GRAIL

GRAIL is a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured.

Raleigh, NC, USA

Hybrid

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Jobs//Hybrid//Raleigh-Durham, NC//Developer + Engineer//

Staff Automation Engineer - Integration & Scale #3669

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GRAIL’s R&D team is building innovative processes and automation systems that are capable of delivering tests at an unprecedented scale. We are seeking passionate and talented individuals to join us in realizing our mission, which has the potential to dramatically reduce the global burden of cancer.

The Senior/Staff Automation Engineer - Integration and Scale will join a cross-functional development team that includes automation, process, and software engineering, along with R&D scientists, and clinical operations personnel. This team is responsible for transitioning manual and semi-automated workflows to a new fully-automated robotics platform. This position will play a key role in tying together automated laboratory liquid handling systems, robotic workcell automation and robust industrial automation systems into a new NGS-based clinical diagnostic system capable of running millions of patient samples per year. The ideal candidate will be experienced in the integration of components and devices from a wide variety of vendors with custom-built software solutions.

Responsibilities;

Develop, configure, program, and troubleshoot large scale automated solutions for novel NGS-based clinical diagnostic testing in a regulated environment.
Analyze current workflows and develop scalable procedures while identifying new sets of automated equipment to deploy.
Be a key contributor to internal cross-functional project teams to develop technical product and automated system requirements.
Provide expertise as a conduit to external contractors, suppliers, and integrated system providers in the design of large scale automated solutions.
Develop and document work under design control and quality management systems, policies and procedures.
Perform research, development, verification and validation testing per project needs.
Author, execute and document test plans and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for automated workflows.
Support and grow the automation needs of GRAIL’s research teams
Monitor and evaluate new and emerging technologies in laboratory automation systems
Manage complex bills of materials, inventory tracking, and purchase orders
Develop relationships with equipment vendors and field service engineers
Evaluate and recommend engineering changes to existing devices and equipment in order to improve reliability, manufacturability, serviceability, and decrease cost.

Preferred Qualifications;

B.S. or M.S. in Engineering with preference for Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Controls, or Process Engineering or a related Science field with appropriate automation experience.
Minimum of 5+ years (Senior); 7+ years (Staff) experience with automation systems and transferring complex workflows into a high-throughput operation. Preference given to experience from the life science industry, but relevant experience from other industries will be considered (e.g. manufacturing in the food & beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural, automotive industries)
Experience implementing robotic workcells, preferably in a laboratory automation environment.
Proven track record leading complex automation projects involving internal and external teams.
Demonstrated delivery of automated systems into production environments.
Comfortable managing projects and relationships through 3rd party contractors.
Proficient in SolidWorks 2020 or later
Experience designing and prototyping parts/assemblies using CAD systems
Experience developing control systems using PLCs or other I/O infrastructure (e.g. Allen Bradley, Beckhoff, Siemens, Labview, Arduino, etc.)
Experience developing HMI/SCADA systems ( e.g. Ignition, FactoryTalk, Wonderware, etc.)
Hands on experience troubleshooting electro-mechanical systems
Proven track record working with machine shops for prototyping and manufacture of custom designed parts (e.g. 3D printing, machining, injection molding, etc.)
Familiarity with P&ID and electrical schematics
Highly energetic and self-motivated. Able to work independently and as part of a team.
Analytical, creative thinker, ability to solve problems.
Effective organizational and time management skills.

Nice To Have;

Experience working with a broad set of laboratory instruments and tools.
Experience working in a regulated environment (CLIA / CAP / FDA / ISO).
Experience in reagent manufacturing, ideally in a regulated environment (cGMP).
Experience with C#, powershell, python
Experience or knowledge of communications protocols such as OPC, Modbus
Knowledge of GD&T as it applies to machined parts and assemblies

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Joerg Bredno

Principal Scientist, Computational Biology and Interpretation

WIDEN YOUR SCOPE

A huge data set with an even bigger impact

“Cancer is a nasty, diverse disease that can affect widely different regions in the genome,” Principal Scientist Joerg Bredno said, and understanding how and why cells change isn’t easy. Luckily, his team works with more than 12 petabytes of molecular data — which translates to more than 1 million gigabytes — and a high-performance scientific computing environment that can handle analysis at that scale. With these tools, Bredno’s team is building an even larger training data set for the next generation of GRAIL’s early detection, multi-cancer screening test, slated to roll out this year.

It is rewarding that we can see, learn and share relevant insights from our data that so far doesn't exist anywhere else in the world in this form.

Ting Ma

Associate Director, Data Engineering

ACCELERATE TOGETHER

A team united by passion, fueled by collaboration

GRAIL’s team sets lofty goals for its products, which require the unique talents and perspectives of every employee. Take one eight-month study that Associate Director Ting Ma worked on, parsing data from a GRAIL-sponsored clinical trial. Due to the volume of data, teamwork was imperative to define and implement clinical features, refine codes with robust test cases and tweak them as continuous feedback rolled in. The work is important, but that's not the only plus: “Cross-functional team collaboration is fun,” Ma said. “You get to learn so much while contributing to each project.”

GRAIL is taking on a challenge that is unprecedented. It can only become successful when people with different expertise collaborate deeply.

Ying Luan

Associate Biostatistical Director

UNCOVER NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Sharp talent, perpetually looking to learn more

There’s a reason top talent, like Associate Biostatistical Director Ying Luan, joins GRAIL. “Here, I knew I could have the opportunity to contribute to the development of innovative analysis methodologies,” Luan said. She’s now working on a diagnostic aid project, planning and designing validation for clinical studies. It’s a new area for her, but there’s plenty of support for learning new skills at the company: With resources like LinkedIn Learning, workshops and conferences, she finds footing in the field, while diversity and inclusion trainings connect her fully to GRAIL’s culture.

Post-launch activities and payer’s reimbursement were new to me when I joined GRAIL. But now, I’m learning new things on a daily basis with different stakeholders in mind.

What are GRAIL Perks + Benefits

GRAIL Benefits Overview

We’re committed to creating the best experience for everyone at GRAIL, ensuring that each member of our team has comprehensive benefits and resources to thrive at all stages of life, both at work and at home.

Culture

Volunteer in local community

Partners with nonprofits

Intermountain Healthcare

Open door policy

OKR operational model

Team based strategic planning

Open office floor plan

Employee resource groups

Employee-led culture committees

Hybrid work model

In-person all-hands meetings