Forward Deployed Lab Engineer

ASTRAZENECA UK LIMITED; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

AstraZeneca UK Limited is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to bridge IT and science within the Digital Lab Solutions team in Cambridge. You will align laboratory workflows with enterprise technology to automate processes and improve data quality.

You will be embedded with scientists to design scalable, compliant solutions that connect instruments, edge computing, ELN, LIMS, and data platforms, delivering end-to-end support and continual improvement across the lab environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent, with a technical or business degree preferred; equivalent relevant experience will also be considered.
• Engineering experience: Minimum of four years of direct technical laboratory engineering, laboratory automation, scientific technology, or related experience.
• Laboratory automation and integration: Experience delivering or supporting automation, integrations, or data flows between laboratory instruments, local or edge technologies, and enterprise platforms such as ELN, LIMS, or lab data platforms.
• Scientific workflow knowledge: Understanding of laboratory workflows, processes, and user needs.
• AI-enabled delivery: Experience using AI tooling to accelerate value delivery in a lab context, including data privacy, security, quality, and reliability.
• IT service delivery: Understanding incidents, requests, changes, knowledge, and configuration management.

Responsibilities

• Deliver laboratory automation: design and deliver automations that streamline workflows and improve data quality.
• Connect instruments and platforms: integrate laboratory instruments, edge computing, automation systems, and enterprise platforms like ELN and LIMS.
• Apply AI-enabled approaches: use AI tools to accelerate solution development and insights.
• Provide technical support: troubleshoot and resolve application, instrument, integration, and infrastructure issues.
• Work with laboratory users: translate user needs into practical technical requirements and improvements.
• Collaborate across functions: work with Science, Facilities, IT, Quality, Cybersecurity, Architecture, and vendors to deliver integrated solutions.
• Support service management: contribute to incident, request, problem, change, and knowledge management processes.
• Maintain technology records: ensure assets and configurations are accurately documented.

Skills

English communication

Stakeholder management

Delivery & collaboration

Problem solving

Technical liaison

Education

Technical or business degree preferred

Tools

ELN

LIMS

Edge computing

Automation tools

Job description

Are you ready to contribute to impacting patients' lives positively? As a member of the Digital Lab Solutions team, you will be responsible for ensuring that our new and existing laboratory systems and services are supported, developed, and implemented in line with business requirements. You will provide the link between IT and the business, enhancing processes by combining insights into current scientific workflows/applications with a technical understanding to drive innovation. Collaboration across a global team of business stakeholders, developers, partners, remote support teams and vendors is key to successfully delivering support, continuous improvement, and value. We commit to investing in your development and the team's growth to achieve mastery in these areas over time.

AstraZeneca is committed to building and transforming our Laboratory IT function to become digital and data-driven, expanding the boundary of science. There's never been a better time to join us as we bring our digital strategy to life and to make a positive difference to patient outcomes. This is a huge opportunity to develop, explore and thrive during our next chapter!

You'll be empowered to orchestrate new possibilities, solve challenges, and continuously innovate together with our scientists.

What you'll do

As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you will be at the forefront of where IT meets science, working closely with laboratory scientists, scientific technology teams, Facilities, and IT Functions to deliver solutions that automate workflows, improve laboratory productivity, and create measurable value.

You will be embedded with laboratory teams to understand scientific processes, identify opportunities for improvement, and translate those opportunities into robust, scalable, and supportable technology solutions. You will collaborate on the delivery of automations for laboratory workflows and lab data, connecting laboratory instruments and edge technologies with enterprise technology solutions, including Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN), Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), and lab data platforms.

Your responsibilities will include providing application and technical operational support for laboratory-based systems, delivering new laboratory capabilities, and helping to ensure that solutions are reliable, secure, compliant, and fit for purpose. You will work across the full lifecycle of solutions, from discovery and design through implementation, deployment, documentation, and ongoing support.

