Automation Engineer New Boulder, CO

Natera, Inc.; Boulder (CO); Hybrid; USD 96,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Generous paid time off

Wellness benefits

Employee referral program

Job summary

Natera, Inc.'s Foresight Diagnostics is hiring a Lab Automation Engineer in Boulder, CO to support automation in the CLIA lab. This role focuses on developing and improving automated workflows and providing first-line troubleshooting within a production environment.

The position requires 5+ years in lab engineering, a BA/BS (advanced degrees preferred), and knowledge of liquid handling platforms such as Hamilton STARline and Agilent Bravo. It offers on-site hours and competitive compensation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; advanced degree preferred.
• 5+ years engineering experience supporting laboratory environments.
• Knowledge of molecular biology and genomics a plus.
• Experience with liquid handling platforms (Hamilton STARline, Agilent Bravo).
• Strong organizational and analytical abilities.
• Ability to work autonomously in a fast-paced setting.

Responsibilities

• Meet project deadlines with quality and regulatory compliance.
• Improve processes using KPI-driven insights.
• Align automation requirements with lab leads and develop workflows.
• Perform preventative maintenance on automation systems.
• Coordinate major/minor repairs with vendors.
• Support tech transfer of new technologies/workflows to labs.
• Forecast automation needs to meet volume demand and plan upgrades.
• Ensure outages do not impact on-time results.
• Assist in SOPs and training for production use.

Skills

Lab engineering

Analytical skills

Self-starter

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's or PhD preferred

Tools

Hamilton STARline

Agilent Bravo

Job description

Location: On-Site in Boulder, CO (Foresight Dx business unit, a Natera company)

Foresight Diagnostics is a molecular diagnostics company pioneering non‑invasive cancer detection through highly sensitive, cell‑free DNA‑based liquid biopsy technologies. Our proprietary methods - originally developed at Stanford University - are designed to detect smaller tumors earlier and enable more personalized treatment strategies for patients with cancer.

We sit at the intersection of molecular biology, bioinformatics, and next‑generation sequencing (NGS), and we translate rigorous science into clinically meaningful solutions. Following our acquisition by Natera, we now combine the agility of a mission‑driven startup with the scale and resources of a global leader in cell‑free DNA testing. It’s an exciting moment to join us.

Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, our team operates in a high accountability, collaborative environment where quality and continuous improvement aren’t just values - they’re how we work every day.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Lab Automation Engineer at Foresight Diagnostics will be responsible for supporting the development and continuous improvement of Foresight’s laboratory automation function as well as providing first line support for troubleshooting methods in the CLIA lab. As the business life cycle evolves to vertically integrate manufacturing, this role will support the development and implementation with transition to the tech transfer functions within the organization. This position will collaborate cross functionally to deliver on business objectives with the intention of cross functional integration and operational scaling. This is a full‑time position working 7 :30 AM to 4 : 0 0 PM Monday to Friday, but may require the flexibility to work diverse schedules, including weekends, and holidays.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Effectively deliver to project deadlines, on time and on budget, with adherence to applicable quality and regulatory requirements.
• Iterate onprocesses to drive continuous improvement with prioritization managed through the application/interpretation of KPI results.
• Collaboratewithlaboratoryleads toalignonautomation requirements anddevelopworkflows and instrument methods for laboratory optimization and software integration.
• Regularly perform preventative maintenanceand inspections on Foresight’s automated systems to ensure reliable functionality.
• Execute major and minor repairs or coordinate with vendors for more complex repairs.
• Collaborate with Laboratory Operations to developSOPsand training programsto enable successful tech transfer ofnewtechnology/workflowsto the laboratory teams for production use.
• Work cross-functionally with Operations, Finance, and laboratory teams as necessary to properly forecast the number of automationinstrumentationneeded to meet volume demand, planforand propose upgrades to the Foresight’s automation solution.
• As needed,perform maintenance to ensure operational capacity never impacts Foresight’s ability to successfully deliver on time results.
• Ensure effective resourceutilization, planning and execution of people, process, and products in alignment with corporateobjectivesandvolumeprojections across cross-functional teams.
• Implement laboratory processes that are compliant withappropriate regulations, to include but not limited toGxP, ISO, CFR, CAP/CLIA, NYSDOH.
• Guide troubleshooting and resolution of incident reports and CAPAs while driving continuous improvement

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 5+yearsengineering experience supporting laboratory environments.
• A bachelor’s degree: BA/BS. An advanced degree, such as a Ph.D. orMastersdegreepreferred.
• Additionaltechnical training would be a plus with an understanding of molecular biology and genomics.
• Working knowledge of liquid handling platforms such as HamiltonSTARline and Agilent Bravo preferred
• Proven ability to deliver actionable results to complex problems.
• Strong organizational skills with an understanding of scaling and capacity planning.
• Advanced analytical and operational skills withanability toidentifymeaningful insights from complex data.
• Self-starter who thrives in ambiguity in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability todeliver onend-to-end projects witha high levelof autonomy.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• This position requires the individual to wear and work in personal protective equipment.
• This position requires that the individualisable tolift a minimum of 25lbs.
• Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers arerequired.
• The workeris required tohave close visual acuity to perform an activitysuch as:preparing and analyzing data and figures,writingand reviewing documents, and pipetting small volumes of clear liquids.

Compensation & Total Rewards

This range reflects a good‑faith estimate of the base pay we reasonablyexpect to offer at the time ofhire. Final compensation will vary based on experience, qualifications, and internal equity considerations.

This position is also eligible for additional compensation and benefits through Natera’s robust Total Rewards program, including:

• 401(k) with company match
• Generous paid time off and company holidays
• Additional wellness and work‑life benefits

Compensation Range

$95,800.00 - $110,000.00

#LI-AE1

OUR OPPORTUNITY

Natera™ is a global leader in cell‑free DNA (cfDNA) testing, dedicated to oncology, women’s health, and organ health. Our aim is to make personalized genetic testing and diagnostics part of the standard of care to protect health and enable earlier and more targeted interventions that lead to longer, healthier lives.

The Natera team consists of highly dedicated statisticians, geneticists, doctors, laboratory scientists, business professionals, software engineers and many other professionals from world‑class institutions, who care deeply for our work and each other. When you join Natera, you’ll work hard and grow quickly. Working alongside the elite of the industry, you’ll be stretched and challenged, and take pride in being part of a company that is changing the landscape of genetic disease management.

WHAT WE OFFER

Competitive Benefits - Employee benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life and disability plans for eligible employees and their dependents. Additionally, Natera employees and their immediate families receive free testing in addition to fertility care benefits. Other benefits include pregnancy and baby bonding leave, 401k benefits, commuter benefits and much more. We also offer a generous employee referral program!

Natera is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace environment, and welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives. Inclusive collaboration benefits our employees, our community and our patients, and is critical to our mission of changing the management of disease worldwide.

If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Natera’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.