Job Application for Automation Engineer 2, Automation Support Applications at Ginkgo Bioworks Inc.

Our mission is to make biology easier to engineer. Ginkgo is constructing, editing, and redesigning the living world in order to answer the globe’s growing challenges in health, energy, food, materials, and more. Our bioengineers make use of an in-house automated foundry for designing and building new organisms.

Come join Ginkgo Automation, where cutting-edge technology meets scientific expertise. Our platform, built on eight years of internal development, offers advanced hardware solutions called Reconfigurable Automation Carts (RACs) powered by our subscription-based Catalyst products: Automation Control Software (ACS) and Flow (Managed Automation Services). With a deep understanding of the challenges faced by scientists and engineers, our team has created a modular automation platform that aims to revolutionize the way science is done. We are an externally facing team, selling our technology to customers and supporting it at their sites.

Job Title: Automation Engineer 2, Support Applications Engineering

The Automation BU is growing with a new mandate of external sales and support. A primary differentiator of our offering is Catalyst Flow, which involves our SAE team actively monitoring deployed RAC systems and remotely recovering within a short Service Level Agreement (SLA). All members of this team must be highly trained with lab automation instrumentation in addition to being the global experts on our own scheduling and control software and our integration hardware. The members of this team are monitoring all deployed RAC systems and rapidly responding to errors, in addition to working on continuous improvement projects across the RAC tech.

As a member of the Automation Support Applications Engineering team, you are at the intersection of the deployment to the customer site and the continual support of the deployed technology. Your goal is to understand and translate the needs of the customer and to work alongside Automation Scientists, Software Engineers, and Mechatronics Engineers to turn a scoped integrated automation system into a real, production-ready system. Additionally, your goal is to ensure the customer maintains system uptime and operational throughput. This role requires strong attention to detail, collaborative communication and project management skills to excel.

To learn more about automation engineering at Ginkgo, take a look at our website: Ginkgo Automation

Responsibilities

Assist in large projects, or lead small projects, to improve internal deployment processes, including supporting the setup of RACs, Tiles, and the necessary software, hardware, and automation for Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT)
Support Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) at customer sites alongside team members by documenting errors, assisting in troubleshooting, and escalating issues to senior engineers as needed.
Interact with Ginkgo’s Automation Control Software, instrument hardware and software, and gain an understanding of the biological processes being executed on the deployed RAC systems. Work with other team members to focus on optimizing the workflows and integration to improve overall efficiency and reliability.
Act as the intersection between software and hardware teams. Communicate and collaborate with software engineers and hardware developers to ensure seamless integration and functionality of new and existing systems.
Troubleshoot and resolve small to medium issues that arise at the interface of software and hardware under guidance, ensuring smooth system operation.
Identify and resolve errors related to individual instruments or system integration through coordinating with customers during remote recovery.
Learn and contribute to efforts aimed at minimizing instrument-related downtime and improving system reliability.
Participate in root cause analysis of errors, and assist in implementing small-scale continuous improvement initiatives.
Learn and assist the team in recurring preventative maintenance of instruments at customer sites.
Contribute to SOPs and other documentation (troubleshooting guides, work instructions, operation manuals, etc.) to ensure alignment with current process steps.

Minimum Requirements

Minimum 2 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Natural Sciences, or a related technical field (or equivalent work experience).
On-site presence required 2-3 days/week (Emeryville, CA), strong communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Proactive problem-solving mindset and the ability to adapt in fast-paced environments.
Customer-focused approach, balancing customer needs while considering technical feasibility.
Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills; ability to convey concepts and priorities, as well as an ability to solicit and/or accept feedback.
Eager to learn and grow, staying up to date with new technologies and industry developments.
Self-motivated and capable of managing time and tasks with minimal supervision.
This position follows a 4/10 schedule (10AM-8PM, four days per week) with a rotational third shift (8PM-4AM PT) requirement.
Occasionally travel to customer sites to assist with SAT (less than 10% time).
Ability to bend, reach, and lift, push, or pull up to 25lbs. Ability to stand or walk for long periods of time. Repetitive action may be required while performing tasks.

Preferred Capabilities and Experience

We do not expect that any one candidate will have all of the following capabilities - each is independently a preferred or “nice-to-have” capability.
- Experience in a customer-facing role with an explicit Service Level Agreement (SLA)
- 1-2 years of experience in operating, troubleshooting, or maintaining laboratory automation equipment or other complex automated machinery.
- 1-2 years of experience in the Life Science industry, ideally in a lab or research setting. Proven track record of working in high-stakes environments, contributing to significant scientific advancements and operational improvements.
- 1-2 years of experience in workflow/process scheduling software or interacting with multi-device systems. Expertise in managing complex workflows and integrating multiple devices to optimize laboratory processes and enhance productivity.

Total compensation for this role is market driven, with a starting salary of $85,600.00+, as well as company stock awards. Base pay is ultimately determined based on a candidate's skills, expertise, and experience. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental & vision coverage, health spending accounts, voluntary benefits, leave of absence policies, Employee Assistance Program, 401(k) program with employer contribution, 8 paid holidays in addition to a full-week winter shutdown and unlimited Paid Time Off policy.

To learn more about Ginkgo, visit www.ginkgobioworks.com/press/ or check out some curated press below:

We also feel that it’s important to point out the obvious here – there’s a serious lack of diversity in our industry, and that needs to change. Our goal is to help drive that change. Ginkgo is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of its practices, especially when it comes to growing our team. Our culture promotes inclusion and embraces how rewarding it is to work with people from all walks of life.

We’re developing a powerful biological engineering platform, so we must remain mindful of the many ways our technology can – and will – impact people around the world. We care about how our platform is used, and having a diverse team to build it gives us the best chance that it’s something we’ll be proud of as it continues to grow. Therefore, it’s critical that we incorporate the diverse voices and visions of all those who play a role in the future of biology.

It is the policy of Ginkgo Bioworks to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees, employment applicants, and EOE disability/vet.

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Automation Engineer 2, Automation Support Applications

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