Senior Systems & Instrumentation Engineer Total Analysis Inc. Detroit, MI Job Details Full-time 8 hours ago Qualifications Rapid prototyping Instrumentation troubleshooting Systems integration Chemical Engineering Technical documentation Defect analysis Mechanical Engineering Data acquisition systems Equipment troubleshooting Biomedical Engineering Mechatronics engineering Troubleshooting electrical systems System testing Requirements analysis Prototype creation Systems engineering Root cause analysis Electrical Engineering Hardware diagnostics Prototypes Mechanical troubleshooting Failure analysis Full Job Description The challenge: Take a promising scientific prototype and make the complete instrument work reliably, repeatably, and consistently, every time. About Total Analysis Total Analysis is a Detroit-based technology company developing rapid, portable pathogen screening technologies designed to improve public health, food safety, biosecurity, and operational decision-making. We are entering a critical engineering stage: moving from laboratory proof-of-concept and integrated prototypes toward a reliable, field-ready instrument that can perform consistently outside a controlled research environment. The Role We are seeking a Senior Systems & Instrumentation Engineer to lead system integration, engineering maturation, and reliability of our next-generation scientific instrument. This role will work directly with the founder, scientists, software developers, electrical engineers, and external engineering partners to advance the platform from approximately TRL 4/5 toward TRL 6. What You Will Own

• Lead integration of mechanical, electrical, thermal, fluidic, sensing, data-acquisition, and software subsystems.
• Translate scientific performance needs into clear system requirements, interfaces, specifications, and acceptance criteria.
• Improve instrument reliability, repeatability, robustness, serviceability, and overall system performance.
• Troubleshoot complex hardware and cross-functional system failures and drive root-cause corrective actions.
• Integrate heaters, sensors, pumps, valves, gas-flow components, power electronics, controls, and data-acquisition hardware.
• Improve thermal management, gas flow, pressure control, sample introduction, component layout, and packaging.
• Coordinate electrical, mechanical, firmware, and software development so the instrument operates as one complete system.
• Develop engineering test plans, verification procedures, reliability testing, and system-level acceptance criteria.
• Identify technical risks, failure modes, component limitations, and design improvements needed for field use.
• Support prototype builds, debugging, vendor selection, component sourcing, manufacturing preparation, and field demonstrations. Required Experience
• Bachelor's or advanced degree in Systems, Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Biomedical, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience developing complex instrumentation, electromechanical systems, scientific equipment, or related hardware products.
• Strong hands-on experience with system integration, prototype development, hardware troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis.
• Experience working with sensors, heaters, pumps, valves, gas or fluid systems, electronics, controls, or data-acquisition systems.
• Ability to translate scientific concepts and experimental needs into practical engineering requirements.
• Strong engineering documentation, testing, and problem-solving skills.
• Comfort working in a fast-moving startup environment where designs evolve quickly and ownership is broad. Highly Preferred Experience
• Ion mobility spectrometry, mass spectrometry, gas chromatography, spectroscopy, analytical chemistry instrumentation, biosensors, or laboratory automation.
• Gas-flow or vacuum systems, thermal-control systems, embedded systems, firmware, PCB integration, or signal conditioning.
• Design for manufacturing, reliability engineering, verification and validation, field instrumentation, or medical/scientific device development.
• Experience taking a technical product from prototype through integrated system development and field validation. What Success Looks Like
• First 3 months: understand the full system architecture, establish engineering requirements, identify major failure points, and create an integration and reliability roadmap.
• By 6 months: deliver a more integrated and repeatable prototype with improved hardware reliability, thermal control, sampling, gas flow, electronics, and software integration.
• By 9 months: demonstrate repeatable performance across systems and establish formal verification, troubleshooting, and acceptance procedures.
• By 12 months: support demonstration of the integrated instrument in a relevant operating environment and advance the technology toward TRL 6.

Who Will Thrive Here You are the engineer who walks into a lab, sees a promising prototype made from several subsystems, and immediately starts asking: How do we turn this into one reliable product? You enjoy difficult multidisciplinary problems, hands-on hardware work, structured testing, fast iteration, and turning experimental science into equipment that customers can depend on. Why Join Total Analysis You will have meaningful ownership over product architecture, engineering strategy, prototype development, technical validation, manufacturing readiness, and field deployment. This is a high-impact role with direct access to the founding team and the opportunity to help transform novel detection science into a reliable commercial instrument.

Experience:

instrumentation or electromechanical systems: 5 years (Preferred)

Work Location:

In person