Senior Laboratory Equipment Technician

Senior Laboratory Equipment Technician

Boston, MA

$45-65/hr

The Senior Laboratory Equipment Technician will serve as a technical lead and subject matter expert for our laboratory infrastructure, driving initiatives that improve reliability, uptime, and scalability of our organism engineering foundry. You will mentor junior technicians, lead complex equipment qualification projects, own vendor strategy, and partner cross-functionally with Engineering, Facilities, and EHS to shape the long-term health of the lab environment

Senior Laboratory Equipment Technician Responsibilities:

• Serve as the senior technical authority and escalation point for complex equipment failures across all shifts, including automation systems, robotics, and cold storage infrastructure.
• Lead the design and execution of preventive maintenance programs, establishing schedules, SOPs, and performance metrics across the full equipment portfolio.
• Perform advanced in-house troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and repair on laboratory and automation equipment, including pneumatic systems, liquid handlers, incubators, plate readers, and sealers.
• Drive qualification and validation activities (IQ/OQ/PQ) for new equipment installations and major hardware changes.
• Evaluate new equipment and technologies; develop business cases and recommendations for capital investments.
• Own and continuously improve the lab equipment management program, including asset tracking, maintenance documentation, and CMMS systems.
• Identify systemic issues and lead cross-functional improvement initiatives to reduce downtime, increase throughput, and improve equipment reliability.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation including SOPs, maintenance logs, equipment qualification records, and failure reports.
• Partner with automation engineers and scientists to optimize equipment configurations and workflows in support of experimental throughput.

Senior Laboratory Equipment Technician Requirements:

• Bachelor of Life Sciences, or equivalent technical discipline.
• 5–10 years of hands-on experience with laboratory equipment maintenance, repair, and operations in a research or production environment.
• Demonstrated expertise troubleshooting and repairing complex laboratory and automation instrumentation (liquid handlers, robotics, incubators, plate readers, etc.).
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office and comfort with digital tools including CMMS, asset management systems, or lab informatics platforms.
• Proven ability to write and maintain high-quality technical documentation, including SOPs, maintenance procedures, and qualification protocols.
• Excellent communication skills with experience partnering across Engineering, EHS, Facilities, and scientific teams.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and maneuver equipment within laboratory environments.
• Experience in a high-throughput, fast-paced laboratory environment such as synthetic biology, genomics, pharma, or contract research.
• Hands-on experience with IQ/OQ/PQ qualification and validation processes for GMP or regulated lab environments.
• Proficiency with pneumatic fittings, tubing, and in-house gas systems (nitrogen, compressed air, CO2).
• Familiarity with SCADA systems, sensors, or lab building management systems (BMS) for environmental monitoring.
• Experience evaluating vendor proposals, managing capital equipment procurement, and negotiating service contracts.
• Background in electrical systems, basic controls, or mechatronics with the ability to interpret schematics and wiring diagrams.
• Experience with or exposure to automation programming (e.g., Hamilton VENUS, Tecan FluentControl, or similar platforms).