Software Engineer, Intern (Summer 2021)

| San Francisco | Hybrid
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Over the next 10 years, biotech will fundamentally rewrite the way we live. Gene editing and cell therapy will dramatically change how we treat cancer and other major illnesses. Biofuels and biomaterials will transform the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, and the makeup of everyday objects. Crop science and synthetic biology will produce sustainable and ethical food. Benchling’s mission is to accelerate the research that propels us towards this future, and magnify its impact, through modern software.

Every day, scientists around the world use Benchling in their efforts to solve humanity's most pressing problems. For these scientists, Benchling is the central technology they use to conduct their research.

Benchling was founded by a team of MIT graduates and has raised funding from Benchmark, Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive Capital, and Y Combinator. Our customers include pharmaceutical giants, leading biotechs, and the world's most renowned research institutes.

We're looking for interns to join our Summer 2021 intern class. As an intern, you'll be entrusted with a significant degree of ownership to work alongside full-time engineers who hail from MIT, Google, Facebook, Stripe, and more. Our past interns have built DNA search engines, key pieces of AWS infrastructure, and analytics pipelines. You'll learn how a startup works and how to build high quality software, quickly.


RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Work with and learn from a strong team of engineers hailing from MIT, CMU, Facebook, Stripe, and more. We grow our interns through mentorship and ownership.
  • Own projects end-to-end, from initial design, to prototype, to large-scale rollout.
  • Design and implement backend models and API endpoints for complex scientific workflows.
  • Design and implement rich frontend components and architecture. We build and operate one of the largest, richest React applications out there and power complex scientific analyses.


YOU

  • Are pursuing a BA/BS and/or MA/MS degree in computer science, math or a related technical field.
  • Have had a prior Software Engineer Internship or similar experience. 
  • Build software with a product-first approach. You ship code quickly and care about the real world impact of your code.
  • Have strong abilities in problem solving and iterating on feedback.
  • Enjoy ownership and building key pieces of product.
  • Are interested in learning more about life science (prior knowledge is not required; desire to learn is a must).


YOU MIGHT WORK ON

Check out our blog post for some examples of past intern work. Here are some other examples of recent and future projects:

  • Tools to simulate DNA assembly - computers can assist scientists by informing scientific decisions with complex calculations. Our bulk assembly tool allows scientists to simulate constructing hundreds of DNA constructs in parallel, visualizing the end result and highlighting potential issues.
  • Complex querying and visualization tools - The big advantage of keeping all your data stored in one system is that you can query that data all at once, without digging up multiple sources. This works best when you can query Benchling the same way you can query a database: by choosing from a large number of possible filters on any related objects, joining together various sources, and performing aggregations. We want to enable this in a user-friendly experience, without leaving your browser.
  • A customizable computation platform - Biologics are typically large protein complexes composed of a number of shared parts. We want to let scientists specify computations that can aggregate data across all of these related entities to surface derived values, which can be used in everything from data analysis to naming schemes. Scientists may develop custom protein analysis algorithms or proprietary validation logic - they'll be able to hook in custom code and push that computation to Benchling.
  • Data warehouse as a product - customers can click a button and spin up a fully-managed, query-able warehouse with all their Benchling data in one place. Customers get the full power of Redshift/Postgres without having to manage ETL pipelines or tune Postgres configuration values.
  • A new permissions system - Our existing permission system relies on Read/Write/Admin access that can only be applied at the top level of the file hierarchy. To roll out to enterprises with 500+ users, we need to offer them fine-grained control around exactly what actions a user can take and let them manage these in a hierarchical fashion.


OUR VALUES

  • Empower through information. We explain the “why” behind every decision, unless there are highly sensitive circumstances. We're honest about how we're doing, especially in difficult times. We believe that sharing information builds trust and enables better decision-making.
  • Rely on tenacity. Hard work is one of the greatest factors to determine success and is fully under our control. We must make the most of every day by bringing the highest level of determination. Dreaming big is not enough.
  • Raise the bar. Pushing ourselves and others to improve will be uncomfortable and at times result in failure. However, it's critical to our success. We're dedicated to creating a place where everyone feels challenged to improve.
  • Build a lever. We choose to build tools and infrastructure that will help others make world-changing innovations. There's less glory in it, but in the words of Archimedes, "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world."


