Manager Equipment Service Engineering

Menlo Ventures; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) retirement plan

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Onsite lunch 3 days a week

Flexible time-off policy

Wellness offerings

Job summary

DELFI Diagnostics is seeking a Laboratory Equipment Lifecycle Leader to oversee the equipment management program and ensure reliable, compliant operation across production labs. You will partner with Quality, Regulatory, Assay Development, Automation, and IT to sustain IVD/LDT workflows.

You will build and drive infrastructure for equipment qualification, calibration, maintenance, and decommissioning, and mentor staff to strengthen internal service capabilities.

Qualifications

• B.S. degree in life sciences, engineering or related field.
• 8–10 years of experience maintaining and servicing laboratory equipment in regulated production.
• Experience leading equipment service programs and managing vendors.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with Quality, Regulatory, IT, and Operations.
• Experience in CLIA, CAP, NYS, FDA, ISO and/or GxP environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and maintain equipment management policies in accordance with IVD and LDT requirements.
• Own the electronic equipment inventory system and ensure documentation is complete and compliant.
• Manage equipment suppliers, service contracts, and capital expenditures; contribute to budgeting.
• Establish equipment support strategies and resource plans for current and future capacity.
• Partner with QA, Regulatory, Assay Development, Automation, IT, and others to implement equipment and workflows.
• Provide technical leadership for troubleshooting complex equipment and automation issues.
• Monitor performance, downtime, service response, and drive continuous improvement.
• Support regulatory inspections and audits with compliant systems and records.
• Assist in hiring and developing CLAs with equipment-focused roles.

Skills

Equipment lifecycle management

Vendor management

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership

Quality & regulatory liaison

Education

B.S. Degree in Life Sciences/Engineering

Job description

DELFI Diagnostics, Inc. (DELFI Diagnostics) is developing next-generation, blood-based tests that are reliable, accessible and deliver a new way to help detect cancer. Employing advanced machine-learning methods to whole-genome sequencing data, the DELFI ("DNA EvaLuation of Fragments for early Interception") platform is built to address the highest-burden health challenges. DELFI Diagnostics prioritizes solutions that have the potential to save lives on a global scale, including for historically underserved populations. DELFI Diagnostics’ platform relies on fragmentomics – the discovery that cancer cells are more chaotic than normal cells and, when they die, leave behind tell-tale patterns and characteristics of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragments. FirstLook Lung, for individuals eligible for lung cancer screening, is DELFI Diagnostics’ first laboratory-developed screening test and can be part of routine blood work. FirstLook Lung uses millions of data points to reliably identify individuals who may have cancer detected through low-dose CT, including early stage disease with a negative predictive value of 99.8 percent. This test has not been cleared or approved by the FDA.

In our passionate pursuit to radically improve health outcomes, we serve humanity when we:

• Lead with Science, Anchor in Pragmatism: We pioneer life-changing science by ensuring quality, transparency, and rigor at all times. We explore thoughtfully, experiment smartly, and deliver impact with conviction.
• Build With & For All: We embrace diverse backgrounds to innovate and achieve together. We are not just building a product - we aim to disrupt the path of cancer for all - no matter geography or socioeconomic class
• Put We over I: We are a home for high-performing people. Through teamwork, we build collective intelligence. Each of us wins when those we serve and those who serve with us--win. We show up with empathy, humility, and integrity at every step of the journey.

About this Role

You will be a member of the Laboratory Operations team leading the equipment lifecycle management, service and engineering function for a variety of equipment, automation hardware, and software applications to support production in a Clinical Laboratory setting. You will provide technical and program leadership, ensuring the laboratory equipment is reliable, compliant, and appropriately supported throughout its lifecycle. You will partner cross-functionally with Laboratory Operations, Quality, Regulatory, Assay Development, and external suppliers to support the launch and sustainment of IVD and LDT assays that have the potential to improve how cancer is detected and managed. Through your leadership, you will establish equipment management practices, infrastructure, and technical capabilities that will support DELFI for years to come.

What You'll Do

• Develop, implement, and maintain equipment management policies, SOPs, and processes in accordance with applicable IVD and LDT regulatory and quality requirements.

• Own the electronic equipment inventory management system and ensure equipment operation, qualification, calibration, maintenance, repair, and service records are complete, accurate, and maintained in accordance with applicable procedures and quality requirements.

• Manage equipment suppliers and service providers, including service contracts, performance expectations, maintenance schedules, and escalation of service issues. Manage equipment-related operating and capital expenditures and contribute to annual budget and capital planning.

• Establish equipment support strategies and resource plans to meet current operational needs and future laboratory capacity and scale-up requirements.

• Partner with Quality, Regulatory, Assay Development, Automation, IT, and other supporting functions to ensure equipment and automation systems are appropriately implemented and maintained, including qualification, preventive maintenance, calibration, repair, relocation, and decommissioning. Support technology transfer, assay validation, process changes, and implementation of new laboratory equipment and workflows.

• Provide technical leadership for troubleshooting complex equipment and automation issues, including investigation of recurring failures and implementation of corrective and preventive actions.

• Establish and monitor equipment performance, reliability, downtime, service response, and other key metrics; identify trends and lead continuous improvement initiatives.

• Provide input and expertise on equipment selection, installation, qualification, and operational readiness activities for new laboratory equipment and automation systems.

• Maintain equipment training programs and ensure laboratory personnel are appropriately trained on the operation and basic troubleshooting of laboratory equipment.

• Ensure appropriate equipment qualification, process validation, and change-control documentation is developed and executed, including IQ/OQ/PQ protocols, calibration records, process validation reports, qualification reports, and supporting documentation within our QMS.

• Support regulatory inspections and audits by ensuring equipment systems and records remain compliant and inspection-ready.

• Support the screening, hiring, onboarding, and development of Clinical Laboratory Assistants (CLAs) with an equipment-focused role to provide day-to-day equipment support and strengthen internal equipment service capabilities.

What You'll Bring

Required

• B.S. Degree in Life Sciences, Engineering or related field

• At least 8-10 years of combined experience in maintaining and servicing laboratory equipment in a regulated production setting

• Experience leading equipment service, laboratory engineering, facilities/equipment, or similar technical programs; direct people-management experience strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated experience supporting high-throughput laboratory operations and complex automated laboratory systems.

• Strong knowledge of laboratory equipment lifecycle management, including installation, qualification, process validation, preventive maintenance, calibration, repair, change control, relocation, and decommissioning.

• Experience managing equipment vendors, service contracts, and external service providers.

• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with Laboratory Operations, Quality, Automation/Engineering, Assay Development, IT, and external suppliers.

• Strong understanding of the laboratory automation industry and technologies used in high-throughput laboratory operations.

• Experience working in a regulated environments: CLIA, CAP, NYS, FDA, ISO and/or GxP

Preferred

• Experience supporting NGS laboratory workflows, including automated liquid handlers, sequencers, centrifuges, thermal cyclers, and associated laboratory instrumentation.

• Experience in reagent manufacturing, ideally in a regulated environment (cGMP)

• Experience supporting regulatory inspections and audits.

• Experience building or scaling an equipment service/engineering function in a growing laboratory organization.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

135000 - 165000 USD a year

Actual base pay will consider experience, skillset, education, and geography.

This role may be eligible for other forms of compensation, including an annual bonus and a new hire equity grant, subject to the terms of the applicable plans and Company discretion.

All employees are also eligible for DELFI's comprehensive and competitive benefits package, including but not limited to:

• a flexible time-off policy
• a 401(k) retirement plan
• an extremely competitive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• onsite lunch 3 days a week
• other wellness related offerings