Hardware Engineer

Capable; San Francisco, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity options

Wellness budget

Healthcare coverage

HSA/401K

Team dinners

Visa sponsorship

Job summary

Capable Labs is seeking engineers to build the physical systems behind our drug-development platform in San Francisco. You will help prototype electromechanical and fluidic subsystems and work closely with chemists, biologists, and software teams to translate concepts into testable hardware.

Ideal candidates bring hands-on experience with lab instrumentation, electromechanical designs, and fluidic control, and can own subsystems from concept to iteration, delivering robust, testable designs in a

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience building or maintaining physical lab systems.
• Background in mechanical, electrical, chemical, biomedical, or bioengineering.
• Experience with electromechanical systems, fluidics, sensing, or automation.
• Systematic root-cause analysis skills.
• Ability to own a subsystem and communicate tradeoffs.

Responsibilities

• Design and prototype electromechanical and fluidic subsystems for lab automation or drug-delivery hardware.
• Select and integrate components such as pumps, valves, manifolds, tubing, reactors, sensors, or wireless modules.
• Build and debug prototypes and drive test results into design changes.
• Develop controls for timing, flow, pressure, temperature, mixing, sensing, and fault detection.
• Collaborate with scientists to connect hardware performance to chemical or biological outputs.
• Write test procedures and acceptance criteria for systems you own.
• Integrate instruments, analytical systems, sample tracking, and QC workflows.

Skills

Lab instrumentation

Electromechanical design

Fluidics

Controls engineering

Prototype testing

Root-cause analysis

Education

Engineering degree

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 help build the physical systems behind Capable’s drug-development platform. Depending on your background and the company’s priorities, your work may span automated peptide synthesis, fluid handling, laboratory instrumentation, or subcutaneous drug delivery. You will take defined subsystems from concept through prototype, test, and iteration while working closely with chemists, biologists, and software collaborators.

Responsibilities

• Design and prototype electromechanical and fluidic subsystems for laboratory automation or drug-delivery hardware.
• Select and integrate components such as pumps, valves, manifolds, tubing, reactors, seals, sensors, heaters, motors, transducers, controllers, batteries, or wireless modules as the application requires.
• Build and debug prototypes, investigate failures systematically, and turn test results into practical design changes.
• Develop controls for timing, flow, pressure, temperature, mixing, sensing, fault detection, and recovery.
• Work with scientists to connect hardware performance to chemical or biological outputs such as purity, yield, reproducibility, dose delivery, safety, and sample quality.
• Write clear test procedures, record results, and define acceptance criteria for the systems you own.
• Contribute to the integration of instruments, analytical systems, sample tracking, and quality-control workflows.

Ideal Qualifications

• Hands-on experience building, testing, or maintaining physical systems such as laboratory instrumentation, automation systems, fluidic or microfluidic devices, electromechanical hardware, medical devices, wearables, or implantables.
• You may have a background in mechanical, electrical, chemical, biomedical, or bioengineering; robotics, automation, medical devices, wearables, implantables, or equivalent hands-on experience can also fit, including nontraditional paths.
• Practical comfort with some combination of electromechanical systems, fluidics, sensing, controls, laboratory instruments, or automation.
• A systematic approach to root-cause analysis when a device, instrument, or experiment does not behave as expected.
• The ability to own a defined subsystem, communicate tradeoffs clearly, and collaborate closely with scientists and other engineers.
• 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.

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.