Senior Human Factors Engineer I/II, Robotics

Lilasciences; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 107,000 - 178,000; Full time

Job summary

Lila Sciences is building Scientific Superintelligence to enable autonomous lab operations. We are seeking a UX researcher to be the human-factors voice for robotics software, ensuring its high-density UIs are clear, safe, and trustworthy under pressure.

You will partner with software engineers and researchers to ground UI decisions in real workflows, prototype in Figma, and champion accessibility as the platform grows, shaping how fast the factory runs with minimal mistakes.

Qualifications

• 4–8 years in UX research or human factors for complex operational software.
• Experience with high-density, high-stakes displays such as control rooms.
• Ability to translate research into clear design direction.
• Strong information-architecture and interaction-design skills; prototyping in Figma.
• Experience with human-in-the-loop and situational awareness.
• Excellent cross-functional communication, defending design decisions with evidence.

Responsibilities

• Lead usability research to ground UI decisions in real workflows.
• Design for high-stakes displays with dense information.
• Prototype and validate with Figma prototypes and test flows.
• Design human-in-the-loop workflows for operator supervision and trust.
• Partner with engineers to translate research into specs and design-system contributions.
• Champion accessibility and uphold standards as the platform grows.

Skills

UX research

Operational displays

Research methods

IA craft

Human-in-the-loop

Cross-functional comms

Job description

Your Impact at LILA

You will be the human-factors voice for Robotics, working on the software that runs Lila's autonomous labs. Partnering with software engineers and researchers, you'll make its most demanding surfaces — simulation, research operations, orchestration, and SCADA-style monitoring — clear, safe, and trustworthy under pressure, directly shaping how fast the factory runs and how few mistakes it makes.

What You'll Be Building

• Lead usability research: run contextual inquiry, task analysis, and usability testing to ground UI decisions in real workflows.
• Design for high-stakes displays: shape information architecture and interaction patterns for high-density orchestration and SCADA-style monitoring where situational awareness is paramount.
• Prototype and validate: build Figma prototypes and testable flows for simulation, lab, and capacity-planning UIs, then iterate from evidence.
• Design human-in-the-loop workflows: define how operators supervise, intervene in, and trust automated and AI-driven processes.
• Partner with engineering: embed with the software engineers who build these UIs, translating research into specs, patterns, and design-system contributions.
• Champion accessibility: set and uphold accessibility and interaction standards as the platform grows.

What You'll Need to Succeed

• UX research depth: 4–8 years in UX research or human factors for complex operational, industrial, or scientific software — this is a research-first role.
• Operational-display design: high-density, high-stakes interfaces such as control rooms, monitoring dashboards, or data-heavy tooling.
• Core research methods: contextual inquiry, task analysis, and usability testing, turned into clear direction.
• Interaction & IA craft: strong information-architecture and interaction-design skills, with prototyping in Figma or equivalent.
• Human-in-the-loop & situational awareness: designing for operator supervision and error prevention.
• Cross-functional communication: partnering with engineers and domain experts and defending design decisions with evidence.

Bonus Points For

• Human factors in regulated, safety-critical domains: systems-engineering rigor and prior HF/UX work in aerospace, manufacturing, or healthcare/life sciences. Grounding in ISO 9241-210 (human-centred design) or WCAG 2.2 (accessibility) a plus.
• Scientific or lab context: laboratory, robotics, manufacturing, or other regulated/operational environments.
• SCADA & control systems: familiarity with control-room HMI design (ANSI/ISA-101), SCADA, or MES interfaces (you'll design the UI, not own the system).
• Quantitative methods: survey design, behavioral analytics, or other quantitative research alongside qualitative work.
• AI-driven interfaces: designing interfaces for AI-assisted or autonomous workflows.

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

$144,000 — $240,000 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.