Advisor - Lab Automation Scientist

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

Join us at the forefront of AI-driven drug discovery!

The Biologics Automation and High-throughput Technologies Group at the Lilly Biotechnology Center in San Diego is seeking a Senior Lab Automation Scientist to revolutionize early-stage discovery and screening of protein therapeutics. We're building the future of biotherapeutics research by creating lab-in-the-loop systems that seamlessly integrate AI agents with physical automation, closing the discovery-to-data cycle in unprecedented ways.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with advanced lab automation equipment, laboratory software, and data analysis tools. As a key member of our team, you'll harness the latest technologies in automation equipment and artificial intelligence to transform how we discover and develop life-changing medicines. You'll work at the intersection of biology, data science, and robotics—designing intelligent, adaptive workflows where AI-powered decision-making drives autonomous laboratory operations in real time.

Job Responsibilities:

• Ensure that common lab automation equipment commonly used in biotherapeutic discovery labs is maintained in good working order. This includes stand-alone liquid handlers/micro-dispensers, plate readers/washers, protein quantification instruments, colony/plaque pickers, sequencing instruments etc., as well as several fully integrated robotic systems.

• Work closely with automation engineers on the team who are currently responsible for installing, maintaining, and qualifying automation equipment, developing operational scripts, updating scheduling software, and providing support to non-automation scientists throughout the site.

• Work collaboratively with protein discovery, engineering, and protein expression groups at the San Diego site to optimize research efficiencies through implementation of novel automation process improvements and technologies.

• Collaborate with both external vendors and internal teams to design, implement, and validate new automation equipment, integrated robotic workstations, lab digitalization technologies, as well as autonomous laboratory automation systems and closed-loop learning solutions.

Minimum qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related discipline with at least 2 years of industry experience (following post-doctorate), or

• M.S. in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related discipline with a minimum of 10 years of automation engineer-specific experience, or

• B.S. in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related discipline with a minimum of 13 years of automation engineer-specific experience

• Experience should include relevant industry experience, in a well-equipped automation lab, preferably in a pharmaceutical company or an automation provider.

Other preferred key attributes and skills

• Proficiency in the operation, maintenance, troubleshooting and optimization of liquid handlers (Beckman, Hamilton, HighRes, Lynx etc.), micro-dispensers (BioTek, Themo, Formulatrix, etc.) microplate washers and readers, high throughput antibody quantification instruments and E. coli colony plating/picking (QPix) is a must.

• Hands-on expertise in the operation, maintenance, troubleshooting and optimization of integrated automation workstations including schedulers such as SAMI, Green Button Go, Cellario, Director, Retisoft Genera or Agilent VWorks is required.

• Programming experience using Python, Java, C#, Visual Basic, or SQL is as asset.

• Experience with statistical analysis tools (JMP, SAS, R) and business intelligence platforms (Tableau, Power BI, Spotfire) is preferred.

• Familiarity with lab data platforms including Benchling, LabGuru, PostgreSQL, Genedata, or similar LIMS/ELN systems.

• Previous experience in the direct supervision of lab automation engineers in an industry setting is required.

• Excellent organizational skills, as exemplified by an aptitude for clear record-keeping, and data analysis, and the ability to prioritize work across multiple projects.

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with automation engineer colleagues and scientists to design, validate and implement automated workflows for complex biological discovery workflows.

• Demonstrated aptitude in technical training and support of laboratory staff on lab automation equipment and integrated workstations.

• Proven skill in process development initiatives and continuous optimization of automation-driven discovery workflows.

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 Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups.

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

$138,000 - $224,400

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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