Founding Prototyping Engineer

Location: Redwood City, CA (On-site only)
Position Type: Full-Time (Permanent)
Work Policy: In-house only
Start Timeline: ASAP

Compensation

Base Salary: $120,000 - $150,000 (flexible based on seniority and skillset)

Equity: 1 - 1.5%

About
We develop, validate, and deploy battlefield-ready biotechnology. The company moves beyond theory, transforming breakthrough science into decisive capabilities that strengthen those who operate at the edge.

Role summary
As a Founding Prototyping Engineer, you’ll serve as both engineer and operator translating mission needs into working prototypes that integrate chemistry, biology, and nanotechnology. You’ll own validation from benchtop to battlefield, operate advanced instrumentation, collaborate with field testers and defense stakeholders, and communicate findings to drive real-world impact.

Why join

• Transformative Mission: Revolutionize military medicine by translating cutting-edge biotechnology from the lab to the battlefield.

• End-to-End Ownership: Lead projects from conception to deployment with full technical and operational ownership.

• Dynamic Work Environment: Blend lab and fieldwork, with up to 30% travel for live demos and feedback loops.

• Agile Team: Work in a small, collaborative, high-caliber team with quick decision-making and real impact.

• Cutting-Edge Tech: Work on projects from portable diagnostics to nanomaterial-based trauma care using advanced tools like AFM, SEM, FTIR, UV-Vis, and Raman spectroscopy.

Tech environment

• Advanced Instrumentation: AFM, SEM, FTIR, UV-Vis, Raman

• Focus Areas: Portable diagnostics, nanomaterial-based trauma care, battlefield biotech prototypes

Responsibilities

• Translate operational gaps into high-impact, technically feasible engineering initiatives

• Lead end-to-end prototyping and iteration of battlefield biotech (e.g., diagnostics, trauma care tech)

• Operate and interpret results from advanced instrumentation (AFM, SEM, FTIR, UV-Vis, Raman)

• Coordinate cross-functional teams to execute under tight timelines

• Communicate experimental outcomes through white papers, proposals, and visual briefs

• Travel up to 30% to run field demos, capture operator feedback, and iterate prototypes

Must-have qualifications

• 2+ years of experience as a builder/hacker (e.g., "MIT student hacking enzymes in their dorm")

• Demonstrated hands-on expertise in biology, nanotechnology, and chemistry through independent projects

• Advanced instrumentation experience (e.g., AFM, SEM, FTIR)

• B.S. in Chemistry or Biomedical Engineering, or equivalent demonstrable capability

• Lab-based experience preferred over computational-only backgrounds

• Strong communication skills (client-facing with government agencies)

• Hacker/builder mindset and a bias toward fast, hands-on execution

• Willingness to work long hours, in-person, with a high degree of ownership

Preferred qualifications

• Education from a top STEM institution (MIT, Stanford, Caltech, Harvard, etc.)

• Past projects in areas such as seizure detection systems, artificial gills, enzyme growth, or nanoparticle R&D

• Literature review capability and rapid experimental iteration

• Desire for autonomy and high-impact work

• Frustrated academic background or dissatisfaction with slow institutional pace