About Clear Labs
Clear Labs (CL) harnesses the power of next-generation sequencing (NGS) to simplify complex diagnostics for clinical and applied markets. By creating a fully automated platform that brings together DNA sequencing, robotics, and cloud-based analytics, Clear Labs democratizes genomics applications to deliver better clarity. Clear Labs’ turnkey platform accelerates outcomes and improves accuracy from food-borne pathogens to infectious diseases.
Position Summary
We are a fast-moving, lean engineering team building complex instrument software that bridges physical lab hardware with the cloud. We are looking for a proactive DevOps Engineer to take ownership of our infrastructure.
You won't be starting from scratch, nor will you be left alone. You will be taking the reins from our outgoing Senior Architect (who will remain available in an advisory capacity) and will work closely with our core development team to modernize our CI/CD pipelines, secure our GCP environments, and prepare our infrastructure for SOC2 compliance.
If you are a hungry mid-level US engineer looking for the autonomy to own a hybrid edge-to-cloud stack, or an experienced nearshore engineer looking for a direct integration with a US-based hardware/software team, this is your launchpad.
Reports to: Senior Vice President of Engineering
Location: San Carlos, CA. Onsite presence is required 3 days per week, with additional days onsite possible as business needs require.
Primary Responsibilities
- Cloud Infrastructure: Manage, monitor, and scale our cloud environment using Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform) across GCP and GKE (Kubernetes).
- CI/CD & Developer Velocity: Maintain and optimize our Jenkins build and deployment pipelines to help our developers ship code faster and more reliably. Build and maintain Docker images and manage containerized applications.
- Security & Compliance: Lead the hardening of our clusters, manage secrets, and implement the technical controls necessary for our upcoming SOC2/ISO 27001 audits.
- Database & Messaging Operations: Ensure the stability, backup automation, and scaling of our MySQL databases, BigQuery datasets, and message brokers (RabbitMQ, Cloud PubSub).
- High-Availability Support: Act as the primary point of contact for infrastructure stability, ensuring continuous operational overlap during core PST working hours.
- Release Management: Handle deployment and version control of multiple systems and releases within our blue-green environment
Note that job duties and responsibilities may evolve based on company needs and technological advancements.
Travel: Travel to company headquarters may be requested occasionally, typically 2–4 times per year for remote employees.
Physical Requirements
Able to sit or stand at a computer for extended periods and use monitors and related hardware comfortably.
- Experience: 2–5 years of hands-on experience in DevOps, Cloud Operations, or highly technical Systems Engineering.
- Cloud Native: You have a solid working knowledge of Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and managing containerized applications in Kubernetes.
- Linux Proficient: You are deeply comfortable navigating, scripting (Bash/Python), and troubleshooting in Linux environments.
- PST Aligned: You are available and highly responsive during core Pacific Standard Time (PST) working hours.
- Growth Mindset: You may not know every tool perfectly on day one, but you are a rapid learner who is proactive about finding bottlenecks and proposing solutions rather than waiting for tickets.
Bonus Points If You Have:
- Experience working with IoT devices or hardware-to-cloud integrations.
- Previous exposure to SOC2 or ISO compliance audits.
- Experience collaborating with on-site IT and hardware teams.
- Google Cloud DevOps certification (https://cloud.google.com/learn/certification/cloud-devops-engineer/)
- Familiarity with automation or config management tools like ansible, salt or similar is a plus.
Personal Qualifications
- Problem Solving: Identifies and resolves infrastructure and security bottlenecks before they become critical issues.
- Communication: Explains complex cloud concepts clearly to developers, QA, and hardware IT teams.
- Comfort with Ambiguity: Confidently navigates and documents complex, existing systems in a fast-paced environment.
- Decision Making: Exercises strong judgment in balancing daily support tasks with long-term compliance goals.
- Project Management: Effectively manages time and prioritizes multiple moving parts across distinct operational projects.
- Interpersonal Skills: Maintains a highly collaborative, approachable, and responsive presence during core PST hours.
- Influence and Leadership: Guides engineering teams toward adopting better security and deployment workflows.
Disclaimer
The above job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Responsibilities and duties may change or be adjusted to meet the needs of the company, and additional duties may be assigned as necessary. The job description is subject to change at any time at the discretion of the Company.
- Annual Salary Range: $100,000–$120,000
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Employer-Sponsored Basic Life, Long Term Disability
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Flexible Time Off
- Early-Stage Stock Option Plan
- Lunch stipend for days at headquarters
