Shift-Based Lab Automation Engineer

lilasciences; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 67,000 - 89,000; Full time

Job summary

Lila Sciences is seeking Automation Engineers for the AISF platform to operate and maintain production workcells across shifts. You will triage instrument faults, recover stalled runs, and decide what gets resolved during the shift versus what is handed off for stabilization.

You will drive continuous improvement by identifying reliability and throughput gaps, proposing changes, and coordinating downtime with Research Operations. This is an on‑site role based in Cambridge.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, Materials Science, Computer Science, or related field, or equivalent hands‑on experience.
• 1+ years of hands‑on experience with lab automation, lab instrumentation, or production operations in life sciences or physical sciences.
• Ability to troubleshoot electro‑mechanical equipment and software systems independently.
• Strong written communication for documenting problems and handoffs across shifts.
• Ability to work effectively across mechanical, controls, software and scientific teams.

Responsibilities

• Operate AISF workcells during your shift, triage faults, recover runs, and decide on shift vs. stabilized resolution.
• Plan and coordinate downtime with Research Operations within approved windows.
• Provide structured handoffs at shift overlap and document events, decisions and open issues clearly.
• Identify reliability and throughput gaps, propose changes, and see them through implementation and verification.
• Coordinate with SELO engineers to resolve hardware, controls, and software issues spanning multiple domains.

Skills

Lab automation

Troubleshooting

Written communication

Cross‑disciplinary collaboration

Shift coordination

Python

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent hands‑on experience

Tools

Cellario

Overlord

Green Button Go

Job description

Lila Sciences is seeking Automation Engineers for the AISF platform to operate and maintain production workcells across shifts. You will triage instrument faults, recover stalled runs, and decide what gets resolved during the shift versus what is handed off for stabilization.

You will drive continuous improvement by identifying reliability and throughput gaps, proposing changes, and coordinating downtime with Research Operations. This is an on‑site role based in Cambridge.