About Us

Molecular Assemblies, Inc. is a private life sciences company developing an enzymatic DNA synthesis technology designed to power the next generation of DNA-based products. The company’s patented Fully Enzymatic Synthesis™ (or FES™), based on making DNA the way nature makes DNA, produces long, high quality, sequence-specific DNA reliably, affordably, and sustainably. FES technology will enable the reading and writing of DNA for many industries, including industrial synthetic biology and precision medicine, as well as emerging applications of DNA for data information storage, nanomachines, and bio-based electronics. Molecular Assemblies is headquartered in San Diego.

Job Summary

The Mechanical Engineer – Instrumentation will be a key contributor to the design and development of essential functions throughout the oligo synthesis manufacturing stages. The role will require a hands-on approach, particularly with interfaces between the subsystems and consumables of the system platform.  The person in this role will help drive an MRD/PRD/DIS design & development process among an interdisciplinary team of scientist and engineers. The mechanical engineer will focus on the design and development of parts, fixtures, instrumentation and/or consumables, some of which requiring practical experiences in electro-mechanical and fluidic designs.   Synthesis requires understanding of fluidic transport of reagents between various consumables as well controlling reaction conditions needed by reagents to achieve production goals. The engineer will also be responsible for the feasibility, functional, prototyping, and verification and validation testing required for successful system integration.  This team member should be familiar with standard lab practices, have great attention to detail, and enjoy communicating and working in fast paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Own the design & development activities to support and provide the necessary engineering design and development of instrumentation, consumables, and/or manufacturing processes required by MAI synthesis platform
• Define system and subsystem specifications based on product and user requirements
• Work closely with internal teams to identify root cause and systemic design concerns to develop robust and reliable designs & interfaces
• Organize and plan out activities to meet individual, team, and company goals
• Drive and execute platform, instrument, and subsystem reliability tests
• Collect and analyze large data sets to interpret performance, root cause analyses, and/or characterizations
• Contribute to overall instrument integration and platform development of the mechanical, electrical, motion, fluidic and thermal aspects of the synthesis platform
• Collaborate with partners, internal or external, on platform and/or subsystem designs and transfer to manufacturing
• Source off-the-shelf and custom components including interfacing with vendors

Experience & Skills:

• 5-10 years of CAD (Solidworks) or similar experience and implementation of GDT practices
• Designing & developing mechanical systems / mechanisms requiring high precision machined, 3D printed, injection molded parts as well as sheet metal and extruded material components
• Hands-on hardware troubleshooting and root cause analysis ability of mechanical and fluidic systems
• Ability to communicate cross-functionally with scientist, engineers, and non-technical staff to achieve team and company goals
• Experience troubleshooting electrical components (PCBA, cabling, etc.) and debugging software/FW issues a plus
• Advanced statistical analysis in excel, JMP, MiniTab, etc. preferred
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to handle multiple tasks including self- prioritizing key activities
• Ability to work in a fast paced, dynamic environment and adjust to rapidly evolving technology.
• Enjoys the process as much as executing imaginative solutions to difficult engineering and design challenges.
• Salary Range: $100,000-$150,000. The base salary range represents the low and high end of the anticipated salary range for this position. The actual base salary offered for this position will be based on many factors including but not limited to individual performance, location of job, experience and skills required for this role. 

Qualifications

• Minimum BS degree in Mechanical/Bioengineering or similar field
• Minimum 5-10 years related work experience in a similar field required
• Minimum 3-5 years working in a life science or medical device company
• Demonstrated product development experience of uL/pL fluidic systems involving but not limited to, fluidic dispensing, motion stages, and thermal management
• Familiarity with terms such as MTBF, cPK, FMEA, dFMEA, pDFMEA, DOE for efficient phase gated product development
• History of working in multidisciplinary field including biochemistry, biology, optics, mechanics, fluidics, electrical, and software
• Familiarity with standard laboratory practices, workflows, and GMP as well as standard laboratory automation

Don’t meet every requirement?

At MAI we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace so if you don’t check all the boxes in the job description, we still encourage you to apply. You may be the person we are looking for!