updates and contribute to
experimental design.
- Review and critique presentations for others and present
complex technical data to large and diverse groups.
- Lead or contribute to innovation of current and new assays
workflows, technologies and processes.
- Collaborate with stakeholders in support of manufacturing and
process workflow to establish user requirements associated with new
equipment purchases and/or modifications.
- Partner with stakeholders, team members, equipment design
vendors and various internal resources in support of sustaining and
growing the business model. This includes product, facilities,
equipment, supply chain, services, staffing, operating procedures,
policies and standards.
- Establish user requirements associated with the design of new
production lines including individual pieces of laboratory
equipment and process workflow equipment.
- Lead or contribute to the design, development, optimization,
and implementation of automated liquid handling processes, systems,
and streamlined workflows using DOE methodologies.
- Drive collection of process requirements from cross-functional
stakeholders.
- Execute work with adherence to all applicable
regulations.
- Develop and improve robust automated solutions utilizing
Hamilton liquid handlers and other laboratory automation equipment
designed to remove bottlenecks, increase capacity and reduce TAT in
FMI's high throughput (24/7) Next Generation Sequencing
laboratory.
- Program, optimize, verify and implement new and/or improved
methods on Hamilton robotic liquid handling workstations and
integrated robotic systems.
- Perform the exploration into workflows for process
optimization.
- Analyze workflows, identify bottlenecks, develop solutions and
lead teams in solution implementation that improves efficiency,
throughput, cost, and quality.
- Generate and maintain requirements and test plan
documentation.
- Integrate instrument components and perform unit
testing.
- Execute guard-banding, response surface and optimization
studies to optimize and characterize automated methods to improve
robustness.
- Provide on-site technical support of automation
platforms.
- Contribute to protocol generation, report writing, and
presentation preparation related to automation as needed.
- Install, test and control new versions of automated protocols
on applicable instrumentation across labs and possibly across
sites.
- Provide training and documentation for new or modified
workflows to end users.
- Partner with outside vendors to design, develop and qualify
integrated robotic solutions to enable high throughput
processing.
- Provide advanced technical guidance to Automation
Engineers.
- Other projects as assigned.
--
Qualifications:
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree Degree---in the Bioengineering, Biotechnology
or the life sciences---and 7---years of related experience---with
high-throughput laboratory instrumentation; OR,
- Master's Degree in fields specified above and 5 years of
relevant experience; OR
- PhD in a relevant field
- Experience with operating and programming automated liquid
handling robotics platforms and complex laboratory systems
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with robotic liquid handlers from Hamilton, TECAN,
Agilent Technologies, or Beckman Coulter
- Experience with FMEA, MTBF and test case development
- Experience with standard molecular biology techniques such as
nucleic acid isolation, purification and quantitation, bioanalyzer,
DNA/RNA quantitation, qPCR or Next Generation Sequencing
- Experience with statistical data analysis using R or JMP,
monitoring data quality and troubleshooting technical
problems
- Experience working in a regulated environment (e.g. CLIA,
CAP,---GxP, ISO)
- Experience with developing and implementing integrated robotic
systems for use in a high throughput environment
- Experience with agile project management
- Experience with developing, optimizing, and validating assays
for use in a high throughput environment
- Experience communicating and collaborating with internal and
external colleagues and customers from diverse scientific,
engineering, operational, and regulatory disciplines
- Previous teaching or technical training experience
- Familiarity with JIRA/Confluence,---Solidworks,---VBscript,
Python, PERL and/or JavaScript, relational databases, SQL, LIMS or
other relevant enterprise software packages
- Familiarity with streamlining workflows and developing
automated laboratory processes and instrumentation systems,
including collecting and documenting requirements, developing
concepts, design, testing/validation, implementing, and
training
- Knowledge of safety protocols in workshop, factory or
laboratory setting
- Ability to document and report troubleshooting procedures and
resolutions
- Ability to work as an individual as well as in a team
environment
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Detail oriented and well organized
- Understanding of HIPAA and importance of privacy of patient
data
- Commitment to FMI values: patients, innovation, collaboration,
and passion
#LI-Onsite
Keywords: Disability Solutions, Methuen , Lead Automation Engineer, Engineering , Boston, Massachusetts
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