PERKS AND BENEFITS

  • Work with a talented yet humble team
  • Competitive compensation & equity package
  • 401k
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • Monthly health & wellness stipend
  • Weekly virtual social events, and annual company retreats
  • *$1,000 work-from-home stipend

In following best practices and safety protocols, all Benchling employees are expected to work remotely until we are further advised that it is safe for employees to resume work in their respective office locations.
*To support remote work conditions, Benchling provides each employee a one-time stipend of $1,000 upon commencing employment, and additional discounted employee purchase plans for home-office equipment.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

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Technology we use

  • Engineering
  • Product
  • Sales & Marketing
    • JavaLanguages
    • JavascriptLanguages
    • PythonLanguages
    • RubyLanguages
    • FluxLibraries
    • ReactLibraries
    • ReduxLibraries
    • FlaskFrameworks
    • TerraformFrameworks
    • MySQLDatabases
    • PostgreSQLDatabases
    • RedisDatabases
    • AsanaManagement
    • Google DriveManagement
    • Google DocsManagement
    • Google SlidesManagement
    • JIRAManagement
    • SmartsheetManagement
    • WordpressCMS
    • IntercomCRM
    • PipedriveCRM
    • SalesforceCRM

Location

We're located in the heart of the SF Financial District with an awesome view of the the entire city depending on where you stand in the office. You can get to us easily by BART or bus!

An Insider's view of Benchling

What’s the vibe like in the office?

I think that the company culture is at the center of everything we do. Every single person here is willing to put down what they're doing to support to their colleagues whenever needed. That’s what is particularly special about Benchling. People are always ready to give their best effort, and there's no shortage of laughter or camaraderie!

Madeleine

Customer Support Specialist

What does your typical day look like?

The mission driven culture defines our day to day in the "office" (or Zoom meetings/Slack messaging). I've never worked at a company where there's such a permeating sense of optimism. People are generous with their time and knowledge, but still remain humble. Also, Aloha Fridays keep our vibes in check.

Alex

Implementation Manager

How has your career grown since starting at the company?

One of the main reasons I joined Benchling is I knew I would grow along multiple axes. Benchling gives me the opportunity to explore outside of my role as an engineer. In the short time I've been here, I've had the opportunity to contribute to the company blog, help organize the annual hackathon, and manage part of the internship program!

Steven

Software Engineer

What unique initiatives do you have that encourage innovation?

I’m very excited by our COVID-19 initiatives. In an effort to help ramp up testing, we have partnered with universities and private companies to create a turn-key software solution that powers their sample analysis on Benchling. We’ve made it much faster for any lab that plans to spin up COVID-19 tests!

Nishant

Regional Lead, Professional Services

What projects are you most excited about?

As a co-lead of Benchling's People of Color affinity group, I'm most excited about projects and events that teach and celebrate multiple cultures. On Lunar New Year, our group passed out red envelopes. Many employees were familiar with the tradition, but they learned even more about its significance in Asian cultures from the information we shared.

Chanel

University Recruiting Lead

What are Benchling Perks + Benefits

Culture
Volunteer in local community
Open door policy
OKR operational model
Team based strategic planning
Open office floor plan
Flexible work schedule
Remote work program
Diversity
Dedicated diversity and inclusion staff
Mandated unconscious bias training
All employees participate in an Interview Training that, amongst other things, raises awareness around the impact of unconscious bias in the evaluation process and strategies to best mitigate this.
Diversity employee resource groups
Hiring practices that promote diversity
Health Insurance & Wellness Benefits
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Disability insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Health insurance
Life insurance
Wellness programs
Financial & Retirement
401(K)
Company equity
Pay transparency
Child Care & Parental Leave Benefits
Generous parental leave
Fertility benefits
Vacation & Time Off Benefits
Unlimited vacation policy
Paid holidays
Paid sick days
Employees receive unlimited hours per year of paid sick leave.
Office Perks
Commuter benefits
Company-sponsored outings
On top of weekly happy hours & monthly events, Benchlings travel abroad for annual company retreats!
Free daily meals
Employees get free lunch on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Is that the Dinner Bell, JeffyP hears? That's right. Dinner every night at the office for Benchlings after hours!
Free snacks and drinks
Company-sponsored happy hours
Relocation assistance
Fitness stipend
Meditation space
Mother's room
Professional Development Benefits
Lunch and learns
Promote from within
Mentorship program

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