Senior / Staff Automation Engineer

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 Associate Director, Automation Development. 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!

In this role, you will:

• Come up to speed on various scientific process to drive the translation of workflows onto automation systems
• Design, develop and qualify new workcells and liquid handling protocols to enable new platform capabilities
• Work with the Automation Industrialization team to ensure equipment is in good operating condition and troubleshoot automation or software errors
• Work with the Automation Sciences team to define scientific workflows, develop process specific QC metrics, and ensure successful transfer of methods to end users
• 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
• Lead and shape our team culture with your ideas and experience
• Collaborate with the LIMS team on workflow parametrization

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
• Schedulers, liquid handlers, robotics, software solutions excite you!
• 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 managing the relationship to other engineering functions (eg. third party service providers and vendors or internal mechanical or software engineering teams)
• You see problems as opportunities and are not afraid to be inquisitive in the face of unknown
• You have experience automating scientific workflows (ex. Cell Culture, Genomic Screening or DNA-encoded Library processes)
• You have experience working with Python, SQL, and/or C#

Compensation & Benefits at insitro

Our target starting salary for successful US-based applicants for this role is $165,000 - $215,000. 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 (insitro pays 100% of premiums for employees on our base plans), as well as mental health and well-being support
• Open, flexible vacation policy
• Paid parental leave
• Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development
• Support to occasionally attend professional conferences that are meaningful to your career growth and development
• New hire stipend for home office setup
• Monthly cell phone & internet stipend
• Access to free onsite baristas and cafe with daily lunch and breakfast
• Access to free onsite fitness center
• Commuter benefits

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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