Lab Operations Engineer

Stanfordlivetickets; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 71,000 - 133,000; Full time

Job summary

The Lab Operations Engineer at nano@stanford will oversee the operation, maintenance and troubleshooting of several physical vapor deposition tools and related analytical equipment in the cleanroom.

You will prepare procurement documents, support general lab operations, participate in the Incident Response Team and help improve preventive maintenance and reliability across multiple systems. This is a full-time on-site role with occasional remote work.

Qualifications

• Operation, maintenance and troubleshooting of physical vapor deposition tools.
• Preparation and review of purchase requisitions, drawings and training manuals related to equipment and lab operations.
• Participation in general cleanroom operations, Incident Response Team and support for maintenance of other nanofabrication tools.
• Strong engineering fundamentals, highly organized and proactive with preventive maintenance mindset.

Responsibilities

• Operate and maintain vacuum systems and physical vapor deposition tools.
• Troubleshoot analytical equipment and coordinate with team for repairs.
• Assist in creating and updating maintenance procedures and equipment documents.
• Support lab operations and help improve reliability and safety across tools and systems.

Job description

WORK SCHEDULE:

On-site work arrangement; employee is expected to work on-site full-time. There may be occasional opportunities for remote work.

BUDGETED SALARY:

$71,145 - $132, 805

SCHOOL/UNIT DESCRIPTION:

nano@stanford is the largest shared research facility at Stanford University, formed by the merger of Stanford Nano Shared Facilities (SNSF) and the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility (SNF) in 2025. We provided access to world-leading facilities and expertise in nanoscale science and engineering for Stanford and external researchers from academic, industrial, and government labs across the US and around the globe. Over 1000 researchers, in applications ranging from medicine and biology to fundamental physics and astronomy, use nano@stanford’s cleanrooms and satellite labs, which contain approx. 400 pieces of equipment for device fabrication and characterization. More than a collection of labs, it's a vibrant research community.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Lab Operations Engineer will be primarily responsible for the operation, maintenance and troubleshooting of several physical vapor depositions tools. They will prepare and review purchase requisitions, drawings, training manuals, and other documents associated with equipment and lab operations. They will also participate in general cleanroom lab operations, join the Incident Response Team and support the maintenance and operations of other nanofabrication tools as needed. nano@stanford seeks a highly motivated, experienced lab operations engineer to make an impact on our research operations. You will perform maintenance and troubling on complex vacuum systems, physical vapor deposition tools, and analytical equipment, in addition to working with team members to improve the overall operation of the lab. As a successful candidate, you have a strong background in engineering fundamentals and are technologically savvy. You are highly organized and proactive and have great appreciation for preventive maintenance. You aren’t afraid to ask for help and are able to rally others to take on help with challenging equipment repairs or major lab cleanups. You can juggle multiple projects and change direction quickly to meet shifting priorities.