Head of Automation

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Job description

It's a Perfect Day to change the world! At Perfect Day, we're doing just that.

Perfect Day was founded in 2014 to create delicious, nutritious dairy products that everyone can love. We're using fermentation (not animals) to make dairy proteins that are the foundation for foods like ice cream, cheese and yogurt - all with the distinctive taste and textures that consumers demand, but without lactose or environmental downsides. Through partnerships with respected brands, we're working to launch a whole range of dairy products that will help shape a humane, sustainable food system for future generations.

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Head of Automation, to lead a newly formed Automation Department. We are looking for a talented automation engineer and team lead with 7 or more years of hands-on experience with robotic platforms pertinent to biotech industry and 2-5 years of supervisory/managerial or project management experience. The ideal candidate possesses strong interpersonal and time-management skills, and excels in a collaborative, fast-paced environment. In this role a successful candidate will be responsible for developing and applying a long-term vision for automation across diverse R&D workflows and will work closely with R&D team leads and other stakeholders to define and prioritize Automation team deliverables and ensure that they are implemented on-time and within budget. This role will report to the VP of Biotech.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

* Develop a practical vision for applying automated solutions across the whole of R&D workflows that aligns and unifies team goals under a larger automation strategy.
* Develop and define long-term vision for our automation team in context of company goals and best practices across the industry.
* Collaborate and communicate effectively with R&D stakeholders to identify automation opportunities and deliver practical solutions in a timely manner, define, and organize cross-functional automation projects.
* Develop and implement high-throughput, dynamic automated workflows to alleviate bottlenecks in routine benchtop lab work.
* Assist in method scripting for automated workflows to drive operation of laboratory instruments, liquid handlers, and robotic systems.
* Work closely with automation Sr RA to oversee and maintain robotic systems, design and integrate new systems into the pipeline, and guide the departments human-machine interactions.
* Be up to date on new technology, equipment, and instrumentation available for integrated high throughput automation with a good understanding of vendor product capabilities, failure modes, and preventive indicators.
* Implement automated solutions by assisting in the creation of training documents for automation end-users to ensure proper and safe use of automated equipment.
* Mentor junior team members.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED:

* MSc. or higher degree in engineering or a biological sciences discipline with 7+ years of experience working in automation laboratories/ facilities.
* Experience in designing automated workflow solutions to increase throughput and reduce turnaround times in a broad range of laboratory settings.
* Experience with programming, troubleshooting, and maintaining liquid handling robotics, and other types of analytical equipment.
* Experience with integrating equipment into LIMS and workflow management systems; use of database input, query, and extraction.
* Strong results oriented, customer focus, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.
* Passionate about learning new technologies and creating innovative solutions
* Hands om experience in the following areas is required- Automation and robotics; LIMS and statistical analysis; Project management.
* Ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams and communicate effectively.
* Significant experience in developing, optimizing, and managing protocol methods on liquid handlers and integrated systems.
* Experience working with vendors to make modifications to existing software and hardware to enable expanded usage and new features for the multiple integrated systems.
* Demonstrated track record integrating assays and automation into efficient processes and workflows.
* Experience in developing and optimizing new workflows in collaboration with scientists
* Excellent written and verbal communication and organizational skills.
* Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.

ADDITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS DESIRED, BUT NOT REQUIRED

* The preferred candidate will also be experienced in working with filamentous fungi, strain screening, fermentation processes, general molecular biology and cell culture, and/ or protein and enzymatic assays.
* Competency in programming methods on either Tecan, Hamilton, or Agilent liquid handlers.
* Competency with using programming languages such as Python or C#.
* Experience working with automating high-throughput screening workflows.

It's a Perfect Day to change the world. The day when delicious dairy goodness is something everyone can love. The day we say goodbye to the downsides of factory farming. The day we throw a big party with luscious, animal-free milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, all made with Perfect Day! We hope you join us!