About Periodic Labs
Periodic Labs is building an autonomous laboratory for high-throughput materials discovery. Our work combines advanced chemistry, robotics, automation, AI, and materials science to accelerate scientific discovery while maintaining high standards of environmental, health, and process safety.
We are seeking a hands-on electrical technician who enjoys working with instrumentation, electro-/mechanical systems, and characterization tools - someone who values attention to detail, documentation, and a dynamic lab environment.
Responsibilities
Provide electrical, instrumentation, and controls technician support to engineers and scientific staff
Assist with integrating custom electrical equipment and fixtures, electrical enclosures, and instrumentation/hardware with engineer-provided concepts, sketches, and verbal direction
Perform basic electrical calculations using standard engineering formulas
Interpret electrical drawings and other technical information
Maintain systems documentation, bill-of-materials, and drawings to keep documentation current, visible, and traceable
Incorporate redlines and design changes from engineers
Qualifications & Skills
Required:
Prior experience as a qualified electrical worker for 208V or above
Hands‑on instrumentation & controls experience, including low-voltage (24VDC) wiring and controls enclosure fabrication
Experience with field wiring and panel wiring
Familiarity with electrical schematics
Experience with Lock-Out-Tag-Out (LOTO) safety practices and procedures
Good documentation skills, ability to follow protocols, and write clear notes/task summaries
Flexibility and ability to adapt to evolving processes and workflows typical of a startup/ research‑oriented lab
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in wiring and integrating mass flow controllers (MFCs), pressure transducers, solenoid valves, thermocouples, and various control instrumentation and hardware
Comfort with physically wiring various digital and analog input/output devices, lab instrumentation, and controls fieldbuses (e.g., EtherCAT, RS-232/-485, Modbus)
Experience selecting appropriate electrical supplies, wire/cable, enclosure components (e.g., relays, circuit breakers, terminal blocks)
Comfort troubleshooting instruments or basic electro-/mechanical maintenance
Familiarity with NFPA70 (NEC), UL508A, or NFPA79
Nice to Have
Experience with vacuum systems, gloveboxes, and inert atmosphere processing
Familiarity with AutoCAD (preferably electrical), redlining schematics, and building to print
Familiarity with Beckhoff IPCs, input/output modules, and EtherCAT fieldbus
What You'll Gain
Hands‑on experience working at the cutting edge of materials discovery (superconductors, novel compounds)
Exposure to a broad set of material characterization techniques and workflows (from synthesis to cryogenic measurements)
Opportunity to help build lab SOPs, workflows, and influence lab design and automation controls development/deployment strategy
Collaborative environment with scientists, engineers, and automation experts — good learning and growth potential
Satisfaction of bridging materials science, synthesis, measurement, and data-driven R&D
Hands-on experience designing, fabricating, and troubleshooting cutting-edge electrical systems for laboratory instrumentation and automation
Mechanics
Role Type: Contract position. Initial term of 12 months with potential to extend or convert based on lab needs and performance
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Compensation: The annual compensation range for this role is $124,000-$153,600
Work authorization: Must be authorized to work in the U.S. for the duration of the contract. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position