Robotics Operations Engineer I, First Shift

Lilasciences; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 56,000 - 81,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Job summary

Lila Sciences seeks a Robotics Operations Engineer to support deployment and day-to-day operation of the production robot fleet. You will monitor live operations, troubleshoot issues, and coordinate with software and hardware teams to ensure uptime.

The role begins with a standard schedule and scales to expanded hours as the fleet grows, requiring hands-on maintenance and quick, safe decision-making in production environments.

Qualifications

• Hands-on robotics experience from work, internships, or projects.
• Solid grasp of robotics concepts including kinematics, sensors, actuators, and control systems.
• Working knowledge of ROS2 nodes, topics, and launch files.

Responsibilities

• Monitor live robot operations and fleet health.
• Pause/stop or reset robots quickly and safely when needed.
• Document logs, sensor data, video, and steps for incidents.
• Perform minor maintenance: cabling, sensors, fasteners.

Skills

Robotics concepts

ROS2

Troubleshooting

Mechanics & electronics

Clear communication

Independent work

Education

Robotics/mechatronics degree

Tools

ROS2 tooling

Diagnostics tools

Job description

Your Impact at LILA

The Robotics Operations Engineer supports deployment and day-to-day operation of Lila’s production robot fleet. This role is the front-line technical presence for robots operating in production environments, ensuring safe, reliable operation and rapid response when issues arise.

You’ll monitor live robot operations, perform hands-on troubleshooting, document incidents clearly, and partner with robotics software and hardware teams to improve uptime. The role is based in a lab production environment and will help support expanded fleet operating hours as the team scales. This role begins on a standard 9am-5pm schedule and transitions to first shift coverage, 6am-2pm, as fleet operating hours expand.

What You'll Be Building

• Monitor robot behavior during live production operations.
• Intervene quickly and safely to pause, stop, or reset robots when needed.
• Document logs, sensor output, video, and reproduction steps for incident escalation.
• Perform minor robot maintenance, including cabling, sensor swaps, fasteners, and basic component replacement.
• Execute robot swap procedures, validate spare units, and return robots to production readiness.
• Maintain accurate records of robot health, incidents, maintenance actions, and fleet status.
• Translate field observations into clear priorities for robotics software and hardware fixes.
• Identify recurring failure patterns and recommend improvements that reduce downtime.

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• Hands-on experience working with robotic systems through work experience, technical programs, internships, academic robotics teams, or equivalent practical exposure.
• Solid grasp of core robotics concepts, including kinematics, sensors, actuators, and control systems.
• Working experience with ROS2, including nodes, topics, launch files, and debugging or introspection tools.
• Comfortable with basic mechanical and electrical troubleshooting, including cabling, connectors, sensors, and fasteners.
• Strong observational skills and sound judgment for quick, safe decisions during live operation.
• Clear written communication skills for documenting issues and reporting to engineering teams.
• Ability to work independently and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Flexibility to begin on a standard 9am-5pm schedule and transition to first shift coverage, 6am-2pm, as fleet operating hours expand.

Bonus Points For

• Experience supporting robots or automated systems through a production rollout or pilot phase.
• Familiarity with Nav2, Behavior Trees, or related robotics tooling.
• Scripting experience with Python or similar tools for log review, data collection, or simple automation.
• Experience with fleet management, monitoring dashboards, telemetry tools, or issue-tracking systems.
• Background in mechanical, electrical, robotics, or mechatronics engineering through a degree, technical program, or equivalent hands-on experience.

Compensation

We offer competitive base compensation with bonus potential and generous early-stage equity. Your final offer will reflect your background, expertise, and expected impact.

U.S. Benefits.

Full-time U.S. employees receive a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer-paid life and disability insurance; flexible time off with generous company wide holidays; paid parental leave; an educational assistance program; commuter benefits, including bike share memberships for office based employees; and a company subsidized lunch program.

International Benefits.

Full-time employees outside the U.S. receive a comprehensive benefits program tailored to their region. USD salary ranges apply only to U.S.-based positions; international salaries are set to local market.

Expected Base Salary Range

$75,600 — $109,200 USD

About LILA

Lila Sciences is building Scientific Superintelligence to solve humankind's greatest challenges. We believe science is the most inspiring frontier for AI. Rather than hard-coding expert knowledge into tools, LILA builds systems that can learn for themselves.

LILA combines advanced AI models with proprietary AI Science Factory instruments into an operating system for science that executes the entire scientific method autonomously, accelerating discovery at unprecedented speed, scale, and impact across medicine, materials, and energy. Learn more at www.lila.ai.

Guided by our core values of truth, trust, curiosity, grit, and velocity, we move with startup speed while tackling problems of historic importance. If this sounds like an environment you'd love to work in, even if you don't meet every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply.

We’re All In

Lila Sciences iscommitted to equal employment opportunityregardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

Information you provide during your application process will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy.

A Note to Agencies

Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.