Life Science Engineer (Level 2)

Location: Assigned client site. On site full time.

Reports to: Life Science Engineer, Supervisor where the assigned site has one. Site Operations Manager where it does not. At small sites that run neither, the site OSS Lead, with technical escalation to the Regional Director of Operations, and the Technical Center of Excellence

Summary:

The Life Science Engineer II performs hands-on service on laboratory instrumentation at an assigned client site. Calibration, scheduled maintenance, demand maintenance, diagnostics and repair are performed by this role rather than routed to a vendor.

This is the mid rung of the Life Science Engineer ladder, defined by independence and platform depth. The role works without daily technical supervision, diagnoses beyond the manufacturer service manual, and holds qualification across more than one instrument family. It is the rung at which an engineer can be placed alone at a site.

The role also reviews work performed by OEM and third-party service providers. Where a vendor performs a significant share of the service, this role verifies the diagnosis, checks that the quoted repair matches the reported fault, and confirms the work was completed to specification before it is approved for payment. It also builds the technical and usage case for whether Renovo can self-perform platforms that are currently vendor-serviced, including tooling, training and documentation requirements.

At small sites with no supervisory seats, the role reports to the site OSS Lead for work allocation, priority and site coordination. Diagnosis, the return-to-service decision and platform qualification remain technical decisions and escalate technically to the Regional Director of Operations and the Technical Center of Excellence. A disagreement on whether an instrument is fit to release is settled technically, not by reporting line.

What you will do:

Service delivery:

• Perform calibration, scheduled maintenance (SM), demand maintenance (DM), diagnostics and repair across the assigned site asset base.
• Diagnose faults independently, including faults not covered by the manufacturer service manual.
• Verify instrument performance against manufacturer specification before returning it to service, and make the return-to-service decision within qualification.
• Support instrument installation, relocation, qualification and decommissioning.
• Cover satellite locations assigned to the site, including remote technical support where an in-person visit is not needed.
• Respond to laboratory requests for support on instruments within scope.

Technical review of vendor and OEM work:

• Review vendor and OEM diagnoses, and raise a diagnosis that does not match the observed fault.
• Review quoted repairs and flag scope or cost that is disproportionate to the fault before the quote is approved.
• Verify that vendor work was completed to specification, beyond confirming that the engineer attended and the report was signed.
• Witness vendor work on critical instrumentation and on platforms Renovo is qualifying for self-perform.
• Provide the technical basis for the Lab Liaison or OSS Lead to approve or reject a vendor invoice.

Self-perform expansion:

• Identify assets and platforms where Renovo self-perform service is technically viable, and build the case with usage, failure and cost evidence.
• Specify the tooling, test equipment, parts and training needed to take on a platform currently serviced by a vendor.
• Complete and document the qualification path on newly in-scope platforms.
• Track first-time-fix and repeat-fault patterns and act on what they show.
• Advise on repair versus replace, end of life and capital replacement candidates.

Working independently at site:

• Operate without daily technical supervision, and judge correctly when a fault needs escalation to the Life Science Engineer, Supervisor or Lead, or the Technical Center of Excellence.
• Plan and sequence own work against the site scheduled maintenance plan and the demand maintenance queue.
• Coordinate directly with laboratory staff on access, timing and instrument availability.
• Where the site has no resident technical peer, keep a working relationship with a named engineer at a paired hub site for second-opinion diagnostics and coverage during absence.
• Where reporting to an OSS Lead, hold the technical position on diagnosis, release and qualification, and escalate technical questions through the technical path.
• Contribute to procedure and work instruction improvements based on field experience.

Working in the laboratory:

• Keep a professional, visible presence in assigned laboratories and communicate directly with laboratory staff.
• Tell laboratory staff what is wrong, what is being done and when the instrument will be available, without waiting to be asked.
• Distinguish operator, method, consumable, sample and environmental issues from a genuine instrument fault, and explain the difference clearly.
• Coordinate access and timing with laboratory staff so maintenance does not collide with critical scientific work.

Data and record accountability:

• Own the accuracy of the technical record for work performed, including fault found, action taken, parts used and labor time.
• Update asset location, status and configuration in the system of record after any work that changes them.
• Close work orders with complete and accurate data so reporting, invoicing and contractual KPIs hold up.
• Raise record discrepancies found in the field rather than working around them.
• Where the site operates a system of record separate from the account platform, keep the technical record accurate in both and flag reconciliation gaps.

