System Engineer (Lab) — Generalist, Customer-Facing

Biosecure ID Limited; Macclesfield; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity stake

Ownership from day one

Health insurance

Hybrid/remote options

Learning budget

Job summary

Biosecure ID Limited is building accessible, cost‑effective forensic genetics solutions to accelerate casework, improve reliability, and reduce lab costs.

You will move between bench work, automation systems, and customer-facing work, developing low-cost assays, robotic workflows, and validated data pipelines.

This role offers equity, early ownership, and a flexible hybrid/remote environment to turn challenging problems into deployable tools that help labs worldwide.

Qualifications

• MSc, MTech, or PhD in molecular biology, biomedical/genetic engineering, robotics, mechatronics, biotechnology, or related field.
• Real bench experience: molecular biology techniques (PCR, sequencing, extraction, assay development, or similar).
• Hands-on experience with lab robotics and automation — liquid handling systems, custom hardware rigs.
• Working knowledge of Python; C/C++ for firmware is a plus; ROS experience is a plus.
• Familiarity with open-source practices and GitHub presence.
• Ability to propose and iterate on solutions under budget and time constraints.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate low-cost assays and lab workflows spanning forensic DNA casework to diagnostic tests for cancer and rare diseases.
• Design, build, and maintain robotic and automated systems — liquid handlers, custom rigs, sensor-driven workflows.
• Work directly with customers and partners to understand constraints and translate problems into technical requirements.
• Prototype with available resources, iterate fast, and find cheaper, simpler paths before high-cost solutions.
• Document rigorously so work is trusted, repeatable, and handable to customers.

Skills

Molecular biology

Lab automation

Python

C/C++

ROS knowledge

Education

MSc/MTech/PhD in related field

Tools

Hamilton Venus

Tecan EVO

Open-source tools

Job description

Macclesfield, United Kingdom | Posted on 18/08/2026

• Industry Pharma/Biotech/Clinical Research
• Work Experience 0-1 year
• Salary Salary + Bonus + Stock Options
• City Macclesfield
• Province Cheshire
• Country United Kingdom
• Postal Code SK10 4TG

About Us

Didyou know that every year, millions of forensic case samples go unprocessed dueto poor sample collection and inefficient DNA analysis? This backlog deniesjustice to countless victims and their families.

With over 25years of experience in forensic genetic analysis, we founded Biosecure ID totackle these challenges. Our mission is to enhance efficiency, ensurereliability and reproducibility, reduce overall costs, and develop simple touse integrated solutions for forensic analysis to make them accessible andaffordable to labs worldwide. Recognizing that no single company could offerall the necessary tools and solutions, we created Biosecure ID as a strategicplatform to incubate new ideas ("Innovation"), make workflow solutionsaccessible to end-users ("Value Added Reselling"), and supportlaboratories and scientists globally in implementing technologies withconfidence ("Enabling Services").

To fill gapsin the market, we partnered with Gentueri Inc for sample collection andworkflow solutions, Innogenomics Inc for specialized forensic DNA sampleprocessing, Paragon Genomics Inc for amplicon-based next-generation sequencing(NGS) panels, and with LabVine – an online learning and development platformwith over 16,000 professionals registered globally with a view to promote theirexisting courses and to develop new content for Applied Genetics and GenomicsLab professionals. Our comprehensive servicesinclude training, consultancy, validation and verification, automation, andturnkey projects, with a particular focus on the Global South, where support ismost needed.

In addition,Biosecure ID supports Science for Social Good CIC ( https://ssg-cic.org ), a UK-based non-profitcompany dedicated to advancing applied genetics through open-source softwaredevelopment (AGOSS® Platform), developing vocational training programmes incountries where knowledge gaps are most visible, raising awareness andeducation about DNA testing, standardizing sexual assault kits globally, andadvocating for DNA as a biometric modality through the Future of BiometricsConsortium in collaboration with the Cambridge, UK-based Centre for BusinessInnovation (CfBI).

We believeour small contribution through collaboration and sharing knowledge will be asignificant drop in the ocean, making a meaningful difference in the world offorensic science and applied genetics.Reach us at https://biosecureid.com for moreinformation.

A recent or soon-to-be MSc, MTech, or PhD graduate who'd rather bring a working idea to the table than wait for the "correct" one. You've spent time at the bench, you're comfortable with instrumentation, code, or a spreadsheet, and you like figuring things out alongside other people rather than in isolation. You're not looking for a rulebook — you're looking for a hard problem and a team to solve it with. You want your work to reach real patients, real casework, real customers, not just a paper.

