Lab Automation Engineer II: High-Impact Biotech Workflows

Amyris, Inc.; Emeryville (CA); Hybrid; USD 103,000 - 131,000; Full time

Job summary

Amyris, Inc. in Emeryville, CA is seeking an Automation Engineer II to support, troubleshoot, and improve automated laboratory workflows. You will work with liquid handlers and lab instrumentation to develop high-throughput processes—from genetic design through screening and analysis.

This onsite role emphasizes scripting, problem solving, and collaboration with scientists and fellow engineers to raise reliability and uptime across production-scale platforms.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific or engineering field.
• 2–3 years of experience in laboratory automation or related technical environment.
• Hands-on experience with automated laboratory instrumentation and liquid-handling platforms.
• Exposure to scheduling/orchestration platforms (e.g., Biosero Green Button Go, Agilent VWorks).
• Basic scripting/programming familiarity (Python, C#, VBScript).
• Strong troubleshooting and clear technical communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop, modify, test, and deploy automated lab methods on liquid handlers and platforms.
• Translate manual protocols into reliable automated workflows with established practices.
• Provide day-to-day support; troubleshoot routine to moderately complex hardware/software issues.
• Coordinate with vendors for maintenance and calibrations as needed.
• Develop and maintain method documentation and SOPs.
• Identify bottlenecks and opportunities to improve system reliability and uptime.
• Collaborate with scientists, engineers, and cross-functional partners.

Skills

Laboratory automation

Liquid-handling platforms

Python

C#

VBScript

Troubleshooting

Documentation

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering or related field

Tools

Beckman Biomek

Labcyte Echo

Agilent VPrep

Biosero Green Button Go

Job description

Amyris, Inc. in Emeryville, CA is seeking an Automation Engineer II to support, troubleshoot, and improve automated laboratory workflows. You will work with liquid handlers and lab instrumentation to develop high-throughput processes—from genetic design through screening and analysis.

This onsite role emphasizes scripting, problem solving, and collaboration with scientists and fellow engineers to raise reliability and uptime across production-scale platforms.