Gary Painchaud
Seattle,WA
Summary
Senior equipment specialist with 25+ years of experience in lab and facility instrumentation lifecycle management across clinical, manufacturing, and research environments. Proven expertise in installation, qualification, and 24/7 support of critical lab and facility equipment. Skilled in cross-functional collaboration, audit readiness, and reliable facility operations management.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Equipment/Facilities Maintenance Engineer
Exact Sciences
Kirkland, WA
03.2020 - 12.2025
- Coordinated and performed facility maintenance across multiple laboratory spaces, ensuring reliable operation of air handling systems, plumbing, electrical infrastructure, data lines, and emergency backup generators to support uninterrupted lab performance
- Provided 24/7/365 monitoring and support for temperature-controlled units using Vaisala viewLinc, preventing sample loss and maintaining compliance with storage protocols.
- Managed end-to-end logistics for relocating all lab/Facilities equipment/furniture from Kirkland to Madison, including scheduling, equipment preparation, and post-delivery support. Completed ahead of schedule, ensuring minimal disruption to lab operations
- Maintained, repaired, and calibrated all types of laboratory equipment such as Illumina Sequencers (NovaSeq, NextSeq), Hamilton STAR liquid handlers, and various Thermo Scientific equipment, ensuring a greater than 95% uptime for over 150 plus lab/facility instruments
- Authored, executed and streamlined equipment operating procedures, Installation Qualification (IQ), and Operational Qualification (OQ) for equipment in a CLIA/GLP/GMP environment
- Worked directly with Quality Assurance for proper documentation of equipment and equipment support during various CLIA, FDA, GMP, and clinical trial audits
- Led cross-functional team meetings with laboratory management for the installation of a new HVAC and generator systems in the laboratory spaces.
Instrument Support Specialist II
LabCorp/Covance
Seattle/Redmond, WA
01.2000 - 02.2020
- Coordinated lab renovations and relocation from Seattle to Redmond while collaborating with lab managers, vendors, and facilities teams to complete the transition within 6 Weeks, on budget, and with minimal operational downtime
- Operated and maintained building automation system which used Alerton controls to maintain vital laboratory spaces.
- Managed and updated equipment service work orders using Total Management System and Agile databases to improve tracking accuracy and reduce time to issue resolution
- Maintained expense sheets for the department budgets to enable accurate forecasting
- Installed, maintained, repaired, and calibrated a diverse range of laboratory/facility equipment, including Illumina HiSeq/MiSeq sequencers, Hamilton and Beckman liquid handlers, Affymetrix and Thermo Scientific scanners, Revco freezers, Eppendorf centrifuges, and BioTek spectrophotometers
Education
B.S. - Electrical Engineering Technology
University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth, MASkills
- Employee supervision
- Supply chain optimization
- Maintenance planning
- Technical support
- Quality management systems
- Troubleshooting and Diagnostics
Certification
- Hamilton STAR Service Engineer
- Surface Mount & Through Hole Soldering ICP-610 and 610A
Timeline
Equipment/Facilities Maintenance Engineer
Exact Sciences
03.2020 - 12.2025
Instrument Support Specialist II
LabCorp/Covance
01.2000 - 02.2020
B.S. - Electrical Engineering Technology
University of Massachusetts
Additional Training
- Navel Nuclear Power School
- Exact Sciences Hamilton Repair and Preventive Maintenance Training
- Regulatory: CLIA/CAPA/GMP/GLP/FDA