--- title: 'Manager Equipment Service Engineering at DELFI Diagnostics, Inc.' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/manager-equipment-service-engineering-delfi-diagnostics-inc-palo-alto-ev10x2yvgs6c' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-12' --- # Manager Equipment Service Engineering at DELFI Diagnostics, Inc. - **Company:** DELFI Diagnostics, Inc. - **Location:** Palo Alto, CA - **Compensation:** $135k–$165k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-09-10 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/delfidiagnostics/38db3433-4cc7-4177-9a6a-f163060e6e01 ## Job description DELFI Diagnostics, Inc. (DELFI Diagnostics) is developing next-generation, blood-based tests that are reliable, accessible and deliver a new way to help detect cancer. Employing advanced machine-learning methods to whole-genome sequencing data, the DELFI ("DNA EvaLuation of Fragments for early Interception") platform is built to address the highest-burden health challenges. DELFI Diagnostics prioritizes solutions that have the potential to save lives on a global scale, including for historically underserved populations. DELFI Diagnostics’ platform relies on fragmentomics – the discovery that cancer cells are more chaotic than normal cells and, when they die, leave behind tell-tale patterns and characteristics of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragments. FirstLook Lung, for individuals eligible for lung cancer screening, is DELFI Diagnostics’ first laboratory-developed screening test and can be part of routine blood work. FirstLook Lung uses millions of data points to reliably identify individuals who may have cancer detected through low-dose CT, including early stage disease with a negative predictive value of 99.8 percent. This test has not been cleared or approved by the FDA. In our passionate pursuit to radically improve health outcomes, we serve humanity when we: Lead with Science, Anchor in Pragmatism: We pioneer life-changing science by ensuring quality, transparency, and rigor at all times. We explore thoughtfully, experiment smartly, and deliver impact with conviction. Build With & For All: We embrace diverse backgrounds to innovate and achieve together. We are not just building a product - we aim to disrupt the path of cancer for all - no matter geography or socioeconomic class Put We over I: We are a home for high-performing people. Through teamwork, we build collective intelligence. Each of us wins when those we serve and those who serve with us--win. We show up with empathy, humility, and integrity at every step of the journey. ## About this Role You will be a member of the Laboratory Operations team leading the equipment lifecycle management, service and engineering function for a variety of equipment, automation hardware, and software applications to support production in a Clinical Laboratory setting. You will provide technical and program leadership, ensuring the laboratory equipment is reliable, compliant, and appropriately supported throughout its lifecycle.  You will partner cross-functionally with Laboratory Operations, Quality, Regulatory, Assay Development, and external suppliers to support the launch and sustainment of IVD and LDT assays that have the potential to improve how cancer is detected and managed. Through your leadership, you will establish equipment management practices, infrastructure, and technical capabilities that will support DELFI for years to come. ## What You'll Do - Develop, implement, and maintain equipment management policies, SOPs, and processes in accordance with applicable IVD and LDT regulatory and quality requirements. - Own the electronic equipment inventory management system and ensure equipment operation, qualification, calibration, maintenance, repair, and service records are complete, accurate, and maintained in accordance with applicable procedures and quality requirements. - Manage equipment suppliers and service providers, including service contracts, performance expectations, maintenance schedules, and escalation of service issues. Manage equipment-related operating and capital expenditures and contribute to annual budget and capital planning. - Establish equipment support strategies and resource plans to meet current operational needs and future laboratory capacity and scale-up requirements. - Partner with Quality, Regulatory, Assay Development, Automation, IT, and other supporting functions to ensure equipment and automation systems are appropriately implemented and maintained, including qualification, preventive maintenance, calibration, repair, relocation, and decommissioning. Support technology transfer, assay validation, process changes, and implementation of new laboratory equipment and workflows. - Provide technical leadership for troubleshooting complex equipment and automation issues, including investigation of recurring failures and implementation of corrective and preventive