--- title: 'Senior Clinical Laboratory Associate / Equipment Engineer (Contract) at DELFI Diagnostics, Inc.' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-clinical-laboratory-associate-equipment-engineer-contract-delfi-59t1g1rbhy4a' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-12' --- # Senior Clinical Laboratory Associate / Equipment Engineer (Contract) at DELFI Diagnostics, Inc. - **Company:** DELFI Diagnostics, Inc. - **Location:** Palo Alto, CA - **Compensation:** $42–$55/hr - **Employment:** contract - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-08-17 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/delfidiagnostics/15d8b6fa-8c6d-4bcf-ab03-a85453659980 ## 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 In this role, you will be a member of the Laboratory Operations team with primary responsibility for equipment lifecycle management and operational support for laboratory equipment, automation hardware, and associated software used in the Clinical Laboratory. You will support equipment qualification, maintenance, calibration, service, troubleshooting, and ongoing equipment performance to ensure laboratory systems remain reliable and ready for use. In addition to equipment responsibilities, you will support the pre-analytical and analytical phase of testing, including specimen receipt, accessioning, as well as general laboratory operations. You will work closely with Clinical Laboratory Scientists, automation, assay development, and technology transfer teams to build and maintain scalable laboratory infrastructure. As part of a cross-functional team, you will help launch and sustain clinical products designed to improve how cancer is detected and managed. ## What You'll Do - Maintain the laboratory equipment management program, including associated standard operating procedures (SOPs), processes, and documentation. - Maintain equipment inventory within the Sapio management system to ensure equipment operation, maintenance, calibration, qualification, and service records are accurate and current. - Qualify, maintain, and troubleshoot laboratory processing equipment, including but not limited to centrifuges, liquid handlers, sequencers, and associated computer hardware such as barcode scanners and printers. - Coordinate equipment installation, qualification, preventive maintenance, calibration, repairs, relocation, and decommissioning activities with Laboratory Operations, supporting departments, and equipment suppliers to minimize operational downtime. - Serve as a primary point of contact for equipment suppliers and service providers and oversee equipment service contracts and associated records. - Execute equipment qualification protocols and prepare qualification reports, calibration records, and other formal equipment documentation in support of laboratory operations and regulatory inspections. - Support the automation team needs by partnering with appropriate technical teams to investigate and resolve complex equipment-related issues. - Analyze and report equipment performance metrics and drive continuous improvement initiatives to improve equipment reliability, performance, and availability. - Support equipment and resource planning for laboratory scale-up and future capacity requirements. - Partner with supporting departments on technology transfer, implementation of new equipment and workflows, and laboratory process improvements. - Train laboratory personnel on the proper use, maintenance, and operation of new and existing laboratory equipment. - Support laboratory inventory management activities as needed, including inventory monitoring, stocking, organization, and coordination of laboratory supplies, consumables, and reagents. - Assist Clinical Laboratory Scientists with permitted pre-analytical and analytical-phase activities in accordance with approved laboratory procedures and applicable regulatory requirements. - Provide hands-on laboratory support as a Clinical Laboratory Associate, including equipment setup, reagent and consumable preparation, laboratory organization, and cleaning of labware, equipment, and work areas. - Revise laboratory operational SOPs, work instructions, and other controlled documentation as needed. - Lead and support the training of new and existing laboratory personnel on applicable procedures, including providing hands-on instruction, guidance, and feedback and ensuring required training documentation is completed. - Partner with Laboratory Operations leadership to support day-to-day laboratory coordination, including task delegation to other CLAs, team meetings and huddles, scheduling, and prioritization of laboratory activities. ## What You'll Bring Required - Associate degree or equivalent in Biological Sciences, Engineering, Laboratory Technology, or a related scientific or technical field. - At least 5 years of combined experience maintaining, servicing, and troubleshooting laboratory equipment in a regulated production or laboratory environment. - Experience supporting high-throughput production or laboratory operations. - Strong mechanical and technical aptitude with the ability to independently troubleshoot complex laboratory instrumentation and equipment issues. - Experience writing and maintaining controlled documentation, including SOPs, equipment qualification protocols, maintenance records, and other equipment lifecycle documentation. - Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple equipment projects, service activities, and competing operational priorities simultaneously. - Ability to communicate technical information effectively and collaborate with cross-functional teams, equipment suppliers, and service providers. - Desire to contribute to a diverse, collaborative, and mutually respectful working environment. ## Preferred - Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, Engineering, Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, Clinical Laboratory Science, or a related scientific or technical field. - 1+ years of Clinical Laboratory experience or equivalent high-complexity, high-volume laboratory experience. - Experience working in a regulated environment such as CLIA, CAP, NYS, FDA, ISO, and/or GxP. - Experience supporting next-generation sequencing (NGS) laboratory equipment and workflows. - Experience with liquid-handling automation, including Hamilton STAR or equivalent platforms. - Experience supporting laboratory equipment and infrastructure, including freezers, refrigerators, centrifuges, and environmental monitoring systems. - Experience with equipment qualification, calibration, preventive maintenance, service coordination, and equipment lifecycle management. - Experience in reagent manufacturing, preferably in a regulated environment such as cGMP. - Experience participating in laboratory inspections or regulatory audits. - Recent hands-on laboratory experience. 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. - [Manager Equipment Service Engineering](https://feeny.ai/job/manager-equipment-service-engineering-delfi-diagnostics-inc-palo-alto-ev10x2yvgs6c) — Palo Alto, CA - [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) - [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)