Software Engineer, Applications (Scientific Development Solutions) (High Seniority)

Role Overview

The Scientific Development Solutions (SDS) group — comprised of our Study Lifecycle and Process Execution teams — builds the products biologists rely on to run complex lab operations at scale. SDS owns Benchling's Studies, Workflows, and Procedures products, serving enterprise customers with demanding GLP/GMP regulatory needs.

As a Software Engineer at the High Seniority level, you will be the senior engineering authority partnering with the Study Lifecycle and Process Execution teams. You will architect complex systems, set the technical bar, and serve as an IC leader across the broader Applications division, translating scientific and regulatory requirements into durable, full-stack systems.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior technical authority for the Study Lifecycle and Process Execution teams, driving system design and development.
• Independently architect and implement solutions to complex problems — across system architecture, backend models/APIs, and rich frontend UI — in regulated (GLP/GMP) environments.
• Lead large, multi-quarter initiatives, breaking down ambiguous requirements into technical plans and milestones.
• Guide technical decision-making and engineering strategy regarding platform capabilities, technical debt, and long-term optionality.
• Act as a force multiplier across the Applications division by raising engineering and architectural standards.
• Provide technical leadership through code review, architectural guidance, and mentorship.
• Partner closely with product management, design, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Explore and evaluate opportunities to leverage AI and LLMs for lab operations, SOP execution, and time-series analysis.
• Own end-to-end delivery of critical features from planning through deployment, maintenance, and monitoring.
• Support team scaling through tooling improvements, engineering processes, interviewing, and hiring.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience with increasing scope and impact.
• Experience as a technical lead on multi-engineer, multi-quarter projects.
• Strong experience building backend systems and APIs for cloud-based web applications, with the ability to build full-stack when needed.
• Experience with or ability to quickly learn our stack: comprehensive React frontend, Python backend, and PostgreSQL relational data model.
• Proven ability to design scalable, robust architectures that align with business needs.
• Track record of independently scoping and driving initiative-level work across multiple teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for technical design and alignment.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop other engineers.
• Interest in life sciences (prior biotech or regulated GLP/GMP software experience is a plus).

Workplace Policy

• Hybrid work arrangement requiring on-site presence 3 days per week (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday) in San Francisco, CA.