Controls Engineer II, Sustaining Engineering

Lila Sciences; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 93,600 - 138,600; Full time

Job summary

Lila Sciences in Cambridge, MA is seeking a Controls Engineer on our Sustaining Engineering team to support reliability and lifecycle performance of automated scientific equipment across our lab operations. This hands-on role focuses on deploying and maintaining PLC/SCADA systems, robotics, and instrumentation, with emphasis on uptime, safety, and ease of maintenance across complex lab environments.

You will diagnose issues, perform root cause analyses, and implement upgrades while collaborating

Qualifications

• 2–5+ years in automated control systems, maintenance or troubleshooting.
• Hands-on PLC, HMI, SCADA experience.
• OT networking including routing, VPNs, or similar.
• Git version control for engineering artifacts.
• Engineering docs with AutoCAD or SolidWorks Electrical.
• Robotics integration and structured text programming.
• Strong cross-domain troubleshooting across hardware, software and networking.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and improve deployed PLC, SCADA, and robotics control systems.
• Troubleshoot incidents across controls, robotics, instrumentation, networking, and integrated equipment.
• Perform root cause analysis and implement fixes to reduce recurring faults.
• Update interfaces connecting third‑party equipment and vendor software to controls.
• Sustain PLC-based safety systems for equipment, robotics, and workflows.
• Plan preventive maintenance, patching, backups, upgrades, and lifecycle work.
• Keep P&IDs, wiring schematics, control narratives, and IO lists current.
• Track uptime, MTBF, MTTR, and recurring faults to guide reliability improvements.

Skills

PLC & SCADA

Robotics integration

OT networking

Git version control

AutoCAD / SolidWorks

Structured text

Python / C++

Troubleshooting

Safety systems SIL/PL

FMEA / CAPA

Tools

Ignition

OPC-UA

MQTT

REST APIs

TwinCAT

AutoCAD

SolidWorks Electrical

Job description

Your Impact at LILA

Lila is seeking a Controls Engineer on our Sustaining Engineering team to support the reliability and lifecycle performance of automated scientific equipment across our lab operations environment. This role works on deployed automation systems, including integrated robotics, PLCs, SCADA, instrumentation, and connected equipment.

You will troubleshoot multi-disciplinary issues, maintain and improve controls infrastructure, and support upgrades that keep laboratory workflows running reliably. The work spans incident response, preventive maintenance, root cause analysis, vendor software integration, documentation, and system lifecycle management.

This is an execution-focused engineering role for someone who enjoys hands‑on problem solving in complex lab automation environments. Success means improving uptime, reducing recurring faults, and helping automation systems become safer, more reliable, and easier to maintain over time.

What You'll Be Building

• Maintain and improve deployed PLC, SCADA, and robotics control systems.
• Troubleshoot incidents across controls, robotics, instrumentation, networking, and integrated equipment.
• Perform root cause analysis and implement fixes that reduce recurring faults.
• Update wrappers connecting third‑party equipment and vendor software to controls systems.
• Sustain PLC‑based safety systems for equipment, robotics, and conveyance workflows.
• Plan preventive maintenance, patching, backups, upgrades, and component lifecycle work.
• Keep P&IDs, wiring schematics, control narratives, and IO lists current.
• Track uptime, MTBF, MTTR, and recurring faults to guide reliability improvements.

What You'll Need to Succeed

• 2 to 5+ years supporting, maintaining, or troubleshooting automated control systems.
• Hands‑on experience with PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, and related automation platforms.
• Experience with OT networking, including routing, security groups, VPNs, or similar systems.
• Experience using Git or equivalent version control for engineering artifacts.
• Ability to create and maintain engineering documents using AutoCAD, SolidWorks Electrical, or similar tools.
• Experience with robotics integration, structured text, or related automation programming.
• Strong troubleshooting skills across hardware, software, networking, and integrated equipment.

Bonus Points For

• Ignition experience or Ignition Gold Certification.
• Structured text, TwinCAT, Python, C++, or similar programming experience.
• Experience with OPC‑UA, MQTT, REST APIs, or related communication protocols.
• Familiarity with safety classifications such as SIL or PL.
• Experience with reliability methods such as FMEA, CAPA, RCM, or preventive maintenance strategy.

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

$93,600 – $138,600 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 is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

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.