Engineering Advisor/Sr. Advisor, Laboratory Automation

BioSpace; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 141,000 - 229,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus eligibility

Job summary

Lilly is seeking a senior, hands‑on automation leader in Boston to define platform architecture for RNA discovery workflows and to lead multidisciplinary teams across engineering, informatics, and science.

You will shape standards, ensure reproducible results, and stay engaged in method development in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, life sciences, or a related field with substantial relevant experience or a master’s degree with significant experience.
• Demonstrated technical leadership designing and delivering complex laboratory automation platforms in pharma, biotech, or life-science environments.
• Hands-on experience with liquid handling platforms (Hamilton STAR/STARplus) and configuring automated workflows.

Responsibilities

• Define automation architecture for complex RNA discovery workflows.
• Lead programs from requirements through qualification, deployment, and lifecycle ownership.
• Translate scientific workflows into scalable automation, software, data, and integration requirements.
• Serve as a technical authority for integrated laboratory platforms and workcells.
• Coordinate execution across scientists, engineers, informatics, data teams, lab operations, vendors, and partners.
• Establish standards that enable replication of solutions across sites.
• Lead technology evaluations, platform selection, vendor engagement, and risk management.
• Ensure systems generate reproducible results with traceable metadata and experiment lineage.
• Mentor engineers and maintain hands-on involvement in method development and validation.

Skills

Automation architecture

Technical leadership

Laboratory automation

RNA workflows

Software and data integration

Project leadership

Vendor management

Cross-functional collaboration

Hands-on method development

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, life sciences, or related field

Master’s degree with 10+ years of experience

Tools

Hamilton STAR/STARplus

Echo acoustic dispensers

Benchling

HighRes Cellario

Biosero Green Button Go

Python

NGS library preparation platforms

Job description

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, self-less work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us.

Eli Lilly is investing in laboratory automation, robotics, informatics, and data infrastructure to transform RNA therapeutics discovery. We are seeking a senior, hands-on automation leader to define platform architecture, lead multidisciplinary engineering programs, and build scalable capabilities across RNA Therapeutics. This is not a traditional instrument-support role or one focused solely on programming individual liquid handlers. You will connect scientific workflows, automation, software, informatics, and data systems to create integrated laboratory platforms. Reporting to the RNA Therapeutics Automation Lead, you will influence platform strategy, technology selection, engineering standards, project execution, and cross-site deployment. You will lead through technical expertise rather than formal personnel management while remaining actively engaged in the laboratory.

What You’ll Do

• Define automation architecture for complex RNA discovery workflows
• Lead programs from requirements through qualification, deployment, and lifecycle ownership
• Translate scientific workflows into scalable automation, software, data, and integration requirements
• Serve as a technical authority for integrated laboratory platforms and workcells
• Coordinate execution across scientists, engineers, informatics and data teams, laboratory operations, vendors, and external partners
• Establish standards that enable solutions to be replicated across laboratories and sites
• Lead technology evaluations, platform selection, vendor engagement, and technical risk management
• Ensure systems generate reproducible results, structured metadata, and traceable experiment lineage
• Mentor engineers, review critical designs, and strengthen engineering practices
• Remain hands‑on with complex method development, integration, troubleshooting, optimization, and validation

Your work may include RNA processing and screening platforms, high-throughput dose-response assays, automated NGS library preparation, integrated robotics, Benchling-connected workflows, and laboratory scheduling and orchestration. These platforms support the Design-Make-Test-Learn cycle by producing high-quality, traceable data for advanced analytics and AI-enabled discovery.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, life sciences, or a related field with at least 15 years of relevant experience; or a master’s degree with at least 10 years

Additional Skills/Preferences

• Demonstrated technical leadership designing and delivering complex laboratory automation platforms in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life-science environments
• Deep, hands-on experience with liquid handling platforms, preferably Hamilton STAR or STARplus
• Critical hands-on experience developing, optimizing, and deploying workflows on Echo acoustic dispensers
• Experience architecting workcells that integrate liquid handlers, acoustic dispensers, robotics, analytical instruments, and laboratory scheduling software
• Experience implementing or supporting scheduling and orchestration platforms such as HighRes Biosolutions Cellario or Biosero Green Button Go
• Experience with several of the following: NGS library preparation, bead-based workflows, assay miniaturization, molecular biology, Benchling or similar digital laboratory systems, Python, structured metadata, or cross-site standardization
• Strong project leadership, including the ability to create clarity amid ambiguity, align multidisciplinary teams, manage technical risk, and mentor engineers
• Strong technical communication and vendor-management skills

Experience with every listed technology is not required. However, substantial Echo acoustic dispensing expertise is critical. Engineering judgment, technical leadership, learning agility, and successful delivery of integrated automation systems matter more than familiarity with every other individual platform.

This Boston-based role requires up to 15% travel. Safety, integrity, quality, and compliance guide everything we do.

Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation) for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.

Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is

$141,000 - $228,800

Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day-care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities). Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.

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