---
title: 'Senior Engineer III, ADME at Ginkgo Bioworks Inc.'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-engineer-iii-adme-ginkgo-bioworks-inc-boston-cvb3n73b18ff'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-05'
---

# Senior Engineer III, ADME at Ginkgo Bioworks Inc.

- **Company:** Ginkgo Bioworks Inc.
- **Location:** Boston, MA
- **Posted:** 2026-02-09
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-05
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/ginkgobioworks/jobs/5046746007

## Job description

Our mission is to make biology easier to engineer. Ginkgo is constructing, editing, and redesigning the living world in order to answer the globe’s growing challenges in health, energy, food, materials, and more. Our bioengineers make use of an in-house automated foundry for designing and building new organisms.

Senior Engineer III, ADME

Boston, Massachusetts

Our mission is to make biology easier to engineer. Ginkgo is constructing, editing, and redesigning the living world in order to answer the globe’s growing challenges in health, energy, food, materials, and more. Our bioengineers make use of an in-house automated foundry for designing and building new organisms.

Here at Ginkgo, we are aiming to modernize ADME by bringing our experience in high-throughput screening to the in vitro small molecule drug pipeline. We are re-imagining ADME at scale, and we are seeking a visionary and technically adept High-Throughput ADME Scientist to help us build and execute this next-generation platform. This role is critical in accelerating our drug discovery pipeline by providing timely and high-quality in vitro ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion) data to guide lead optimization.

The ideal candidate will possess deep technical expertise in developing, validating, and implementing a variety of high-throughput ADME assays.

## Key Responsibilities

Assay Development & Implementation

- Design, develop, optimize, and validate a wide array of high-throughput in vitro ADME assays (e.g., solubility, MDCK permeability, plasma protein binding, microsomal stability, hepatocyte stability, and CYP inhibition/induction).
- Automation and Screening: Experience working with automated liquid handlers such as Hamilton, Lynx, Bravo, and Formulatrix.

Data Analysis & Reporting

- Develop and perform mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS, acoustic ejection mass spectrometry, or similar) analysis of samples from ADME assays. Responsibilities will include method development and troubleshooting.
- Ensure proper sample preparation and management for high-throughput analysis.
- Analyze, interpret, and report complex ADME data, including calculating key pharmacokinetic parameters.
- Present results and provide expert recommendations to medicinal chemists and project teams to inform go/no-go decisions.

Quality & Compliance

- Maintain detailed and accurate laboratory records, SOPs, and electronic notebooks.
- Ensure all laboratory activities comply with internal quality standards and safety regulations.

Operational ownership & risk management

- Lead day‑to‑day operations of the ADME team
- Build and maintain “buttoned‑up” SOPs, runbooks, checklists, and QC dashboards for all established assays.

Cross‑functional partnership

- Collaborate with computational and data teams on metadata schemas, QC metrics, and analysis‑ready outputs.
- Work closely with program leads to scope work, set expectations, and communicate progress and risks.
- Contribute to portfolio and capacity planning, including scenarios for large campaigns.

Leadership, mentoring, and training

- Provide technical leadership and day‑to‑day guidance for scientists on ADME workflows.
- Contribute to the Datapoints skill matrix by defining training levels, shadowing plans, and up‑leveling team members on key assays
- Document methods, “tips & tricks”, and troubleshooting guides; lead trainings and onboarding sessions.

## Minimum Qualifications

- Education: Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacology, Analytical Chemistry, or a related field with 7+ years of relevant industry experience, or a Master's degree with 12+ years of industry experience.
- Technical Expertise:
- Extensive, hands-on experience with LC-MS or acoustic MS particularly in a high-throughput setting.
- Proven track record in developing and running automated in vitro ADME assays using state-of-the-art laboratory automation.
- Strong theoretical and practical knowledge of drug metabolism pathways and DMPK.
- Familiarity with common ADME prediction software and data visualization tools.

## Preferred Skills

-

- Experience using lab automation.
- Programmatic coding experience (e.g., Python, R, or similar).
- Data visualization (Spotfire, Python, R, or similar).

The base salary range for this role is $185,000k - $278,800k Actual pay within this range will depend on a candidate's skills, expertise, and experience. We also offer company stock awards, a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental & vision coverage, health spending accounts, voluntary benefits, leave of absence policies, 401(k) program with employer contribution, 8 paid holidays in addition to a full-week winter shutdown and unlimited Paid Time Off policy.

Ginkgo has implemented a return to office policy effective October 1, 2025 with required in-office days 3x per week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.  Some teams may require to be onsite 4-5 days per week and this will be discussed as part of the interview process.  This policy applies to all employees who live within 50 miles of Ginkgo’s offices in Boston, MA, Emeryville, CA and West Sacramento, CA.

It is the policy of Ginkgo Bioworks to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees, employment applicants, and EOE disability/vet.

