Industrial Engineer

Position: Industrial Engineer – Integrated Biological Production Systems & Automation Location: South San Francisco Type: Full-time Desired start date: ASAP About the Role: We are seeking an Industrial Engineer to design, build, and integrate high-throughput, automated biological production systems. This work will focus on process improvements in the laboratory, greenhouse, and seed production processes. This role focuses on transforming manual, sequential laboratory workflows into scalable, production-grade systems through thoughtful process design, automation, and systems integration. As programs and processes evolve this role will expand to encompass all aspects of operations and operational excellence. This is a hands-on builder role with a systems architect mindset for someone who can rethink how biological processes are structured, connected, and scaled. You won’t just automate lab steps — you’ll design the systems that enable reliable, repeatable biological production. You will be responsible for driving operational excellence, which includes mentoring and leading teams in Continuous Process Improvement (CPI), 5S, Lean Six Sigma production, Kaizen events, and Gemba walks. What You’ll Do: Re-Architect End-to-End Biological Workflows Deconstruct manual laboratory workflows into core unit operations and system requirements Redesign processes from first principles to be automation and/or process friendly rather than direct translations of laboratory of greenhouse SOPs Architect end-to-end production workflows that optimize flow, timing, and resource utilization across process stages Build by doing: run process to understand pain points and to build solutions Build, Integrate & Commission Automated Systems Hands-on design, build, and commissioning of automated and semi-automated biological workflows Integrate robotics, liquid handling, incubation, sensing, imaging, and sample tracking into cohesive production platforms Work directly with automation engineers, integrators, and vendors and production associates to prototype, test, and deploy systems Assay Development for Scalable Production Partner with biology and R&D teams to adapt assays for throughput, robustness, and automation compatibility Drive assay standardization, simplification, and turnaround-time reduction to support scalable workflows Ensure assays integrate cleanly into production timelines and operational constraints Throughput, Yield & System Optimization Define performance targets for throughput, yield, turnaround time, and system reliability Identify bottlenecks, variability, and failure modes across interconnected biological processes Use production data to guide iterative system and process improvements Systems Integration & Technical Ownership Own interfaces between biology, automation hardware, software, data systems, and operations Ensure smooth handoffs between tissue culture, gene editing, assays, genotyping, and greenhouse teams. Influence upstream process design by embedding manufacturability and automation considerations early Production Readiness & Scale-Up Take systems from concept to prototype to pilot and into production Develop SOPs, process documentation, and training materials grounded in real system behavior Support production ramp, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement Qualifications: Required Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field 7+ years of experience building and scaling automated or semi-automated production systems Experience translating manual laboratory workflows into integrated, high-throughput systems Strong background in process flow, system architecture, and throughput modeling Hands-on experience with equipment integration and system commissioning Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent Experience leading operational excellence initiatives. Preferred Experience with tissue culture, gene editing, assay development, genotyping, or DNA extraction Fam