Forward Deployed Engineer

2 days ago

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Knak Digital Full time $120,000 - $250,000 per year

As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you'll work directly with biotech and diagnostics customers to implement high-impact automation and integration solutions while also shaping the core product. You'll embed with end users, map their scientific workflows, and build the "glue" — Python scripts, APIs, webhooks, and AI agents — that automate their labs and streamline operations.

Everything you build for a customer becomes part of the reusable platform, compounding your impact across the product.

This role is hands-on and outcome-driven: you'll gather requirements, design and configure workflows, ship integrations, train users, and iterate quickly alongside the founding team.

What You'll Do

  • Partner with scientists, lab managers, and IT teams to understand workflows and pain points.

  • Build automation apps and extensions: Python scripts, REST endpoints, webhooks, and integrations.

  • Configure high-throughput and parallelized workflows that orchestrate lab instruments and robots.

  • Stand up integrations with LIMS, ELNs, and other lab or enterprise systems via REST/SOAP and cloud services.

  • Design and optimize data pipelines to turn complex lab data into clean, reliable datasets.

  • Ensure scalability, security, and compliance with GLP/GxP, CLIA, and 21 CFR Part 11 where applicable.

  • Translate bespoke customer needs into productized, repeatable features.

Early Outcomes (First 3–6 Months)

  • Deliver successful customer go-lives and automation launches.

  • Build production-grade Python scripts for key lab workflows.

  • Develop AI agents and integrations tailored to customer needs.

  • Connect lab instruments, LIMS/ELNs, and downstream systems through APIs and webhooks.

  • Achieve measurable improvements in workflow speed and error reduction.

Your Profile

  • 5+ years implementing or supporting LIMS or lab software in biotech, pharma, or diagnostics.

  • Strong Python and API integration skills (FastAPI, Flask) and comfort with REST, webhooks, JSON, OAuth/JWT.

  • Hands-on experience configuring LIMS workflows, ETL pipelines, and SQL/NoSQL data models.

  • Familiarity with AI/LLM agent frameworks or ML-based automation.

  • Understanding of lab instrumentation and robotics (liquid handlers, plate readers, automation schedulers).

  • Exposure to event systems and queues (e.g., RabbitMQ, Kafka) and workflow orchestration.

  • Knowledge of regulatory compliance standards (GxP, CLIA, 21 CFR Part 11).

  • Frontend familiarity (React/TypeScript) a plus for building lightweight interfaces.

  • Customer-facing delivery experience from requirements to training and launch.

  • A pragmatic, results-oriented mindset — you ship, measure, and improve fast.

Tech Environment

Python, FastAPI, Postgres, RabbitMQ, AWS services, LangChain/LangGraph, Jupyter, REST APIs, React, MongoDB, and related modern tools.

Why You'll Love It Here

  • Small, high-impact engineering team with strong founder access.

  • Build real AI-driven automation that ships to production labs.

  • Remote-first, high-trust culture with autonomy and ownership.

  • Meaningful equity and direct product influence.

Interview Process

  1. Intro chat (role overview + mutual fit)

  2. Technical deep dive (systems design + Python/API integration exercise + customer scenario)

  3. References and offer

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