actions. - Establish and monitor equipment performance, reliability, downtime, service response, and other key metrics; identify trends and lead continuous improvement initiatives. - Provide input and expertise on equipment selection, installation, qualification, and operational readiness activities for new laboratory equipment and automation systems. - Maintain equipment training programs and ensure laboratory personnel are appropriately trained on the operation and basic troubleshooting of laboratory equipment. - Ensure appropriate equipment qualification, process validation, and change-control documentation is developed and executed, including IQ/OQ/PQ protocols, calibration records, process validation reports, qualification reports, and supporting documentation within our QMS. - Support regulatory inspections and audits by ensuring equipment systems and records remain compliant and inspection-ready. - Support the screening, hiring, onboarding, and development of Clinical Laboratory Assistants (CLAs) with an equipment-focused role to provide day-to-day equipment support and strengthen internal equipment service capabilities. ## What You'll Bring Required - B.S. Degree in Life Sciences, Engineering or related field - At least 8-10 years of combined experience in maintaining and servicing laboratory equipment in a regulated production setting - Experience leading equipment service, laboratory engineering, facilities/equipment, or similar technical programs; direct people-management experience strongly preferred. - Demonstrated experience supporting high-throughput laboratory operations and complex automated laboratory systems. - Strong knowledge of laboratory equipment lifecycle management, including installation, qualification, process validation, preventive maintenance, calibration, repair, change control, relocation, and decommissioning. - Experience managing equipment vendors, service contracts, and external service providers. - Proven ability to work cross-functionally with Laboratory Operations, Quality, Automation/Engineering, Assay Development, IT, and external suppliers. - Strong understanding of the laboratory automation industry and technologies used in high-throughput laboratory operations. - Experience working in a regulated environments: CLIA, CAP, NYS, FDA, ISO and/or GxP ## Preferred - Experience supporting NGS laboratory workflows, including automated liquid handlers, sequencers, centrifuges, thermal cyclers, and associated laboratory instrumentation. - Experience in reagent manufacturing, ideally in a regulated environment (cGMP) - Experience supporting regulatory inspections and audits. - Experience building or scaling an equipment service/engineering function in a growing laboratory organization. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. ## About DELFI Diagnostics, Inc. ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: DELFI Diagnostics is a precision oncology company that uses AI and whole-genome sequencing to analyze DNA fragmentation patterns in blood for early cancer detection. - **Entity Type**: Private (Late-Stage) - **Headquarters**: Palo Alto, California, USA - **Founded**: 2019 - **Founders**: Victor Velculescu, MD, PhD (and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University) ## Core Business - Primary industry: Precision Oncology / Liquid Biopsy / Healthcare Diagnostics - Target customers: B2B (Health systems, primary care providers, pulmonologists, lung screening programs) and B2B for research (Pharmaceutical companies) - Mission: "Make cancer less deadly through widely accessible early detection" ## Products & Services - **[FirstLook™ Lung](https://delfidiagnostics.com/)**: A blood-based, AI-powered laboratory-developed test (LDT) for lung cancer screening. Designed for adults eligible under USPSTF guidelines, it uses whole-genome sequencing and machine learning to analyze cell-free DNA fragmentation patterns. It boasts a 99.8% Negative Predictive Value and is intended to be a noninvasive first step before low-dose CT (LDCT) scans. Became commercially available in October 2023. - **[DELFI-TF Treatment Monitoring](https://delfidiagnostics.com/)**: A research service for pharmaceutical companies conducting Phase 1-2 clinical trials. It provides non-invasive, real-time treatment response assessment using cell-free DNA fragmentomes, offering short turnaround times and a low-cost solution. ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total Funding of **over $325 million** - **Notable Investors/Partners**: DFJ Growth, Eli Lilly and Company, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund (equity investment announced June 2024), OrbiMed, Point72, T. Rowe Price. - **Growth Signals**: - The FirstLook Lung test is commercially available, marking a major milestone from R&D to clinical deployment. - Completed three major clinical trials (L101 validation study, CASCADE-LUNG/L201 prospective cohort study, L301/FIRSTLUNG randomized controlled trial). - Has a strong intellectual property foundation, with its core technology first published in *Nature* in 2019. - Strategic equity investment from Merck (2024) signals pharma validation and potential for partnership. ## Competitive Advantages - **Proprietary Fragmentomics Platform**: Their AI-driven computational platform analyzes genome-wide patterns of cell-free DNA fragmentation, capturing signals that conventional mutation-based liquid biopsies often miss. This provides a broader, more sensitive view of cancer biology. - **Strong Clinical Validation**: The technology is backed by peer-reviewed publications in top journals (*Nature*, *Cancer Discovery*) and multiple registered clinical trials (NCT04825834, NCT05306288, NCT06145750). - **High Clinical Utility**: The test's 99.8% Negative Predictive Value provides high confidence to rule out lung cancer, which is a powerful tool for clinicians managing screening decisions. - **Focus on Accessibility**: Designed for large-scale health system deployment with EHR integration, provider support, and a low-cost structure to make screening widely available. ## Strategic Focus - **Market Expansion**: Driving commercial adoption of FirstLook Lung within health systems, primary care, and lung screening programs across the US. - **Clinical Evidence Generation**: Continuing to generate robust clinical data through trials like CASCADE-LUNG to further validate the technology's performance and clinical utility. - **Pharma Partnerships**: Expanding the DELFI-TF treatment monitoring service to partner with more pharmaceutical companies for drug development. - **Product Pipeline**: Likely developing additional screening tests for other cancer types using the same fragmentomics platform. ## Why Work Here - **High-Impact Mission**: The company is singularly focused on "making cancer less deadly," offering employees a direct role in a potentially transformative technology. - **Culture & Values**: DELFI emphasizes three core values guiding all interactions and decisions. They actively seek to build a diverse, inclusive, and healthy workplace so employees can do their best work. - **Hybrid/Remote Flexibility**: DELFI supports hybrid and remote work options for most positions, with labs and offices in Palo Alto, CA, and Baltimore, MD. Employees receive a one-time $400 home office subsidy. - **Comprehensive Compensation**: Offers a competitive base salary, target bonus plan, and an equity program so everyone has a stake and feels ownership. - **Generous Benefits**: - Non-accrual time off (flexible PTO) and a 5-day winter break. - DELFI pays 100% of the medical premium for employee and family. - 16 weeks of paid parental leave. - 401(k) and annual merit cycle. - **Learning & Growth**: Wide-ranging learning and development programs to help employees continue to develop their skills. - **Team & Leadership**: A dynamic, passionate group of executive leaders, clinical and data scientists, engineers, and commercial team members, led by experienced experts from relevant fields. ## Sources 1. [delfidiagnostics.com](https://delfidiagnostics.com/) 2. [delfidiagnostics.com/about-us/](https://delfidiagnostics.com/about-us/) 3. [delfidiagnostics.com/about-us/careers/](https://delfidiagnostics.com/about-us/careers/) 4. [jobs.lever.co/delfidiagnostics](https://jobs.lever.co/delfidiagnostics) 5. [delfidiagnostics.com/about-us/leadership-team/](https://delfidiagnostics.com/about-us/leadership-team/) ## Other roles at DELFI Diagnostics, Inc. - [Accounting Operations Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/accounting-operations-manager-delfi-diagnostics-inc-palo-alto-2q3fjaratz5w) — Palo Alto, CA - [Sr. Data Scientist, Assay Development](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-data-scientist-assay-development-delfi-diagnostics-inc-palo-alto-e021867zf5tq) — Palo Alto, CA - [Director / Senior Director, Market Access & Reimbursement](https://feeny.ai/job/director-senior-director-market-access-reimbursement-delfi-diagnostics-inc-n4z44ygzc0e5) - [Senior Clinical Laboratory Associate / Equipment Engineer (Contract)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-clinical-laboratory-associate-equipment-engineer-contract-delfi-59t1g1rbhy4a) — Palo Alto, CA - [IVD Documentation Scientist, Manufacturing and Medical Device (Contract)](https://feeny.ai/job/ivd-documentation-scientist-manufacturing-and-medical-device-contract-delfi-zzcfhgh4mdm8) — Palo Alto, CA - [Automation Engineer I/II (Contract)](https://feeny.ai/job/automation-engineer-i-ii-contract-delfi-diagnostics-inc-palo-alto-zfxef259gcph) — Palo Alto, CA - [Senior Director, Clinical Development](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-director-clinical-development-delfi-diagnostics-inc-palo-alto-06vxbzpnzjqq) — Palo Alto, CA - [Senior Staff, Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-software-engineer-delfi-diagnostics-inc-remote-bjpcbxmnjyd2)