This is not a narrow role. You'll move between the bench, the systems that support it, and the people who depend on it working.

What you'll do

• Develop and validate low-cost assays and lab workflows — spanning applications from forensic DNA casework to diagnostic tests for cancer and rare diseases — designed to work reliably outside well-resourced labs.
  
• Build and troubleshoot the systems around the science: instrumentation, robotics, automation, data pipelines, and the practical engineering that makes a bench protocol into a repeatable product.
  
• Design, build, and maintain robotic and automated systems — liquid handlers, custom rigs, sensor-driven workflows — including autonomous systems that can sense, decide, and act with minimal human intervention.
  
• Work directly with customers and partners to understand their constraints, translate their problems into technical requirements, and support them through deployment and troubleshooting.
  
• Operate with limited resources by design — you'll be expected to prototype with what's available, iterate fast, and find the cheaper, simpler path before reaching for the expensive one.
  
• Take ownership across the full arc of a problem: from early bench experiments through to a working solution in a customer's hands.
  
• Document rigorously enough that what you build can be trusted, repeated, and handed off — this is diagnostic and forensic work, where "it worked for me" isn't good enough.
  

Nice to have

• Experience with diagnostic assay development, forensic genomics, or clinical/CLIA-adjacent workflows.
  
• Experience building autonomous or semi-autonomous systems — closed-loop control, sensor fusion, or decision-making pipelines.
  
• Contributions to open-source projects (lab automation, robotics, or bioinformatics tooling especially relevant).
  
• Startup or small-team experience where you had to do more than your job title suggested.
  

Why this role?

You'll work on problems that go straight from the bench to a person who needed the answer — a forensic case, a cancer diagnosis, a rare disease that finally gets identified. Small team, real stakes, and the freedom to build the solution your way when the standard playbook doesn't fit the budget.

Requirements

What you bring

• MSc, MTech, or PhD in molecular biology, biomedical/genetic engineering, robotics, mechatronics, biotechnology, or a related field — or equivalent hands-on experience.
  
• Real bench experience: molecular biology techniques (PCR, sequencing, extraction, assay development, or similar), not just coursework.
  
• Hands-on experience with lab robotics and automation — liquid handling systems, custom hardware rigs, or sensor/actuator-driven workflows.
  
• Working knowledge of Python (the standard for lab automation —Hamilton Venus and Tecan EVO, SiLA2-style device integrations, LIMS/data pipelines); C/C++ for firmware or hardware control is a strong plus; exposure to ROS (Robot Operating System) is a plus if you've built or contributed to autonomous systems.
  
• Comfort working across disciplines — willing to pick up systems/software/robotics skills where needed rather than staying in one lane.
  
• Familiarity with open-source development practices and an active GitHub presence — we want to see how you build, not just hear about it.
  
• A track record of proposing and iterating on solutions rather than executing a fixed playbook — comfortable being wrong on the way to being useful.
  
• Strong problem-solving instincts under real constraints: limited budget, limited equipment, limited time.
  
• Genuine enjoyment of collaborative problem-solving: building on other people's half-formed ideas, and offering your own the same way.
  
• Genuine interest in customer-facing work — explaining, listening, and adapting the solution to what the customer actually needs.
  

Show us how you think

Skip the cover letter. Instead, give us one example of a real problem you've solved recently — at the bench, in the field, in code, wherever. In 300 words or less, tell us:

• What the problem was
  
• How you solved it
  
• If you had to solve it again today, what you would do differently.
  

We're not grading for polish — we're looking for how you actually approach a hard problem, and whether you're honest about what you'd change. Submissions over 300 words will not be reviewed.

What we offer to candidates completing their probation period (3 months):

• Equity: a real stake in what you help build, not just a paycheck.
  
• Ownership from day one - you'll lead real projects, not shadow someone else's.
  
• Support for your professional record: time and backing to publish papers, file patents, or co-author inventions that come out of your work here.
  
• Room to build in the open — we encourage contributions to open-source tools, and we'll credit the people behind the work, not just the company.
  
• A genuine learning budget — courses, certifications, conferences, whatever helps you get better at the problem in front of you.
  
• Flexibility — flexible hours and hybrid/remote arrangements wherever the lab work allows it.
  
• Honest, generous time off — and transparency about where the company stands, so trust isn't something we ask you to take on faith.
  
• Health insurance — because good work shouldn't come at the cost of your health.
  
• Proximity to impact — your work reaches an actual forensic case, an actual diagnosis and preventing future pandemics.