Lab Support Senior Engineer

Title: Lab Support Senior Engineer I

Duration: 7 Months with possible extension

Department: Engineering / R&D Laboratory Operations

Location: Durham, NC

Summary

The Lab Support Senior Engineer I is responsible for the installation, cabling, configuration, operation, and maintenance of a broad range of R&D and laboratory equipment within a dynamic engineering environment. This role plays a key part in planning lab layouts, executing equipment setup and configuration, and managing logistics for equipment utilization, upgrades, and lifecycle management. The engineer uses diagnostic and test tools to perform equipment checks, characterizations, and preventive maintenance, while collaborating closely with vendors for technical support and issue resolution.

Key Responsibilities

Equipment Installation, Configuration & Maintenance

• Coordinate and perform installation, setup, configuration, and teardown of servers, storage devices, and related lab computing equipment.

• Execute preventive and corrective maintenance activities to ensure equipment reliability and availability.

Lab Operations & Logistics

• Participate in planning and optimization of laboratory floor layouts, ensuring safe, efficient, and scalable equipment placement.

• Manage logistics across the equipment lifecycle including procurement support, inventory tracking, utilization monitoring, upgrades, and archival of legacy systems.

Vendor & Cross Functional Collaboration

• Interface with server, storage, and hardware vendors to ensure proper integration and operational readiness of new equipment.

• Coordinate vendor support engagements for troubleshooting, maintenance, and technical escalations.

• Partner with engineering teams to develop hardware configuration test plans that support software development and validation efforts.

Technical Support & Customer Service

• Provide high level technical support and subject matter expertise to engineering users within the lab.

• Troubleshoot hardware and configuration issues, escalating when appropriate and adhering to established administrative policies and procedures.

Process Adherence & Continuous Improvement

• Follow standard operating procedures, escalation paths, and lab compliance requirements.

• Demonstrate adaptability in a fast paced engineering environment with frequently shifting priorities.

• Propose improvements to lab processes, equipment utilization, and operational efficiency.

Knowledge & Skills

Knowledge and Application

• Learns and applies professional concepts to real world problems.

• Uses foundational problem solving techniques to identify, troubleshoot, and resolve issues.

• Determines appropriate courses of action based on established guidelines and procedures.

Problem Solving

• Works on problems of moderate complexity with well defined parameters.

• Follows standard practices and procedures for analysis and decision making.

• Work is reviewed periodically for accuracy, compliance, and alignment with established guidelines.

• Receives general instructions on day to day tasks and detailed guidance on new or complex assignments.

Qualifications

• Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or related field; or equivalent experience.

• 3 years of experience in lab operations, server/storage hardware support, or similar engineering environments.

• Familiarity with server architectures, storage systems, cabling standards, and datacenter class hardware.

• Experience using diagnostic and test equipment for hardware characterization.

• Strong organizational, communication, and documentation skills.

• Ability to work effectively in a fast paced, constantly evolving engineering environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience defining and implementing network security policies

• Experience supporting R&D or software development laboratories.

• Hands on experience with enterprise server/storage vendors (e.g., Dell, HPE, Lenovo, NetApp, etc)