Back to jobs

Senior Engineer III, ADME

Boston, Massachusetts

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. 

 

Senior Engineer III, ADME

Boston, Massachusetts

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. 

Here at Ginkgo, we are aiming to modernize ADME by bringing our experience in high-throughput screening to the in vitro small molecule drug pipeline. We are re-imagining ADME at scale, and we are seeking a visionary and technically adept High-Throughput ADME Scientist to help us build and execute this next-generation platform. This role is critical in accelerating our drug discovery pipeline by providing timely and high-quality in vitro ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion) data to guide lead optimization.

The ideal candidate will possess deep technical expertise in developing, validating, and implementing a variety of high-throughput ADME assays.

Key Responsibilities

Assay Development & Implementation

  • Design, develop, optimize, and validate a wide array of high-throughput in vitro ADME assays (e.g., solubility, MDCK permeability, plasma protein binding, microsomal stability, hepatocyte stability, and CYP inhibition/induction).
  • Automation and Screening: Experience working with automated liquid handlers such as Hamilton, Lynx, Bravo, and Formulatrix.

Data Analysis & Reporting

  • Develop and perform mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS, acoustic ejection mass spectrometry, or similar) analysis of samples from ADME assays. Responsibilities will include method development and troubleshooting.
  • Ensure proper sample preparation and management for high-throughput analysis.
  • Analyze, interpret, and report complex ADME data, including calculating key pharmacokinetic parameters.
  • Present results and provide expert recommendations to medicinal chemists and project teams to inform go/no-go decisions.

Quality & Compliance

  • Maintain detailed and accurate laboratory records, SOPs, and electronic notebooks.
  • Ensure all laboratory activities comply with internal quality standards and safety regulations.

Operational ownership & risk management

  • Lead day‑to‑day operations of the ADME team 
  • Build and maintain “buttoned‑up” SOPs, runbooks, checklists, and QC dashboards for all established assays.

Cross‑functional partnership

  • Collaborate with computational and data teams on metadata schemas, QC metrics, and analysis‑ready outputs.
  • Work closely with program leads to scope work, set expectations, and communicate progress and risks.
  • Contribute to portfolio and capacity planning, including scenarios for large campaigns.

Leadership, mentoring, and training

  • Provide technical leadership and day‑to‑day guidance for scientists on ADME workflows.
  • Contribute to the Datapoints skill matrix by defining training levels, shadowing plans, and up‑leveling team members on key assays 
  • Document methods, “tips & tricks”, and troubleshooting guides; lead trainings and onboarding sessions.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Education: Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacology, Analytical Chemistry, or a related field with 7+ years of relevant industry experience, or a Master's degree with 12+ years of industry experience.
  • Technical Expertise:
    • Extensive, hands-on experience with LC-MS or acoustic MS particularly in a high-throughput setting.
    • Proven track record in developing and running automated in vitro ADME assays using state-of-the-art laboratory automation.
    • Strong theoretical and practical knowledge of drug metabolism pathways and DMPK.
    • Familiarity with common ADME prediction software and data visualization tools.

 Preferred Skills

    • Experience using lab automation.
    • Programmatic coding experience (e.g., Python, R, or similar).
    • Data visualization (Spotfire, Python, R, or similar).

The base salary range for this role is $185,000k - $278,800k Actual pay within this range will depend on a candidate's skills, expertise, and experience. We also offer company stock awards, a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental & vision coverage, health spending accounts, voluntary benefits, leave of absence policies, 401(k) program with employer contribution, 8 paid holidays in addition to a full-week winter shutdown and unlimited Paid Time Off policy.

Ginkgo has implemented a return to office policy effective October 1, 2025 with required in-office days 3x per week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.  Some teams may require to be onsite 4-5 days per week and this will be discussed as part of the interview process.  This policy applies to all employees who live within 50 miles of Ginkgo’s offices in Boston, MA, Emeryville, CA and West Sacramento, CA.

 
It is the policy of Ginkgo Bioworks to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees, employment applicants, and EOE disability/vet. 
 
 
Privacy Notice
I understand that I am applying for employment with Ginkgo Bioworks and am being asked to provide information in connection with my application. I further understand that Ginkgo gathers this information through a third-party service provider and that Ginkgo may also use other service providers to assist in the application process.  Ginkgo may share my information with such third-party service providers in connection with my application and for the start of employment.  Ginkgo will treat my information in accordance with Ginkgo's Privacy Policy.  By submitting this job application, I am acknowledging that I have reviewed and agree to Ginkgo's Privacy Policy as well as the privacy policies of the third-party service providers used by Ginkgo's associated with the application process.

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Ginkgo Bioworks Inc.? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Ginkgo Bioworks Inc.’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.