Lab Automation Engineer

Intellectt Inc; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Roche/Genentech is seeking a hands-on Lab Automation Engineer to support development, integration, testing, and commissioning of automated scientific workflows within the Automation Science & Technology group for the Autonomous Lab Accelerator.

You will translate scientific protocols into reliable automation methods, integrate laboratory instruments and workcells, and collaborate with scientists, informatics teams, software engineers, system integrators, and instrument vendors to deliver

Qualifications

• Experience integrating instruments into automated workcells.
• Exposure to robotic arms, mobile robots, or machine vision.
• Familiarity with Python and instrument communication protocols.
• Experience with programmatic or agent-based control of instruments.

Responsibilities

• Translate protocols into executable automation methods and validate performance.
• Program, configure, test, and troubleshoot automation platforms.
• Integrate instruments into workcells with FAT/SAT and scheduling.
• Diagnose hardware/software and vendor integration issues.
• Collaborate with informatics to connect instruments with schedulers, databases, ELN/LIMS.
• Develop interfaces for programmatic execution of instruments and workflows.
• Document configurations, test results, and troubleshooting procedures.
• Own technical challenges and escalate when needed.

Skills

Lab automation

Python scripting

Instruments integration

System troubleshooting

API integration

Tools

LIMS

ELN

APIs

Job description

Seeking a hands-on Lab Automation Engineer to support the development, integration, testing, and commissioning of automated scientific workflows within the Automation Science & Technology group for the Roche/Genentech R&D Autonomous Lab Accelerator.

The engineer will translate scientific protocols into reliable automated methods, integrate laboratory instruments and workcells, and collaborate with scientists, informatics teams, software engineers, system integrators, and instrument vendors.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate scientific protocols into executable automation methods and validate workflow performance and reproducibility.
• Program, configure, test, and troubleshoot laboratory automation platforms and scientific instruments.
• Integrate multiple instruments into automated workcells, including workflow scheduling, commissioning, Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT).
• Diagnose and resolve hardware, software, communication, and device-integration issues with vendors and system integrators.
• Partner with informatics teams to connect instruments and workcells with schedulers, APIs, databases, Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), and Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN).
• Develop and validate interfaces supporting programmatic and agent-driven execution of instruments and workflows.
• Document automation methods, system configurations, test results, and troubleshooting procedures.
• Own assigned technical challenges through resolution and elevate issues when additional expertise is needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience integrating multiple instruments into an automated workcell or end-to-end laboratory workflow.
• Exposure to robotic arms, mobile robots, machine vision, or other physical AI applications.
• Familiarity with Python or another scripting language, APIs, databases, messaging systems, or instrument communication protocols.
• Experience supporting programmatic or agent-based control of laboratory instruments.
• Background in autonomous laboratories, high-throughput experimentation, or closed-loop experimentation.