At Element Biosciences, we are passionate about our mission to empower the scientific community with more freedom and flexibility to accelerate our collective impact on humanity. We have built a highly efficient product-driven organization where employees can learn, grow, and thrive in a challenging but encouraging environment. We are committed to scientific integrity, collegiality, honesty, objectivity, and openness.
We are seeking a Staff Systems Engineer to join our team to drive instrument reliability testing during the development of complex scientific instruments integrating optics, fluidics, motion, thermal and electrical functions. In this role, you will work across the engineering team to define and execute testing of hardware from module to system level at all phases of development to help drive design feedback, integration, reliability, and continuous performance improvement. Strong engineering fundamentals, rigorous critical thinking skills, and a methodical approach to troubleshooting and data analysis are essential attributes. This role will report to our Director, Systems Engineering and will be a San Diego based role.
If you possess the following and want to make a meaningful impact, we invite you to explore this role.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities:
- Define system test planning and execution, working with engineering teammates to identify testing gaps while developing testing and metrology tools to drive system and subsystem level testing
- Lead cross function activities to design, build, and integrate test stations
- Develop test station control automation, data collection, and analysis
- Contribute to breadboard and prototype instrument assembly, bring-up, and functional and performance testing
- Drive execution of engineering and design verification activities
- Evaluate performance tradeoffs with key stakeholders to set priorities and achieve corporate goals
- Work with marketing and specialist technical leads to translate customer needs into product, system, and subsystem requirements
- Lead interdisciplinary root cause analysis involving electromechanical, thermal, optical, chemistry, and fluidic factors
- Contribute to the company’s product development roadmap by exploring new design concepts, technologies, and tools
Education and Experience:
- Minimum BS degree in Engineering or Physics and 8+ years relevant work experience (or equivalent combination of education and industry experience)
- Proven track record as a system engineer on development programs spanning from concept to commercialization
- Expertise in requirements management, verification testing, and reliability testing
- Hands on experience and familiarity with the design and test of instruments with optical, fluidic, thermal, and/or motion systems preferred
- Experience integrating, programming, and controlling hardware devices and sensors through software (Python, C#, or Labview, etc.) to perform subsystem or full system testing
- Proficient with data analysis in MATLAB, Python, JMP or other tools or programing languages required
- Ability to work in a fast paced, interdisciplinary environment and quickly adjust to rapidly evolving technology and priorities
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of clearly explaining technical issues and ideas to peers and management
- Prior hands-on experience with molecular diagnostics, genomic or similar instruments preferred
Physical Requirements:
- Ability to lift up to 20 pounds
Location:
- San Diego – On-Site
Travel:
- Up to 10% or as needed
Job Type:
- Full-time, Exempt
Base Compensation Pay Range:
- $125,000 - $165,000
In addition to base compensation noted above, you will be eligible for stock options, discretionary annual bonus, no cost health insurance plans, 401k with company match, and flexible paid time off.
Please note: Base compensation will depend on multiple factors, including geographic location, qualifications, and experience.
We foster an environment such that all people are afforded the freedom to pursue their passions without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status or any other characteristics protected by law.
Top Skills
What We Do
Element Biosciences is a multi-disciplinary startup focused on innovating genetic analysis tools for the research and diagnostic markets. We are developing a modular and high-performing DNA sequencing platform that will deliver high-quality data, increase workflow flexibility, and make next-generation sequencing technology more accessible. Our proprietary approach to improving the signal-to-noise ratio allows us to provide groundbreaking innovations in surface chemistry, instrumentation, and biochemistry to drastically decrease run costs and capital costs while delivering high sequencing data quality.
