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Lab Helper Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Etched

Lab Technician (Contractor)

San Jose, CA · On-site

$22.25 - $29.50/hr

You'll work closely with lab operations team and hardware engineers to ensure data integrity and help us move fast without cutting corners. Key Responsibilities * Prepare mechanical set-ups, test ...

Etched

Lab Technician (Contractor)

San Jose, CA · On-site

$22.25 - $29.50/hr

You'll work closely with lab operations team and hardware engineers to ensure data integrity and help us move fast without cutting corners. Key Responsibilities * Prepare mechanical set-ups, test ...

Osteoid Inc

Lab Production Technician

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$21/hr

Osteoid is growing at a rapid pace and we need Lab Production Technicians to help support the ... increasing client demand for our custom made products. This person will be an integral part of this ...

Osteoid Inc

Lab Production Technician

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$21/hr

Osteoid is growing at a rapid pace and we need Lab Production Technicians to help support the ... increasing client demand for our custom made products. This person will be an integral part of this ...

DGA

Lab Planner

San Diego, CA · On-site

$110K - $150K/yr

Share your journey and help shape the future with our dynamic team. This position requires ... As a lab planner and architect at DGA, you will: * Demonstrate creativity, passion and interest in ...

DGA

Lab Planner

San Diego, CA

$110K - $150K/yr

Share your journey and help shape the future with our dynamic team. This position requires ... As a lab planner and architect at DGA, you will: * Demonstrate creativity, passion and interest in ...

Biolog

Lab Technician

Hayward, CA

$32 - $35/hr

If you're motivated by science-driven selling, building long-term partnerships, and helping ... The Lab Technician plays a key role in ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant sample processing ...

Chapman University

General Lab Assistant

Orange, CA

$50/hr

Position Summary Information Summary The Physical Therapy Program hires lab assistants to help with its courses. The courses utilizing lab assistants are PT 512L Kinesiology Lab, PT 525L Clin Path ...

Chapman University

General Lab Assistant

Orange, CA · On-site

$50/hr

Position Summary Information Summary The Physical Therapy Program hires lab assistants to help with its courses. The courses utilizing lab assistants are PT 512L Kinesiology Lab, PT 525L Clin Path ...

Chapman University

General Lab Assistant

Orange, CA · On-site

$50/hr

Position Summary Information Summary The Physical Therapy Program hires lab assistants to help with its courses. The courses utilizing lab assistants are PT 512L Kinesiology Lab, PT 525L Clin Path ...

Biolog

Lab Technician

Hayward, CA · On-site

$32 - $35/hr

If you're motivated by science-driven selling, building long-term partnerships, and helping ... The Lab Technician plays a key role in ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant sample processing ...

Biolog Inc

Lab Technician

Hayward, CA · On-site

$32 - $35/hr

If you're motivated by science-driven selling, building long-term partnerships, and helping ... The Lab Technician plays a key role in ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant sample processing ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsLab Helper JobsLab Helper Jobs in California

Lab Helper information

See California salary details

$14

$18

$28

How much do lab helper jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 20, 2026, the average hourly pay for lab helper in California is $18.59, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.83 and $18.51 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a lab helper?

Lab helpers are support staff who assist scientists, researchers, or lab technicians in maintaining the daily operations of a laboratory. Their duties typically include preparing materials, cleaning equipment, organizing supplies, and sometimes helping with experiments under supervision. Lab helpers play a crucial role in ensuring the lab runs smoothly and safely by keeping the workspace organized and adhering to safety protocols. While they generally do not design experiments, their work is essential for efficient and accurate scientific research.

What does a lab helper do?

A typical day for a Lab Helper involves preparing and organizing lab equipment, cleaning glassware, restocking supplies, and assisting with basic experimental setups. Lab Helpers play a crucial role in maintaining a clean, efficient lab environment, allowing scientists and technicians to focus on more complex tasks. They frequently collaborate with laboratory staff to ensure that all materials are available and that safety protocols are followed. This support helps the team meet deadlines and maintain high standards of accuracy and safety in their work.