Quality, compliance and safety:

• Complete all documentation to GxP and client quality system requirements.
• Support audits, quality reviews and regulatory inspections with technical evidence.
• Maintain calibration status and traceability of assigned test equipment.
• Follow laboratory safety requirements including biological, chemical, electrical and cryogenic hazards.
• Exercise stop-work authority when a task cannot be performed safely, and escalate rather than proceed.

Escort and vendor hosting (a standing expectation of every site-based role):

• Escort and host OEM and third-party personnel in client laboratories and equipment areas on request, whichever party holds the service scope.
• Confirm third-party personnel are inducted, badged, trained and meet client site access and safety requirements before they enter a laboratory.
• Stay with third-party personnel while they work where the area, the hazard or the client requires continuous accompaniment.
• Confirm the work matches what was authorized, the area is left clean and safe, and the service record is complete before the third party leaves. Route the record for invoice verification.
• Escalate right away if a third party arrives unannounced, without correct documentation, or begins work outside the authorized scope.

Qualifications:

• 4+ years of hands-on service experience on laboratory or analytical instrumentation, or equivalent biomedical equipment service experience.
• Demonstrated independent qualification on more than one instrument family, which may include chromatography, mass spectrometry, spectroscopy, plate-based detection, centrifugation, incubation or laboratory automation.
• Demonstrated ability to diagnose faults beyond the manufacturer service manual.
• Demonstrated ability to review a vendor diagnosis or quote on technical grounds.
• Experience working without daily technical supervision, including sole-engineer or lone-working assignments.
• Experience working inside a client facility as an embedded service provider strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of GxP requirements, calibration traceability and data integrity expectations.
• Experience with a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS).
• Experience in a pharmaceutical, biotechnology or research environment strongly preferred.

Education/Special Training:

• Associate degree or technical diploma in electronics, instrumentation, engineering technology, biomedical equipment technology or a related field. Equivalent experience or military technical training considered.
• OEM platform training on relevant instrument families required or supported after hire.
• Training in laboratory safety, GxP and data integrity provided or required.
• Training on any site-specific system of record used at the assigned location provided after hire.
• Progression toward CBET or equivalent certification supported.

Required Competencies:

• Technical Depth - qualified across more than one platform and diagnoses beyond the manual.
• Independence - works without daily technical supervision and escalates at the right point.
• Technical Judgment - determines what is genuinely wrong before client money is spent on it.
• Commercial Awareness - recognizes a vendor quote that does not match the fault, and says so.
• Accountability - owns the instrument outcome, not just the work order.
• Documentation Discipline - writes a record that another engineer and an auditor can both use.
• Communication - keeps laboratory staff informed without being asked, and holds a technical conversation with a vendor engineer as a peer.
• Safety Awareness - holds the standard and stops work when it is not safe.
• Integrity - can admit mistakes, is direct and truthful, and acts in the best interest of clients, employees and Renovo.

Success Measures:

• Scheduled maintenance completion against plan
• Demand maintenance response and resolution time
• First-time-fix rate and repeat-fault rate
• Faults resolved on site without OEM engagement
• Vendor diagnoses and quotes reviewed, and value reduced or avoided
• Vendor work verified to specification before invoice approval
• Self-perform conversion candidates identified, qualified and delivered
• Platform qualifications completed against the training plan
• Technical record and work order data accuracy
• Uptime and availability of critical instrumentation
• Safety performance and audit outcomes

Safety Requirements:

• Abide by and follow Renovo safety policies, procedures, and injury and illness prevention expectations.
• Maintain a safe working environment for self and others when visiting customer sites, laboratories, offices, or operational environments.
• Follow applicable customer site safety requirements, OSHA guidelines, and laboratory or facility-specific procedures as required.
• Complete required safety training assignments on time.

Physical Requirements:

• Regular presence in active laboratory environments, including areas with biological, chemical, electrical and cryogenic hazards.
• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment for extended periods.
• Ability to kneel, bend, reach and work in confined equipment spaces.
• Occasional lifting up to 25 kilograms with appropriate assistance or equipment.
• Travel approximately 10 to 20 percent, covering assigned satellite locations, OEM training, the paired hub site and program meetings. Travel is higher for sole-engineer assignments, to keep the paired technical relationship and attend program activity in person.

Classification:

FLSA: Non-Exempt

Note: This position description does not list every activity, duty, and responsibility of the position and may be altered by RENOVO at any time.