As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you will:

• Deliver laboratory automation: Partner with scientists and technology teams to design and deliver automations that streamline laboratory workflows, reduce manual activity, improve data quality, and accelerate scientific delivery.
• Connect instruments and platforms: Support the integration of laboratory instruments, edge computing capabilities, automation systems, and enterprise platforms such as ELN, LIMS, and lab data solutions.
• Apply AI-enabled approaches: Use appropriate AI tools and technologies to accelerate solution development, investigate issues, improve workflows, generate insights, and enhance the delivery of lab data and lab automation capabilities.
• Provide technical support: Troubleshoot and resolve application, instrument, integration, and infrastructure issues, working with relevant support teams and vendors to restore service and prevent recurrence.
• Work directly with laboratory users: Understand scientific workflows and translate user needs into practical technical requirements, solutions, and improvements.
• Collaborate across functions: Work with Science, Facilities, IT, Quality, Cybersecurity, Architecture, and strategic vendors to deliver integrated laboratory solutions.
• Support service management: Contribute to incident, request, problem, change, and knowledge management processes, ensuring that services are documented, supportable, and aligned with agreed service expectations.
• Maintain technology records: Ensure that laboratory assets, applications, integrations, and services are accurately represented in the relevant inventory and CMDB.
• Manage solution lifecycle activities: Support the deployment, maintenance, upgrade, validation, retirement, and continual improvement of laboratory systems and associated technologies.
• Shape the Digital Lab Solutions strategy: Contribute to the direction of the Digital Lab Solutions journey by identifying emerging technologies, opportunities for standardisation, and innovative approaches to laboratory automation and data management.

You will operate comfortably in both scientific and technical environments, demonstrating the ability to move from hands-on investigation in the laboratory to solution design and delivery across the wider enterprise technology landscape.

Education & Experience

• Education: Minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent, with a technical or business degree preferred; equivalent relevant experience will also be considered.
• Engineering experience: Minimum of four years of direct technical laboratory engineering, laboratory automation, scientific technology, or related experience, preferably in an embedded or customer-facing delivery role.
• Laboratory automation and integration: Experience delivering or supporting automation, integrations, or data flows between laboratory instruments, local or edge technologies, and enterprise platforms such as ELN, LIMS, or lab data platforms.
• Scientific workflow knowledge: Proven experience supporting scientific applications and a strong understanding of laboratory workflows, processes, and user needs.
• AI-enabled delivery: Demonstrated use of AI tooling to accelerate value delivery in a lab data, laboratory automation, or scientific technology context, including appropriate consideration of data privacy, security, quality, and reliability.
• Technical support: Proven experience providing technical support, troubleshooting complex issues, and coordinating resolution across applications, instruments, integrations, infrastructure, and vendors.
• IT service delivery: Understanding of IT service management principles, including incident, request, problem, change, knowledge, and configuration management.
• Stakeholder management: Strong communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively with laboratory scientists, technical teams, senior stakeholders, and external partners.
• Delivery and collaboration: Experience working in multidisciplinary teams and collaborating with, coordinating, and managing strategic vendors.
• Documentation and governance: Ability to produce clear technical and operational documentation, maintain accurate asset and configuration records, and follow relevant quality, compliance, cybersecurity, and change-control processes.
• Communication: Proficient written and verbal communication in English.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Pharmaceutical or healthcare experience: Experience working in a pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, or other regulated life sciences environment.
• Laboratory instruments and edge computing: A robust understanding of laboratory instruments, instrument connectivity, laboratory hardware, edge computing, and the challenges of operating technology at the laboratory environment's edge.
• Laboratory orchestration: Experience using orchestration and scheduling tools in a laboratory automation context, such as Cellario OS, Green Button Go, or equivalent platforms.
• Laboratory applications and hardware: Experience working with laboratory applications, instruments, robotics, automation systems, and associated hardware.
• Data and systems integration: Experience with APIs, middleware, file-based integrations, data pipelines, instrument interfaces, or other technologies used to connect laboratory systems and enterprise platforms.
• Support operations: Experience providing first- and/or second-line support for laboratory systems, instruments, automation platforms, or scientific applications.
• Regulated systems delivery: Familiarity with GxP, data integrity, validation, risk management, cybersecurity, and controlled change practices in laboratory or regulated technology environments.
• Agile delivery and automation development: Experience with Agile ways of working, low-code/no-code automation, scripting, software development, or rapid prototyping to deliver laboratory solutions.

At AstraZeneca, we connect across the whole business to power each function to better influence patient outcomes and improve their lives. We play an increasingly crucial role in driving disruptive transformation on our journey to becoming a digital and data-led enterprise. We bring together all parts of the business, as well as external partners, to drive efficiencies that enable us to succeed. We take data seriously and are driven by the impact we know we can have; our high ethical standards never slip. This is the place where innovation meets large-scale impact. We are continuously drawing on our existing and expanding knowledge, to adapt with the technology environment.