Senior Automation Engineer (Hardware)

City of Bristol, England, United Kingdom

Senior Automation Engineer (Hardware)

£45,000 - £60,000 salary plus benefits, and bonus

Full time role, within a well funded startup company

On-site working at our state of the art labs, Bristol, UK.

Anticipated start date : June 2024

Candidates must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this role

Company: GenomeKey is a Bristol based biotech startup developing a next-generation diagnostic device for bloodstream infections, using machine learning and DNA sequencing. Role Responsibilities:

We are seeking an Engineer experienced in the automation of fluid control or liquid handling to join our team! Ideally you will have previous experience developing a wide range of fluid handling systems. The candidate will be joining our team to enable the development and manufacturing of a medical diagnostic system alongside a broad scientific team and across a range of R&D efforts.

You will play a key role in the design, testing, and manufacture of GenomeKey’s automated system. Your responsibilities will include:

Design and build automated systems for precision fluid control of low (nL) to high (mL) volume applications including understanding electronics and software integration.

Design, fabricate, and order components for the GenomeKey automated system. From the microfluidic device level through to fixtures and the system case.

Explore and implement automation and robotics for high-throughput operation of sample processing modules and ancillary components.

Provide support for microfluidic engineers and biologists in their development, operation, and optimisation of sample processing modules.

Choose appropriate materials for microfluidic device and system fabrication, considering compatibility with biological samples and reagents and mechanical properties among many others.

Provide guidance on DFM/DFA and optimum manufacturing and assembly methods, and act as a point of contact for external manufacturers

Collaborate with scientists, engineers, and researchers to integrate GenomeKey’s system with other technologies.

Conduct experiments to validate and optimise fluidic systems, analysing data for improvements.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams and communicate effectively with team members and stakeholders.

Person Specification:

We are looking for you to have a deep knowledge of low and ultra-low volume fluid control systems and passion for automation and working with cross-functional teams to find solutions to a range of technical challenges. You will have an enthusiasm for designing and hands-on assembly and fabrication of systems, and applying hydrodynamic principles to innovative problem solving. You will embrace working within a mixed scientific team of biologists, microfluidics scientists, engineers and computer scientists, to develop new medical technologies.

If you have excellent communication skills, you are able to share complex ideas at varying levels of technical depth, this role is for you! You will have a desire to work in a startup ecosystem, embracing learning on the job and adapting to new challenges.

Qualifications & Experience

You should aim to meet the majority of the following skills and experiences, however candidates with varied backgrounds will be considered for this role.

Essential

Mechanical engineer with strong background in automation and control systems

Industrial experience with ultra-low volume fluid control systems in a laboratory setting with in-depth knowledge of and experience in the design, assembly, and operation of those systems.

Experience with integrating experimental fluid modules and designing new fluid circuit architectures, to control them, from scratch

Experience with 2D/3D CAD (AutoCAD and SOLIDWORKS)

Knowledge of manufacturing and assembly processes from prototype to mass manufacturing scale

Ability to independently design, interpret, and communicate experiments or test runs

Ability to write technical documentation, papers, reviews and notes, and deliver technical information in a digestible format

Excellent communication skills, verbal and written

Desirable

5+ years industrial experience within the field of fluid system automation as applied to IVDs or medical devices

Experience integrating electronic and software (Python/Arduino) control of fluid control hardware

Experience in handling real world biological samples in fluidic systems

Ability to integrate MEMS actuators with fluidic systems

Expertise of either genomics, next generation sequencing (NGS), or related fields

Prior experience working under Design Controls, particularly an ISO-13485-compliant Quality Management System

Company Benefits

GenomeKey is a startup company offering the following employment benefits:

Competitive salary dependent on experience

Pension contributions

Flexible working around core hours

Remote working from home available, according to business need

Commitment to your personal development in a dynamic startup company

Working as part of a friendly and supportive team

The Company

GenomeKey is a Bristol-based biotechnology scale-up developing a medical diagnostic device that will reduce the time taken to determine how to treat sepsis from days to hours. Our device will combine state of the art science and technology to deliver results at an unprecedented accuracy and speed. This will save lives, save money, and advise the most effective and efficient use of antibiotics.

We are looking for a mechanical engineer, with fluid system automation experience, who is keen on a career in the Medical Device & Diagnostics Sector. This role combines fluid system architecture design and diagnostic system manufacture, from the prototype through to the mass manufacture scale, with close collaboration with and hands-on experimental testing and optimisation alongside application experts.

GenomeKey welcomes individuals with a broad range of expertise and experiences, diverse careers and backgrounds. As an equal opportunity company, we endeavour to anonymise applications and strip them of any protected information prior to review.