What skills and qualifications are needed to be a lab helper?

To thrive as a Lab Helper, you generally need a high school diploma or equivalent, with basic laboratory knowledge and attention to detail. Familiarity with lab equipment, safety protocols, and inventory management systems is typically required. Strong organizational skills, reliability, and teamwork are important soft skills in this role. These abilities ensure the laboratory runs efficiently, maintains safety standards, and supports scientific staff effectively.

What is the difference between Lab Helper vs Lab Technician?

AspectLab HelperLab Technician
Required CredentialsHigh school diploma or equivalentAssociate's or Bachelor's degree in a related field
Work EnvironmentLaboratory support, assisting with basic tasksPerforming tests, analyzing samples, operating lab equipment
Employer & Industry UsageResearch labs, educational institutions, healthcare facilitiesMedical labs, research institutions, industrial labs
Common Search & ComparisonOften compared for entry-level roles and support tasksCompared for technical responsibilities and qualifications

The main difference between a Lab Helper and a Lab Technician lies in their qualifications and responsibilities. Lab Helpers typically assist with basic tasks and require minimal formal education, while Lab Technicians perform more complex testing and usually hold relevant certifications or degrees. Both roles are essential in laboratory settings, but Lab Technicians have a higher level of technical responsibility.

What are the most commonly searched types of Lab jobs in California?

The most popular types of Lab jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Lab Helper jobs?

Cities in California with the most Lab Helper job openings:

Lab Helper jobs near you
Infographic showing various Lab Helper job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 2% As Needed, 80% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 10% Contract. Highlights an 97% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $38,668 per year, or $18.6 per hour.

Lab Technician (Contractor)

Etched

San Jose, CA • On-site

$22.25 - $29.50/hr

Contractor

Posted 14 days ago

Job description

About Etched
Etched is building hardware for frontier intelligence. We co-design chips, racks, software, and manufacturing to deliver best-in-class throughput and latency across both prefill and decode workloads. Our first products are heavily focused on inference. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest growing industry in history.
Job Summary
We're looking for a hands-on Lab Technician to support our hardware development and validation efforts. As a Lab Technician, you'll build, integrate, and debug prototype servers and racks - assembling boards into chassis, routing power and signal cabling, and getting systems to mechanical bring-up so engineers can start testing. In this role, you'll also own the execution of test procedures, maintain rigorous documentation standards, and keep our lab environments running smoothly across multiple concurrent projects. You'll work closely with lab operations team and hardware engineers to ensure data integrity and help us move fast without cutting corners.
Key Responsibilities
  • Prepare mechanical set-ups, test benches, fixtures, and lab environments to support platform validation, inference kernal development, firmware engineering and more across multiple concurrent projects
  • Collect, record, and validate system health data, maintaining accurate and traceable documentation for analysis and quality assurance
  • Monitor equipment performance, identifying anomalies and troubleshooting issues to maintain system integrity and minimize downtime
  • Organize and maintain lab logs, test databases, and results reports, communicating findings clearly to hardware engineers and project teams
  • Enforce lab safety procedures and compliance standards while managing equipment maintenance, inventory, and calibration schedules

Must-Have Qualifications
  • Experience preparing test benches and hardware fixtures across multiple concurrent projects
  • Strong data collection and documentation habits - accurate, traceable records are second nature to you
  • Comfort organizing and maintaining lab logs, databases, and test reports for a cross-functional engineering audience

Nice-to-Have Qualifications
  • Familiarity with lab safety compliance and managing equipment maintenance, inventory, and calibration schedules

Benefits
• Daily lunch and dinner in our office
How we're different
Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We are the first inference-focused frontier AI system, betting early on transformer and transformer-like architectures and on increasing model sizes. Our addressable market is the entirety of inference, unlike many of our competitors.
We are a fully in-person team in San Jose and Taipei, and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both as needed.

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