Co-Op, IT/OT Security Analyst

Lila Sciences; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 34,000 - 48,000; Part time

Job summary

Lila Sciences is building autonomous scientific facilities with advanced AI-enabled instruments and robotics. This co-op sits at the intersection of IT, Lab IT, and OT, driving a program across four workstreams to secure operations.

You will own OT asset discovery, prioritize vulnerabilities by real risk, and coordinate remediation with automation engineers. The role emphasizes hands-on work onsite and long-term program artifacts.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, computer science, information technology, network engineering, or a related field.
• Working knowledge of TCP/IP networking and firewall concepts; OT security is networking first.
• Comfort on Windows and Linux CLI; basic scripting in Python or PowerShell for data tasks.
• Strong written communication to explain changes to non-tech stakeholders.
• Availability to work onsite on a hybrid schedule, including hands-on with hardware.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day OT asset discovery and reconciliation, closing the gap between device detection and documented ownership
• Prioritize vulnerabilities across IT/OT environments by real consequence (safety, experiment integrity, IP exposure, throughput)
• Coordinate remediation with automation engineering within established maintenance windows
• Integrate OT and network telemetry into the SIEM, triage alerts, and supply OT context the SOC team lacks
• Track threat intelligence relevant to lab automation and biotech; convert findings into detections and written briefings
• Build program artifacts (asset intake process, connectivity risk reviews, segmentation documentation) that remain operational after the term ends

Skills

TCP/IP networking

Command line scripting

Strong written communication

Security concepts awareness

Education

Pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, computer science, information technology, network engineering, or related field

Tools

Splunk

Elastic

Chronicle

SIEM basics

Job description

Lila runs autonomous science facilities - labs full of instruments, robotics, and controllers that produce the experimental data that is the company's core IP. Securing that environment is a different problem from securing laptops and SaaS, and we are building the program from the ground up. This co-op works on that build, not on the side of it.

The role sits at the seam between IT, Lab IT, and OT, spanning four workstreams: OT asset visibility and tooling, vulnerability and patch management across IT/OT, SOC integration and threat intelligence, and program build. The work product outlives the term.

What we are looking for is someone curious enough to trace a problem end to end without being handed the answer, and persistent enough to stay with it when the architecture is not documented anywhere. We will teach the OT domain. We cannot teach that.

What You'll Be Building

• Own day-to-day OT asset discovery and reconciliation, closing the gap between device detection and documented ownership
• Prioritize vulnerabilities across IT/OT environments by real consequence (safety, experiment integrity, IP exposure, throughput) rather than raw CVSS scores
• Coordinate remediation with automation engineering within established maintenance windows
• Integrate OT and network telemetry into the SIEM, triage alerts, and supply OT context the SOC team lacks
• Track threat intelligence relevant to lab automation and biotech; convert findings into detections and written briefings
• Build program artifacts (asset intake process, connectivity risk reviews, segmentation documentation) that remain operational after the term ends

What You'll Need to Succeed

• Pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, computer science, information technology, network engineering, or a related field
• Working knowledge of TCP/IP networking: VLANs, subnetting, routing and switching basics, firewall concepts (the single most important prerequisite - OT security is a networking job before it is a security job)
• Comfort on the command line (Windows and Linux) and basic scripting in Python or PowerShell for data reconciliation and reporting
• Strong written communication skills, including the ability to explain technical changes to non-technical audiences and security constraints to operational teams
• Availability to work onsite at Alewife on a hybrid schedule, including hands‑on work with physical hardware

Bonus Points For

• Exposure to vulnerability management concepts: CVE/CVSS, scanning, remediation workflow
• Familiarity with SIEM or log analysis on any platform (Splunk, Sentinel, Elastic, Chronicle); coursework, CTF, or homelab experience counts
• Any exposure to IC S/OT, SCADA, lab instrumentation, or robotics environments

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.

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.

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