Automation Engineer II

Bring more to life. 

Are you ready to accelerate your potential and make a real difference within life sciences, diagnostics and biotechnology?  

At Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), one of Danaher’s 15+ operating companies, our work saves lives—and we’re all united by a shared commitment to innovate for tangible impact.   

You’ll thrive in a culture of belonging where you and your unique viewpoint matter. And by harnessing Danaher’s system of continuous improvement, you help turn ideas into impact – innovating at the speed of life. 

Our team at Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), is united by a commitment to collaboration and scientific excellence, building on a strong foundation of innovation, expertise, and reliability. Guided by our vision to help researchers rapidly move from the lab to life-changing advances, we work closely with global partners to accelerate progress and genomics breakthroughs across fields like cancer, infectious disease, rare genetic disorders, and more. At IDT, you’ll be part of a culture rooted in continuous learning and improvement—where your growth fuels our mission to accelerate the pace of genomics and helps shape a healthier, brighter future for all. 

Learn about the Danaher Business System that makes everything possible. 

The Automation Engineer II is responsible for developing, implementing, and sustaining automated liquid handling equipment, processes and protocols to support an oligonucleotide synthesis platform and associated processing workflows. 

This position reports to the Senior Manager of Emerging Technologies and is part of Emerging Technologies, Platform Development group located in Sunnyvale, CA and will be a full-time, on-site role.  

In this role, you will have the opportunity to: 

• Drive the design, development, and optimization of automated liquid handling workflows for processing of oligonucleotides, including PCR and other enzymatic reactions, purification and QC sample preparation. 

• Collaborate cross-functionally with platform development engineers and scientists and operations teams to translate manual or semi‑automated protocols into robust, scalable automated workflows; create and revise SOPs, methods, and supporting documentation as needed. 

• Lead or support troubleshooting and root cause analysis of automation‑related issues using structured problem‑solving approaches (e.g., 5‑Why, Fishbone), and implement corrective improvements to protocols, scripts, and hardware configurations. 

• Perform systematic evaluation of liquid handling performance (e.g., accuracy, precision, cross‑contamination); analyze experimental and run data to identify trends, establish acceptance criteria, and support method qualification and technology transfer activities. 

The essential requirements of the job include:  

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, Bioengineering, or related technical field with 4+ years of related work experience. 

• Hands‑on experience developing, programming, and debugging automated liquid handling workflows using Beckman Coulter, Hamilton, Tecan, or similar instrumentation, including familiarity with scripting, method development and risk assessment for automated lab processes. 

• Experience automating biochemical or molecular biology workflows such as PCR, nucleic acid extraction or purification, dilution/normalization, or QC sample preparation in a laboratory or development environment. 
   

Travel & Physical/Environment Requirements: 

• Ability to travel 5% time domestically.  

• Ability to occasionally lift, move or carry equipment up to 20 lbs.  

• Ability to frequently work in a laboratory environment for extended periods, including interaction with automated instrumentation and biological and chemical reagents. 

It would be a plus if you also possess previous experience in: 

• Experience designing experiments or automation workflows with scalability in mind, including support for technology transfer from R&D into process development or manufacturing environments. 

• Experience applying structured continuous improvement tools (e.g., RCA, FMEA, value stream mapping) and working with data systems or LIMS to document methods, analyze performance, and support platform maturation and technology transfer.  
   

IDT, a Danaher operating company, offers a broad array of comprehensive, competitive benefit programs that add value to our lives. Whether it’s a health care program or paid time off, our programs contribute to life beyond the job. Check out our benefits at Danaher Benefits Info. 

The annual salary range for this role is $110,000-125,000. This is the range that we in good faith believe is the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. This range may be modified in the future. 

This job is also eligible for bonus/incentive pay. 

We offer comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees. 

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.