Senior Robotics Automation Engineer

Job Summary

The Senior Robotics Automation Engineer is a highly experienced technical leader responsible for advancing the design, integration, optimization, and long-term operational strategy of robotic and automated laboratory systems within the Smart Research Laboratory.

• This role requires deep expertise in laboratory automation, engineering principles, scientific workflows, and biopharma research operations, combined with the ability to influence technical direction, guide cross-functional decision-making, and mentor less experienced engineers and scientists.
• This individual will play a critical role in shaping automation strategy, evaluating emerging technologies, translating scientific needs into scalable automation solutions, and ensuring that robotic systems deliver reliable, precise, and high-quality performance in support of advanced drug discovery and research innovation.
• In addition to hands-on technical execution, the Senior Robotics Automation Engineer will provide strategic guidance on system architecture, workflow design, vendor selection, platform sustainability, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement of automated laboratory capabilities.
• The role requires regular on-site presence due to the highly integrated, hands-on nature of laboratory robotics, instrumentation, scientific equipment, and automation workcell operations.

Job Description

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, testing, optimization, and lifecycle management of complex robotic and automated laboratory workcells, including integrated hardware, software, instrumentation, scheduling, and control systems.
• Serve as a senior technical authority for laboratory automation platforms, providing expert guidance on system architecture, workflow design, equipment selection, integration strategy, operational scalability, and long-term platform reliability.
• Partner with scientific, engineering, informatics, facilities, IT, and operational stakeholders to translate complex research needs into robust, scalable, and sustainable automated solutions that improve laboratory productivity, data quality, reproducibility, and research throughput.
• Evaluate, integrate, configure, troubleshoot, and maintain advanced laboratory automation systems, including liquid handlers, dispensers, pipettors, plate movers, robotic arms, plate sealers and desealers, acoustic transfer devices, multimodal assay readers, incubators, storage systems, and related scientific instrumentation.

• Develop, review, and optimize automation methods using orchestration and instrument-control platforms such as Momentum, Venus, InstinctS, and related automation APIs, ensuring methods are reliable, maintainable, validated, and aligned with scientific requirements.
• Provide senior-level oversight for method development, hardware integration testing, system validation, risk assessment, troubleshooting, and performance optimization across automated laboratory workflows.
• Lead or significantly contribute to automation roadmap planning, technology assessments, vendor evaluations, equipment acquisition decisions, and strategic recommendations that shape the future capabilities of the Smart Research Laboratory.
• Collaborate with external vendors and internal stakeholders to implement advanced robotics capabilities, including motion planning, multi-axis actuation, control systems, autonomous mobile robotics, device communication, and integration of novel automation technologies.

• Guide the validation, deployment, and continuous improvement of Autonomous Mobile Robot systems and other emerging automation platforms, ensuring safe, reliable, and effective operation within a research laboratory environment.
• Mentor junior automation engineers, scientists, and cross-functional users by providing technical coaching, training, design review, troubleshooting support, and best-practice guidance for automated workflows and robotic systems.
• Establish and maintain high-quality technical documentation, including system designs, integration plans, validation records, risk assessments, maintenance procedures, troubleshooting guides, and workflow specifications.
• Lead complex problem-solving efforts in a fast-paced research environment, balancing immediate operational needs with long-term platform strategy, system sustainability, safety, and scientific impact.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that increase automation reliability, reduce operational bottlenecks, improve assay execution quality, and expand the organization’s ability to adopt advanced automated research capabilities.

Qualifications

Education Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in science, engineering, robotics, automation, computer science, life sciences or a related field required
• Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) is preferred

Experience Qualifications

• Requires 5-7 years of hands-on experience designing, integrating, programming, validating, maintaining, and optimizing automated laboratory equipment, robotic systems, or complex scientific instrumentation in a research or biopharma environment
• Prior experience in biopharma, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, drug discovery, translational research, or advanced laboratory automation environment is required 
• Demonstrated ability to lead technically complex automation projects from concept through implementation, including requirements gathering, design evaluation, vendor coordination, installation, integration, testing, validation, documentation, user training, and operational handoff. 
• Advanced experience with laboratory automation platforms and orchestration software such as Hamilton Venus, Thermo Scientific Momentum, InstinctS, or comparable automation-control environments.
• Strong working knowledge of laboratory robotics, instrument communication, scheduling systems, device APIs, mechanical and electrical integration, liquid handling principles, assay workflow automation, and system-level troubleshooting.
• Experience developing or supporting software tools, scripts, APIs, or applications using modern programming languages such as Python, Java, C#, or comparable languages to improve automation performance, data handling, system monitoring, or workflow control.
• Proven ability to partner with scientific teams to identify high-value automation opportunities, evaluate technical feasibility, define requirements, and deliver solutions that support research quality, throughput, reproducibility, and innovation.
• Experience influencing technical decisions, guiding platform strategy, mentoring colleagues, and providing senior-level recommendations to scientific, operational, and leadership stakeholders.