Privacy Notice

I understand that I am applying for employment with Ginkgo Bioworks and am being asked to provide information in connection with my application. I further understand that Ginkgo gathers this information through a third-party service provider and that Ginkgo may also use other service providers to assist in the application process.  Ginkgo may share my information with such third-party service providers in connection with my application and for the start of employment.  Ginkgo will treat my information in accordance with Ginkgo's [Privacy Policy](https://www.ginkgobioworks.com/concentric-privacy-policy/).  By submitting this job application, I am acknowledging that I have reviewed and agree to Ginkgo's [Privacy Policy](https://www.ginkgobioworks.com/concentric-privacy-policy/) as well as the privacy policies of the third-party service providers used by Ginkgo's associated with the application process.

## About Ginkgo Bioworks Inc.

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Ginkgo Bioworks builds and operates autonomous labs that replace manual benchwork with robotics, enabling scientists to program biology for applications across biopharma, agriculture, and industrial biotechnology.
- **Entity Type**: Public (NYSE: DNA)
- **Headquarters**: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- **Founded**: 2009
- **Founders**: Jason Kelly, Reshma Shetty, Barry Canton, Austin Che, Tom Knight

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Biotechnology Research, Synthetic Biology, Autonomous Labs
- Target customers: Biopharma, agriculture, and industrial biotech companies (B2B, Enterprise)
- Mission: "Build the tools that make biology easier to engineer for everyone" — with a vision that "our children will program biology like we once programmed computers."

## Products & Services
- **[Autonomous Lab Platform]**: A robotics-driven laboratory system where scientists can order experimental work to be run by robots, replacing manual benchwork. Available as Ginkgo’s in-house lab or as a "cloud lab" service.
- **[Ginkgo Datapoints]**: A contract research service offering small molecule developability, high-throughput screening, and ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion) services.
- **[Ginkgo Solutions]**: Custom contract research and development services for customer-specific biotech projects.
- **[Catalyst Agent]**: A tool that lets scientists "run your experiments on Ginkgo's autonomous lab in Boston, virtually."
- **[Biosecurity Software]**: A software offering focused on biosecurity applications.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Publicly traded (NYSE: DNA); market cap fluctuates — as of mid-2025, the company had a market cap in the range of ~$1-2 billion (check current quote). IPO date: September 17, 2021.
- **Total Funding**: $3.31 billion (cumulative, including IPO and post-IPO equity)
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue — Not publicly available in search results; the company reports financials in SEC filings. Headcount: ~454 employees (-36% YoY, reflecting a significant restructuring).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Flagship Pioneering, Takeda, Sanofi, Novartis, Bayer, and others. Key acquisitions include FGen (2022), Circularis Biotechnologies (2022), Altar (2022), Bitome (2022), and AgBiome’s GENESIS Platform (2024).
- **Growth Signals**: Trusted by over 130 customers; operates in 10 countries; strong government partnerships (CEO Jason Kelly previously chaired the U.S. National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology); active job postings up 175% YoY (though from a low base).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Autonomous Lab Leadership**: Ginkgo is pioneering the shift from manual benchwork to fully automated, robot-run labs — a significant moat in productivity and scalability.
- **Founding Team**: Founders are pioneers in synthetic biology (e.g., Tom Knight is considered the "father of synthetic biology"; Jason Kelly chaired the U.S. National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology).
- **Platform Approach**: The "cell programming platform" allows biology to be engineered more like software, enabling applications across diverse markets (food, fragrance, pharmaceuticals).
- **Government & Biosecurity Ties**: Deep relationships with U.S. government agencies for biosecurity and national security applications.

## Strategic Focus
- **Autonomous Lab Expansion**: Scaling the autonomous lab platform and making it available as a "cloud lab" to external customers.
- **Commercialization**: Moving from R&D to commercial revenue through Datapoints and Solutions services.
- **Cost Optimization**: The 36% headcount reduction suggests a focus on operational efficiency and path to profitability.
- **Biosecurity**: Leveraging government partnerships for biosecurity software and services.

## Why Work Here
- **Cutting-Edge Mission**: Work at the intersection of biology, robotics, and software — "program biology like we once programmed computers."
- **Engineering Culture**: Heavy emphasis on software engineering for autonomous lab systems (robotics, scheduling, optimization, driver development) — roles for senior software engineers, automation engineers, and hardware engineers.
- **Locations**: Primary hub in Boston, Massachusetts (headquarters); second office in Emeryville, California. Some remote roles (e.g., Director, Government Partnership Development).
- **Culture**: Described as a place where scientists "focus on insight, creativity, and judgment rather than manual lab work." Internships available in software, automation, and commercial operations.
- **Perks**: Not explicitly detailed in search results, but typical for a public biotech: equity, health benefits, and the chance to work on world-changing problems.
- **Important Note**: The company has undergone a 36% headcount reduction in the past year — potential job seekers should be aware of restructuring and recent departures of senior leaders (e.g., Head of Commercial, Director of National Security partnerships).

## Sources
1. [ginkgo.bio](https://www.ginkgo.bio/)
2. [ginkgo.bio/about](https://ginkgo.bio/about)
3. [LinkedIn - Ginkgo Bioworks](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ginkgo-bioworks)
4. [Greenhouse - Ginkgo Bioworks Jobs](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/ginkgobioworks)

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