Automation Engineer

Are you motivated to participate in a dynamic, multi-tasking environment? Do you want to join a company that invests in its employees? Are you seeking a position where you can use your skills while continuing to be challenged and learn? Then we encourage you to dive deeper into this opportunity.        

We believe in career development and empowering our employees. Not only do we provide career coaches internally, but we offer many training opportunities to expand your knowledge base! We have highly competitive benefits with a variety HMO and PPO options. We have company 401k match along with an Employee Stock Purchase Program. We have tuition reimbursement, leadership development, and even start employees off with 16 days of paid time off plus holidays. We offer wellness courses and have highly engaged employee resource groups. Come join the Neo team and be part of our amazing World Class Culture!        

NeoGenomics has an opening for an Automation Engineer, operating out of our Laboratory in Durham North Carolina who wants to continue to learn in order to allow our company to grow.      

Schedule: Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm

With the occasional off-hour support

Now that you know what we're looking for in talent, let us tell you why you'd want to work at NeoGenomics:        

As an employer, we promise to provide you with a purpose driven mission in which you have the opportunity to save lives by improving patient care through the exceptional work you perform. Together, we will become the world's leading cancer reference laboratory.        

Position Summary:        

The Automation Engineer role plays a critical role in helping to support the clinical laboratory’s general operations. This role’s primary responsibility is to maintain, troubleshoot, and deploy automation. The Automation Engineer works closely with laboratory operations, scientific staff, quality management, and a variety of other departments to support automated workflows, troubleshoot instrumentation issues, assist with new programming and deployment, and contribute to automation and technology improvement initiatives. This role promotes adherence to safety protocols, monitors equipment performance, and ensures compliance with regulatory requirements, maintaining a high level of operational reliability and efficiency within the laboratory.

 Core Responsibilities:

• Support troubleshooting and resolution of issues associated with deployed automated workflows and laboratory automation systems in a molecular testing environment
• Assist in the development, testing, validation, and deployment of new automated workflows by translating manual laboratory processes into reliable, scalable, and reproducible automated solutions
• Collaborate with the molecular operations team, biomedical engineering team, and external vendors to ensure timely resolution of software and equipment issues to minimize operational downtime
• Train operators on the proper utilization and maintenance of automated instrumentation, ensuring smooth and efficient functionality throughout the laboratory
• Support the implementation, qualification (IQOQPQ), and integration of new software and equipment and advanced technologies into existing workflows
• Assist with the creation, execution, and maintenance of qualification, validation, and technical documentation related to automated instrumentation and methods
• Evaluate new automation technologies, instruments, and software solutions, and provide recommendations regarding their potential application and value within laboratory operations (not exclusive to molecular)
• Develop proficiency in new software platforms, automation systems, and laboratory technologies to support evolving operational needs
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement and contribute innovative ideas that enhance efficiency, quality, throughput, and laboratory performance
• Maintain clear and effective written and verbal communication with stakeholders across laboratory, engineering, quality, and support functions
• Ensure compliance with internal and external regulations (e.g., CLIA, CAP, FDA, ISO)
• Drive continuous improvement and recommend corrective actions where needed

Experience, Education and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, biological sciences, or related technical field or equivalent work experience required
• 2+ years in laboratory, diagnostics, or manufacturing engineering preferred
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Proficiency in programming languages for laboratory-based automation (ex. Hamilton Venus, Python)
• Demonstrate familiarity with molecular laboratory software, equipment, and systems, particularly Hamilton Liquid Handlers
• Basic understanding of molecular workflows such as NGS, PCR/qPCR, and nucleic acid extraction
• Demonstrate excellent organizational skills and work independently in a fast-paced environment
• Work in a biohazard environment and follow all safety protocols
• Support evenings, weekends, holidays, and on-call shifts as needed
• Apply strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Understand CAP/CLIA and FDA (GCP or GLP as appropriate) requirements
• Computer proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel and have a familiarity of working with LIMS
• Ability to sit and/or stand for long periods of time
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds