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Salary: USD 120,523 - 151,751 / annual
Clear Labs is hiring a Senior Automation Engineer to strengthen the performance, reliability, and validation of laboratory automation supporting their FDA-cleared NGS (next-generation sequencing) diagnostics platform, Clear Dx. This is a hands-on, senior individual contributor role based in San Carlos, CA with no travel required.
You will work directly with Hamilton STAR/STAR2 liquid-handling automation systems running NGS library preparation workflows for oncology and infectious disease testing. Primary responsibilities include developing and troubleshooting automated methods, designing and executing formal validation studies comparing automated versus manual NGS sample prep workflows, and supporting root-cause investigations for automation performance issues affecting library quality and sequencing output. You'll partner with Regulatory and Quality teams on validation protocols and documentation for FDA-cleared diagnostics workflows, and collaborate with vendors on fleet performance optimization.
The role requires 8+ years of hands-on Hamilton STAR/STAR2 programming experience, including VENUS software, deck layout design, and liquid class development. You must have deep troubleshooting expertise with Hamilton hardware (pipetting channels, iSWAP/gripper mechanisms, heater-shakers, plate sealers, integrated modules) and experience maintaining and validating multi-unit automation fleets. You should be comfortable independently scripting and modifying automated methods in regulated environments with full change-control documentation, and possess statistical fluency to evaluate automated performance against validation criteria. This is explicitly not a delegate-only role—a genuine preference for hands-on bench and deck work is essential.
Nice-to-have qualifications include working knowledge of NGS library preparation workflows (hybrid capture, amplicon-based enrichment), understanding how automation parameters affect NGS library yield and sequencing QC metrics, experience troubleshooting automation failures that manifest in sequencing data, and prior oncology diagnostics experience.
Compensation: $120,523–$151,751 annually. Benefits include medical, dental, vision insurance, employer-sponsored life/disability, EAP, discretionary time off, stock options, and lunch stipend for headquarters days.
