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Operations Sustaining Engineer

Fremont, CA

At Personalis, we are transforming the active management of cancer through breakthrough personalized testing. We aim to drive a new paradigm for cancer management, guiding care from biopsy through the life of the patient. Our highly sensitive assays combine tumor-and-normal profiling with proprietary algorithms to deliver advanced insights even as cancer evolves over time. Our products are designed to detect minimal residual disease (MRD) and recurrence at the earliest timepoints, enable selection of targeted therapies based on ultra-comprehensive genomic profiling, and enhance biomarker strategy for drug development. Personalis is based in Fremont, California.

Summary:

We are seeking a skilled Operations Sustaining Engineer to join our Operations team and play a pivotal role in supporting and enhancing clinical operations and laboratory systems. In this role, you will be responsible for addressing complex operational challenges, solving data-related issues, and ensuring the timely and accurate delivery of results related to clinical samples. You will leverage your technical expertise to ensure the seamless integration, optimization, and operation of data pipelines, laboratory systems, and clinical workflows. 

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and is passionate about making a meaningful impact on clinical research and patient outcomes. If you're looking for a role where you can apply your scientific, technical, and problem-solving skills to shape and improve critical systems, this position is for you.

Responsibilities:

  • Operational Sustain and Support:
    • Provide technical support to laboratory and clinical teams, helping to resolve complex operational issues related to order intake, data collection, processing, and reporting. Address order problem cases, sample tracking issues, and data discrepancies.
    • Work closely with lab, client experience, pipeline, research and development, and IT teams to ensure systems are functioning smoothly and meeting operational needs. Facilitate communication between technical and non-technical teams to ensure issues are resolved and turnaround time is met.
    • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to troubleshoot, optimize, and resolve issues in laboratory systems, clinical data pipelines, and related databases. Proactively identify opportunities to improve efficiency and ensure the timely delivery of accurate data.
    • Maintain detailed documentation of systems, processes, and troubleshooting efforts. Provide regular status updates and progress reports to management, highlighting KPIs, issues, solutions, and areas for improvement.
    • Ensure that all processes and systems adhere to relevant regulatory guidelines, including CLIA, CAP, GxP, FDA, and other clinical standards. Support audits and quality assurance initiatives as needed.
  • System Optimization & Process Improvement:
    • Lead efforts to identify inefficiencies or bottlenecks in clinical and lab operations and propose innovative solutions to improve processes. Work with stakeholders to implement new technologies and approaches to meet evolving operational needs.
    • Integrate financial, clinical and laboratory data across multiple systems, ensuring data accuracy and consistency. Develop, maintain, and optimize workflows that streamline operations and improve data throughput.

Requirements:

  • Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Informatics, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field; MS or PhD is preferred.
  • 3+ years of experience in clinical operations, bioinformatics, laboratory systems, data integration, or related fields in the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, or clinical research industry.
  • Proficiency with laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and data management and visualization platforms.
  • Strong understanding of data pipelines, databases (e.g., SQL, NoSQL), and data integration tools.
  • Experience in programming languages such as Python and R.
  • Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, with the ability to quickly identify issues, develop solutions, and implement fixes. A keen attention to detail is critical.
  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams. Ability to translate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
  • Experience managing multiple projects, priorities and timelines in a fast-paced environment. Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet deadlines.
  • Experience with clinical data standards (e.g., CDISC, SDTM) and relevant regulatory frameworks is a plus
  • Experience with next generation sequencing based diagnostic assays, particular MRD testing is a plus.

 

The hiring range for this position is $110,000 to $135,000 per year, which may factor in various geographic regions. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. Our full-time regular positions also include an annual performance-based bonus (or a sales incentive plan) and long-term incentive units (equity) provided as part of our compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

 

Personalis is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the full inclusion of all individuals. As part of this commitment, Personalis will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations. If you need an accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please let your recruiter know, if/when they contacts you.

 

Personalis is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disabilities. Personalis offers a competitive compensation package and benefits including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) match, ESPP, tuition reimbursement, sick/vacation time, commuter benefits/ EV charging stations, onsite gym, and wellness benefits. (For US only, benefits in other countries may vary.) 

 

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