Robotics Field Engineer

Job description

**Join the Future of Robotic Biomanufacturing!** **Multiply Labs** is a robotics company on a mission to solve a significant bottleneck in modern medicine: **the manufacturing of life-saving advanced biologics, from gene and cell therapies to antibodies and more.** Today, these therapies are produced through manual, labor-intensive processes. Costs are extremely high—often **$500K–$2M** per patient—limiting access to only a small fraction of those who need them. As product complexity increases and the cost of failure and scientific labor rises, the industry is shifting toward automation. Robotics and AI are making automated biologics manufacturing feasible, reliable, and economically scalable. We believe the future of biomanufacturing is robotic—closed, automated, and scalable—ensuring critical therapeutics are accessible to every patient who needs them. **Why This Matters** We don’t just build robots; we build the infrastructure for the next generation of biologics manufacturing. Our technology allows biopharma companies to scale production without redesigning their science, drastically lowering regulatory hurdles and bringing costs down to a level where these treatments can actually reach patients. **The Stack & The Scale** **The Mission:** Build the world’s best robots to make life-saving therapies accessible to all. **The Technology:** Advanced robotic orchestration, high-precision automation, cloud-integrated hardware-software systems, dextrous manipulation, and imitation learning. **The Location:** Headquartered in San Francisco, CA. **The Backing:** Supported by premier investors, including **Casdin Capital, Lux Capital, and Y Combinator.** **About the Role** As a Robotics Field Engineer, you will be the on-site operational lead for our robotic system deployed in Los Angeles, California. Working at the intersection of robotics and biopharma, you will serve as the primary bridge between our engineering team and our on-site customer partners. You will collaborate daily with internal and external teams to coordinate operations, manage material workflows, and ensure the reliability of our automated manufacturing systems. This role is for a proactive, organized problem-solver dedicated to maintaining high-uptime systems that have a direct impact on patient lives. ### Responsibilities include: - **Technical Troubleshooting & Scripting:** Leveraging Python to develop and execute basic testing scripts for validation, assisting the software team in isolating bugs and verifying fixes in a real-world environment. - **System Triage & Recovery:** Serving as the first line of defense for the robotic cluster, executing software recovery procedures, and utilizing mechanical familiarity to identify potential error causes. - **Issue Tracking & Communication:** Developing and maintaining error tracking systems to identify trends. You will provide organized, proactive communication regarding cluster issues, needs, and status updates to both internal stakeholders and on-site partners. - **Cluster Operations & Scheduling:** Detailed planning of daily cluster schedules at the deployment site, aligning closely with engineering, product teams, and customer partners to set testing timelines and ensure optimal system utilization. ### Qualifications - Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Software), Robotics, or a related discipline. - 2+ years of professional experience in field engineering, system integration, or a related technical role. - Familiarity with Python, with the ability to read code and write basic scripts for testing and automation. - Mechanical aptitude with the ability to troubleshoot electromechanical systems and identify hardware vs. software root causes. - Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage complex schedules in a fast-paced startup environment. - Strong communication skills, capable of bridging the gap between technical engineering teams and operational goals. ### Nice to Haves - Familiarity with AWS deployments, managing production environments, and troubleshooting cloud-connected hardware. - Experience with laboratory automation or working in GxP/regulated environments. - Experience using data visualization tools (e.g., Grafana, Tableau) to monitor cluster performance and reliability trends. ### Physical & Working Conditions - Ability to reach, stoop, crouch, and kneel; this specifically includes the need to physically enter, stand, or crouch inside a robotic cluster for maintenance, cleaning, or intervention. - Ability to lift up to 25 pounds (e.g., equipment, replacement parts, tools) and lift up to 5 pounds overhead. - Manual dexterity required for using hand tools, cabling, and making mechanical adjustments. - Work is primarily performed in a manufacturing area adjacent to a laboratory setting. This requires adherence to strict safety protocols (e.g., Biosafety Level 2) and awareness of surroundings. - Potential exposure to hazardous materials, including biological agents and cryogenic materials, while servicing equipment that handles these substances. - Required use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including lab coats, safety glasses, and gloves for extended periods during bio experiments. - This role requires the ability to work a standard schedule, but may necessitate occasional evening or weekend work (or on-call availability) to respond to critical cluster issues or complete time-sensitive maintenance. ### Total Rewards & Life at Multiply Labs - **Competitive Compensation:** Salary range of **$90,000 - $160,000** a year plus **meaningful early-stage equity**. We want our team to have a real stake in the future we’re building. - **Premium Health:** Premium Medical, Dental, and Vision plans with **subsidies for child dependents.** - **Wealth Building:** 401(k) with a **4% company match** to help you plan for the long term. - **Pre-Tax Commuter Benefit:** Pay for eligible transit and parking with pre-tax dollars to save on commuting costs. - **Parental Support:** Robust **Paid Parental Leave** to support your family’s newest additions. - **True Flexibility:** We offer **Flexible PTO** and **12 Paid Holidays**, trusting you to manage your time and recharge when you need it. - **No Set Hours:** Set your own schedule in alignment with your manager and team. We hold a high bar, measuring success by impact and outcomes – not hours logged. - **Office Perks:** A vibrant SF office culture featuring **catered team lunches**, stocked kitchen, and frequent team events. - **H-1B and Green Card sponsorship** available for exceptional talent. - **Referral bonuses** for helping us build a world-class team. - **Great people, meaningful work**, and a team that genuinely **believes in what we're building.** Come build the world’s best robots—and help make life-saving therapies accessible to all.