Principal/Sr. Principal - Automation Engineer

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.

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

Eli Lilly and Company is seeking an experienced Lab Automation Engineer to join the Gene Therapy Nanomedicines team in Boston, MA. The successful candidate will join a vibrant discovery team working cross-functionally on non-viral nanomedicines with a myriad of clinical applications. Our team works cross-functionally within Lilly across multiple disease areas and platforms.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead translation of benchtop processes to automated workflows through close collaboration with scientists on defining requirements, programming, and validating runs to ensure robust process.
• Enhance existing automated workflows by building connectivity to data analysis, ELN and other software infrastructure in collaborations with IT and data science colleagues.
• Provide training and documentation to scientists in the operation of automation instruments, assisting them with advanced experimental troubleshooting and error-recovery support when needed.
• Coordinate with cross-functional team members and leadership to understand priorities and execute projects in a timely manner.
• Contribute to defining the automation strategy at Lilly’s Boston site, working with scientists, local and global Lilly automation community, and partnering with external vendors.
• Manage equipment scheduling, service contracts, and preventative maintenance.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelors in life sciences, engineering, or similar field and 7+ years of related work experience with automated laboratory systems, or Masters degree in life sciences, engineering, or similar field and 5+ years of relevant work experience.

Additional Skills/Preferences:

• Demonstrated experience leading script development projects in collaboration with lab scientists, ability to work on multiple projects and set work priorities.
• Demonstrated experience with operating, modifying, and programming automated liquid handling robotics platforms (i.e., Tecan, Hamilton, Beckman), and integrated systems with its software and schedulers (i.e., Cellario, Green-Button-Go).
• Broad experience with smaller standalone automated systems like KingFisher, Mantis, Opentrons, Hamilton Prep, BigTuna, plate washers, plate readers, etc.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills with clear documentation of scientific work, and experience with laboratory information management systems (i.e., Benchling).
• Demonstrated time management skills, with ability to work independently and in a cross-functional team environment.
• Familiarity with general laboratory procedures and basic cell and molecular techniques. Hands-on lab experience in these areas is an advantage.
• Experience establishing sample tracking systems using automated barcode reads or similar and capturing and linking related data from instruments is an advantage.
• Familiarity with programming languages (i.e., python, C#) is an advantage.
• CAD design tools knowledge (Autodesk Inventor, Solid Works, etc.) is an advantage

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 an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, 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 help our company develop talented individuals for future leadership roles. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia Network, African American Network, Chinese Culture Network, Early Career Professionals, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinos at Lilly, PRIDE (LGBTQ + Allies), Veterans Leadership Network, Women’s Network, Working and Living with Disabilities. Learn more about all of our groups.

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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