Senior Automation Engineer

insitro; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 173,000 - 183,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus plan

Equity incentives

401(k) match

Medical/dental/vision

Flexible vacation

Parental leave

Books & courses budget

Home office stipend

Cell phone stipend

Daily onsite lunch

Commuter bus access

Job summary

insitro is seeking a Senior Automation Engineer to collaborate with scientists, software engineers, and microscopy teams in building scalable automated systems. This onsite role is based at the South San Francisco headquarters, with a 4+ day in-office expectation.

You will help shape automation strategy and contribute to a growing biotech platform. The position requires a strong background in automation hardware, fluid handling, and software scripting (Python/SQL/C#), along with a track record

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a relevant engineering field such as Robotics, Mechanical, Electrical, or Software.
• 8+ years, MS 6+, or PhD 3+ years of experience in automation hardware.
• Experience with automation hardware and lab automation systems.
• Proficiency in Python, SQL, and/or C# with data handling skills.
• Understanding lab automation industry capabilities and depth across scales.
• Ability to work independently and mentor others.
• Experience coordinating with external vendors and internal engineering teams.
• Experience automating scientific workflows (e.g., cell culture, genomic screening).

Responsibilities

• Embed with scientific teams to define workflows, develop QC metrics, and translate workflows to automation systems.
• Design, develop and qualify new workcells and liquid handling protocols to enable platform capabilities.
• Collaborate with the LIMS team to implement automated data capture and LIMS integration for seamless data flow to AI/ML pipelines.
• Work with Systems Engineering to diagnose and resolve mechanical, software, and integration issues to minimize downtime.
• Collaborate across ML, software, and science groups on onboarding and process improvements.
• Identify opportunities to improve development, testing and deployment of automation solutions.
• Create a census of automation usage and plan areas for retirement, growth, or redeployment.

Skills

Automation hardware

Python

SQL

C#

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in a relevant field

Tools

LIMS

Job description

The Opportunity

At insitro, we aim to bring better drugs faster to the patients who can benefit most, through machine learning and data at scale. Our platform approach pushes us to build robust, reusable and scalable capabilities allowing for a continuous flywheel of discovery.

As a Senior Automation Engineer, you will collaborate with scientists, software engineers, and microscopy engineers to build and develop high quality automated systems and protocols. You will be a member of the Automation team and report to the Director, Process Engineering. This is an onsite role expected to be in the office at least 4 days/week in our South San Francisco Headquarters. You will join an exciting biotech startup that has long-term stability due to significant funding, but that is still very much in formation. You will have ample opportunities for growth and influence. You will work with a diverse team, learn a broad range of skills, and help shape insitro's culture, strategic direction, and outcomes. Join us, and help make a difference to patients!

Responsibilities

• Embed with folks within the scientific teams to define workflows, develop process specific QC metrics, and drive the translation of workflows onto automation systems

• Design, develop and qualify new workcells and liquid handling protocols to enable new platform capabilities

• Collaborate closely with the LIMS team to develop and implement automated data capture and LIMS integration to ensure seamless data flow from the robot to our AI/ML pipelines.

• Work with the Systems Engineering team to diagnose and resolve complex mechanical, software, and system integration issues to minimize equipment downtime and maintain operational continuity

• Collaborate with folks from our machine learning, software engineering and scientific groups to solve questions ranging from technology onboarding, minimizing batch effects, or process improvements

• Identify opportunities in how we develop, test and deploy automation solutions more efficiently

• Work with automation leadership to create a census of automation, its current usage, and develop and implement a plan for areas of retirement, growth, or re-deployment.

About You

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Robotics, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Software or Bioengineering, or Physics, Chemistry or Biology

• B.S, with 8+ years, M.S with 6+ years, or Ph.D. with 3+ years of professional experience working with automation hardware

• Proficiency in automation and systems development/integration within the life sciences industry, specifically with robotics and liquid handling platforms

• Proficiency in software programming (Python, SQL, and/or C#) and data handling (including database work) is highly preferred

• You understand existing capabilities of the lab automation industry and have a track record showing technical depth in automation systems of varying scale

• You are comfortable completing work independently on complex projects and can also give guidance to others on daily work

• You have experience in managing the relationship to other engineering functions (eg. third party service providers and vendors or internal mechanical or software engineering teams)

• You have experience automating scientific workflows (ex. Cell Culture, Genomic Screening or DNA-encoded Library processes)

Compensation & Benefits at insitro

Our target starting salary for successful US-based applicants for this role is $173,000 - $183,000. To determine starting pay, we consider multiple job-related factors including a candidate's skills, education and experience, market demand, business needs, and internal parity. We may also adjust this range in the future based on market data.

This role is eligible for participation in our Annual Performance Bonus Plan (based on company targets by role level and annual company performance) and our Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the terms of those plans and associated policies.

In addition, insitro also provides our employees:

• 401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as mental health and well-being support

• Open, flexible vacation policy

• Paid parental leave of at least 16 weeks to support parents who give birth, and 10 weeks for a new parent (inclusive of birth, adoption, fostering, etc)

• Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development

• New hire stipend for home office setup

• Monthly cell phone & internet stipend

• Access to free onsite baristas and daily lunch for employees who are either onsite or hybrid

• Access to a free commuter bus network that provides transport to and from our South San Francisco HQ from locations all around the Bay Area

insitro is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be at the foundation of our culture. We work hard to bring together diverse teams–grounded in a wide range of expertise and life experiences–and work even harder to ensure those teams thrive in inclusive, growth-oriented environments supported by equitable company and team practices. All candidates can expect equitable treatment, respect, and fairness throughout the interview process.

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Please be aware of recruitment scams: we never request payments, all recruitment communications are from @insitro.com, and if in doubt, contact us at [e-mail].

About insitro

insitro is a drug discovery and development company using machine learning (ML) and data at scale to decode biology for transformative medicines. At the core of insitro’s approach is the convergence of in-house generated multi-modal cellular data and high-content phenotypic human cohort data. We rely on these data to develop ML-driven, predictive disease models that uncover underlying biologic state and elucidate critical drivers of disease. These powerful models rely on extensive biological and computational infrastructure and allow insitro to advance novel targets and patient biomarkers, design therapeutics and inform clinical strategy. insitro is advancing a wholly owned and partnered pipeline of insights and therapeutics in neuroscience and metabolism. Since launching in 2018, insitro has raised over $700 million from top tech, biotech and crossover investors, and from collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. For more information on insitro, please visit www.insitro.com.