Capable - Founding Hardware Engineer (Synthesis)

About the Role

You’ll work closely with the founders and a small team from MIT, Harvard Medical School, Baker Lab, and Radical Numerics.

For the right person, this will likely be one of the steepest learning curves of their career.

This is a place where your role can change every few months. If you show strong judgment, you will get more scope quickly: a new workflow, a new modality, a new program, a new part task to own. We’ll give you context, trust, and the resources to move fast.

What You’ll Do

• Design and develop automated peptide synthesis systems for high-throughput, reliable solid-phase peptide synthesis, encompassing reagent delivery, resin handling, deprotection, coupling, washing, cleavage interface, and process monitoring.

• Engineer comprehensive fluidic architectures, including pumps, valves, manifolds, tubing, reactors, frits, seals, pressure control, solvent compatibility, dead volume management, cross-contamination prevention, priming, draining, and waste handling.

• Develop advanced reaction modules for SPPS, such as resin cartridges, packed-bed reactors, agitation/mixing solutions, temperature management, microwave or thermal integration, inline sensing, and reproducible reagent contact.

• Create robust control systems to manage timed reagent addition, flow rate, pressure, temperature, mixing, cycle logic, fault detection, and implement automated recovery procedures for clogs, leaks, pressure excursions, or failed deliveries.

• Prototype, test, and troubleshoot electromechanical systems including pumps, solenoids, stepper motors, sensors, heaters, pressure transducers, balances, liquid-level sensors, optical sensors, and embedded controllers.

• Assess and validate hardware performance against key chemical outputs such as crude purity, deletion sequences, incomplete coupling, side products, yield, reproducibility, cycle time, resin swelling, and cleavage efficiency.

• Collaborate closely with chemists to translate synthesis failure modes into hardware improvements, addressing challenges such as poor mixing, insufficient reagent excess, channeling, dead volume, moisture ingress, valve carryover, slow draining, temperature gradients, or instrument downtime.

• Develop test protocols and quality acceptance criteria for each subsystem, including dispense accuracy, carryover, leak rate, pressure stability, thermal uniformity, solvent compatibility, and run-to-run reproducibility.

• Integrate the synthesizer with analytical workflows such as HPLC, LC-MS, preparative HPLC, balance measurements, barcode/sample tracking, and batch-level quality control.

• Drive efforts towards creating an instrument that enables faster, more reproducible peptide synthesis with minimal manual intervention compared to standard industry workflows.

Who You Are

• You will be instrumental in establishing the hardware engineering function at Capable. This is a critical role focused on pioneering the development of a novel peptide synthesis instrument.

• You possess the expertise and confidence to take ownership of complex physical systems and are committed to delivering dependable, high-quality performance.

• You demonstrate strong initiative and problem-solving skills. When instrumentation issues occur, such as abnormal pressure traces, leaks, or suboptimal synthesis outcomes, you systematically diagnose root causes and enact effective improvements.

• You may have a background in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, bioengineering, analytical chemistry, automation, robotics, or possess equivalent hands-on experience. Candidates from nontraditional backgrounds who have demonstrated excellence in building scientific instruments are also encouraged to apply.

• You have substantive, practical experience in designing, building, or maintaining laboratory instrumentation, automation systems, microfluidic/fluidic devices, or electromechanical hardware for chemical or biological research applications.

Pay & Benefits

• $130,000-$190,000 + at least $50,000-200,000 worth of equity options

• Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience.

• Equity options give you the right to purchase shares in Capable at a fixed strike price, so if the company grows in value, your options can become more valuable over time.

• We sponsor visas, if necessary.

• Your wellness budget: $500+ per month to spend on training, supplements, personal trainers, and everything you need to become your best self.

• Healthcare. We offer a range of comprehensive medical options, so you can choose the plan that best fits your needs.

Application Process

• Initial application

• First phone screen

• Second phone screen, approximately 30 minutes

• In-person work trial in San Francisco

Apply Today

Applying takes 5 minutes and we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. We're evaluating candidates on a rolling basis and want to make an offer quickly.