Drug Discovery Automation Software Engineer

OpenTalent; New York (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Excelsior Sciences seeks a software engineer with strong laboratory automation experience to join the Automation team in New York. You will help connect hardware devices with software data streams and AI-enabled workflows, enabling reliable, machine-actionable experiments.

The role emphasizes building automation software, coordinating with scientists and automation engineers, and owning Lab IT support services to keep lab computers, security, access, and backups running smoothly.

Qualifications

• Experience in laboratory automation and related equipment.
• Solid software engineering fundamentals and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to own and operate Lab IT services within a research environment.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain software automation suites and agents that control lab automation devices and integrated workcells.

Skills

Laboratory automation

Software engineering

Automation software

Job description

Excelsior Sciences is reinventing small-molecule discovery and manufacturing through Blocc chemistry—modular, automation-friendly chemistry designed for machines to execute and AI to learn from—combined with closed-loop AI learning systems.

Backed by a $70M Series A from Deerfield, Khosla Ventures, and Sofinnova, along with a $25M Empire State Development grant, Excelsior is building a lean, high-leverage organization at the intersection of chemistry, automation, software, and AI. Additional investors include Eli Lilly, Cornucopian Capital, Illinois Ventures, and MIT.

Based at the Cure building in New York City, our goal is to build a chemistry and AI-native discovery platform in which high-quality experimental data continuously feeds learning systems that help determine what to make and test next—accelerating the cycle of molecular design, experimentation, and discovery.

Overview

This role sits on the Automation team (Physical AI & Lab IT) under the Chief Physical AI Officer, alongside Research Informatics / Software Engineering and Frontier AI (foundation models & AI/Quantum). The Automation team owns the software and systems that connect physical lab devices and robotic platforms to digital lab data and AI agents—enabling reliable, agentic control of automated workflows and closed-loop experimentation.

This role is also the Primary Service Owner for all Lab IT Support at Excelsior Sciences, responsible for lab computer lifecycle, warranty support, setup/configuration, endpoint security, remote access, and lab backup infrastructure.

We are seeking a software engineer with strong experience in laboratory automation and the software that sits at the interface between physical systems and digital/lab-data platforms. You will work as part of a collaborative, cross-functional team alongside scientists, automation engineers, and colleagues from Research Informatics and Frontier AI.

In addition to building automation and orchestration software, you will serve as the primary owner of Lab IT support services—ensuring lab computers; endpoint protection, remote access, and backup systems are reliable and ready for scientific use. The ideal candidate combines solid software engineering skills with practical lab instrumentation knowledge and hands-on Lab IT ownership. Success means automated lab workflows become dependable, observable, and machine-actionable, while the underlying lab computing environment remains secure, supported, and operational.

Key Responsibilities — Automation & Orchestration

• Design, build, and maintain software automation suites and agents that control web and desktop applications driving lab automation devices and integrated workcells.