Lab Software Engineer

xairatherapeutics; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 152,000 - 205,000; Full time

Job summary

Xaira Therapeutics in South San Francisco, CA, seeks a Lab Software Engineer to join our interdisciplinary data and bioinformatics team, building software that accelerates the discovery of novel therapeutics and enables efficient data handling.

You will work with AI scientists and lab researchers to design data models, APIs, and pipelines, and contribute to instrument data capture and LIMS/ELN workflows. 5+ years' experience and Python/C# skills are preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Chemistry, Biology, Computational Biology, or a related field.
• 5+ years of industry experience building software for lab or scientific data.
• Experience designing data models for biological experiments and pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop software to interact with lab instruments and capture data.
• Build scalable pipelines for automated processing of instrument data.
• Collaborate with AI scientists and lab teams to define data models and APIs.
• Contribute to LIMS/ELN configuration and management.
• Develop data schemas for experimental samples and data.

Skills

Python

C#

Education

BS degree in Computer Science, Chemistry, Biology, Computational Biology, or related field

Tools

ELN/LIMS systems

Benchling

Job description

About Xaira Therapeutics

Xaira is an innovative biotech startup focused on leveraging AI to transform drug discovery and development. The company is leading the development of generative AI models to design protein and antibody therapeutics, enabling the creation of medicines against historically hard-to-drug molecular targets. It is also developing foundation models for biology and disease to enable better target elucidation and patient stratification. Collectively, these technologies aim to continually enable the identification of novel therapies and to improve success in drug development. Xaira is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and London.

About the Role

We are seeking a Lab Software Engineer to join our interdisciplinary data and bioinformatics engineering team, working at the intersection of AI, scientific workflows and therapeutic discovery. In this role, you will collaborate closely with AI scientists, lab scientists, and drug discovery experts to design, build, and deploy software systems that accelerate the identification and development of novel therapeutics.

This role spans a range of problem spaces, from building software that can interact with lab instruments to capture data to designing data models to store complex biological data. We are particularly interested in candidates who are excited to develop software and data models which will have a real‑world impact within drug discovery, and who are comfortable working in fast‑paced, cross‑functional environments.

What You Will Do

• Design and develop software to interact with lab instruments to capture data in a mix of high and low throughput experiments.
• Build scalable pipelines for automated processing of instrument data.
• Collaborate with computational and experimental teams to define data models/schemas for experimental samples and data.
• Develop APIs and tools to aggregate data for analysis and visualization.
• Participate in the configuration and management of our LIMS/ELN systems.

Leveling

For more experienced candidates (Senior level):

5+ years of industry experience building and deploying data capture and analytics solutions for scientific data.

Proven track record of delivering impactful solutions for lab scientists.

Demonstrated successes of gathering requirements from scientists and translating them into a system design.

Experience leading technical projects, working independently and driving cross‑functional execution.

For candidates earlier in their careers:

Strong academic or early industry experience, particularly in areas such as scientific data analysis, database design or data integration.

Hands‑on experience with data model development on scientific projects.

Demonstrated ability to learn quickly and apply new techniques to real‑world problems.

Preferred Skills and Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, Chemistry, Biology, Computational Biology, or a related field.
• Strong programming skills in Python and/or C#.
• Solid understanding of laboratory workflows and data.
• Experience working with ELN/LIMS systems, experience with Benchling would be preferred.
• Experience developing software to interface with laboratory instruments.
• Experience developing data models/schemas for scientific samples and data.
• Working knowledge of SQL database queries and table design.
• Experience working with cloud computing environments, AWS experience is preferred/
• Strong problem‑solving skills and ability to work in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment.

Compensation

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, seeking to provide an open, flexible, and friendly work environment to empower employees and provide them with a platform to develop their long‑term careers. A Summary of Benefits is available for all applicants. We offer a competitive package that includes base salary, bonus, and equity. The base pay range for this position is expected to be $152,000 - $205,000 annually; however, the base pay offered may vary depending on the market, job‑related knowledge, skills and capabilities, and experience.

Xaira Therapeutics an equal‑opportunity employer. We believe that our strength is in our differences. Our goal to build a diverse and inclusive team began on day one, and it will never end.