Production Automation Lead

About the Company

Dash accelerates drug development by fusing advanced automation-native lab workflows and integrated software into a unified platform. We provide the biopharma industry with high-velocity, high-quality, data-driven development solutions to get life-saving therapies to patients faster. We are building the infrastructure for modern drug development, moving beyond manual, fragmented processes with a technology-first, GLP-compliant approach. Our platform industrializes scientific workflows that act as bottlenecks, delivering next-generation preclinical and clinical bioanalysis with unprecedented speed and precision.

We are a team of builders at the intersection of biology, hardware, and code—an environment for scientists and engineers ready to solve hard problems at scale. We don’t just run assays; we architect the systems that will define the future of drug development. We stretch employees to do the best work of their careers and seek those who want to make an impact on the world through innovative applications of their skills.

About the Role

We are seeking a well-versed and detail-oriented Production Automation Lead to provide automation expertise and oversee the day-to-day production side of our automated liquid handling platforms. In this role, you will bridge the gap between complex laboratory workflows and robust engineering, championing process improvements to transition our lab into a highly industrialized, scaled production environment. You will address hardware/software troubleshooting in real-time to support lab technicians and scientists operating on the Dash platform.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and improve the high execution quality of daily production workflows, ensuring client samples are processed efficiently and meet Dash’s exceptional liquid handling quality standards.
• Assist lab technicians in real-time to diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve hardware and software bottlenecks as they arise on our automated systems.
• Proactively identify performance bottlenecks or workflow limitations on the floor. Suggest and implement data-driven process improvements to achieve a more industrialized, high-throughput, and reliable production lab.
• Partner with and mentor junior team members, ensuring thorough training on standard operating procedures and the platform’s built-in safety features (such as barcode mask verification against expected tip types).
• Act as a central floor liaison collaborating with scientists, software engineers, and hardware teams to ensure instrument capabilities continuously align with production throughput demands.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Bioengineering, Biotechnology, Biology, or a related field with 5+ years of hands-on industry experience.
• Proven experience managing, configuring, or troubleshooting lab automation in a fast-paced production or clinical setting.

Skills

• Automation Platform Expertise: Deep, hands-on technical proficiency with common liquid handling platforms, specifically Hamilton STAR/Vantage instrumentation, alongside Agilent/BioTek devices (e.g., EL406 washer, Synergy NEO) and Thermo Fisher peripherals (e.g., KingfisherFlex).
• Biological Workflow Fluency: Strong familiarity with common laboratory applications and assay preparation, including Ligand binding assays (ELISA/MSD), genomics (NGS/qPCR/ddPCR), and LCMS.
• Technical Aptitude: An intuitive understanding of hardware-software integration, logic-based automation tasks, and physical error recovery protocols on live instruments.
• Process Mindset: Exceptionally detailed and process-oriented. You thrive on structure, data integrity, and optimizing systems for maximum uptime.

Benefits

• Opportunity to work at the forefront of bioanalytical innovation.
• Collaborative and inclusive company culture.
• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.
• Direct access to industry veterans and a supportive environment for professional growth.