Automation Engineer

Capable Labs; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous equity options

Wellness budget

Healthcare: medical/dental/vision

401K plans

Daily team dinners

Visa sponsorship where appropriate

Job summary

Capable Labs is seeking a hands-on Automation Engineer in San Francisco to design, build, and troubleshoot automated drug-development workflows. You will work directly with chemists, biologists, and fellow engineers to turn manual processes into reliable automated systems that move from concept through prototype, testing, and iteration.

You will design electromechanical and fluidic systems, select components, develop control sequences, and integrate instruments with quality workflows.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience designing, building, testing, or maintaining automation systems or laboratory hardware.
• Strong background in mechanical, electrical, fluidics, sensing, or instrument integration.
• Systematic troubleshooting across hardware, controls, and process conditions.
• Ability to own a subsystem and explain engineering tradeoffs to scientists and other engineers.
• Background in mechanical/electrical/chemical/biomedical engineering or equivalent hands-on work.
• Curiosity and ability to learn across disciplines; not required to cover every area.

Responsibilities

• Design and build electromechanical and fluidic systems for automated synthesis, liquid handling, and lab workflows.
• Select and integrate pumps, valves, tubing, reactors, sensors, heaters, motors, and controllers.
• Develop controls for sequencing, flow, pressure, temperature, mixing, sensing, and fault detection and recovery.
• Connect instruments, analytical systems, sample tracking, and quality-control workflows into reliable automated processes.
• Build and debug prototypes, identify failures, and translate test results into improvements.
• Collaborate with scientists to improve throughput, reproducibility, purity, yield, and sample quality.
• Write test procedures, define acceptance criteria, and document system performance and operation.

Skills

Automation systems

Mechanical/Electrical design

Troubleshooting

Cross-functional collaboration

Ownership

Learning agility

Education

Engineering degree or equivalent hands-on experience

Job description

We are a vibrant and intensely mission-driven team in San Francisco, comprising members from MIT, Harvard Medical School, Roche, ETH, and Dana-Farber.

We value speed and rigor, coupled with excitement, drive, and a strong work ethic. In an early-stage environment, we value people who can bring clarity to open-ended problems, take ownership of the next steps, and follow through with energy.

Capable Labs is a place for ambitious, high-integrity people who want to become dramatically better. You will be surrounded by people who care intensely about the work, get close feedback from the people making scientific and company-defining decisions, and have room to own increasingly important problems.

We believe excellent work should be met with meaningful reward, ownership, and trust. Responsibility is earned through contribution, not title alone: anyone who demonstrates the judgment, rigor, and follow-through to move important work forward can earn meaningful scope.

About the Role

You will build the systems that automate Capable’s drug-development workflows, from peptide synthesis and fluid handling to laboratory instrumentation and sample tracking. Working directly with chemists, biologists, and other engineers, you will turn manual processes into reliable automated systems and take hardware from concept through prototype, testing, and iteration. This is a hands-on role: you will build, integrate, troubleshoot, and improve the equipment our scientists use every day.

Responsibilities

• Design and build electromechanical and fluidic systems for automated synthesis, liquid handling, and laboratory workflows.

• Select and integrate pumps, valves, tubing, reactors, sensors, heaters, motors, and controllers.

• Develop controls for sequencing, flow, pressure, temperature, mixing, sensing, and fault detection and recovery.

• Connect instruments, analytical systems, sample tracking, and quality-control workflows into reliable automated processes.

• Build and debug prototypes, identify the causes of failures, and turn test results into practical improvements.

• Work with scientists to improve throughput and reproducibility while maintaining purity, yield, and sample quality.

• Write clear test procedures, define acceptance criteria, and document system performance and operation.

Ideal Qualifications

• Hands-on experience building, integrating, testing, or maintaining automation systems, laboratory instruments, robotics, fluidic devices, or other electromechanical hardware.

• Practical strength in some combination of mechanical systems, electronics, fluidics, sensing, controls, or instrument integration.

• A systematic approach to troubleshooting problems that span hardware, controls, and process conditions.

• The ability to take ownership of a subsystem, communicate engineering tradeoffs, and work closely with scientists and other engineers.

• A background in mechanical, electrical, chemical, biomedical, or bioengineering—or equivalent hands-on experience. Nontraditional paths are welcome.

• Curiosity and willingness to learn across disciplines. We do not expect experience in every area listed above.

Pay & Benefits

• In addition to the posted salary range, we offer generous equity options.

• Compensation will depend on the skills, experience, and scope of impact you bring. If your background, experience, or compensation needs fall outside this range, we are still open to a conversation based on the scope and impact you could bring.

• $500+ monthly wellness budget for training, supplements, coaching, recovery, or other tools that help you perform at your best.

• Healthcare: We offer a broad range of medical, dental, and vision coverage options, with Capable covering 100% of the base policy.

• You will also have access to HSA, FSA, and 401K plans.

• Healthy dinners with the team are provided daily.

• We support visa sponsorship where appropriate, including O-1, H-1B, J-1, TN, and other employment-based pathways. Our team is already international, with members from Canada, Pakistan, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, China, India, and the United States.

Application Process

Our process is fast, transparent, and personal. We care about getting to know the person behind the application.

• Initial application

• First phone screen

• Second phone screen

• In-person work trial in San Francisco: designed to give both sides a realistic sense of working together. Get to know the founding team!

Equal Opportunity

Capable is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Capable is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.