Lead/ Senior Automation Engineer

The Opportunity

insitro is a physical AI company dedicated to unlocking causal human biology and accelerating the delivery of better medicines to patients. Our unique Virtual Human™ platform identifies novel, high-impact genetic intervention points, which our TherML™ platform translates into therapeutics—whether small molecules, biologics, or oligos.

As a Lead/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.

Responsibilities

• Embed with scientific teams to define workflows, develop process-specific QC metrics, and drive workflow translation 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 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 machine learning, software engineering, and scientific groups on technology onboarding, minimizing batch effects, or process improvements.
• Identify opportunities to develop, test, and deploy automation solutions more efficiently.
• Work with automation leadership to create a census of automation, assess current usage, and develop/implement plans for retirement, growth, or re-deployment.

Qualifications

• 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.
• Understanding of existing lab automation industry capabilities with a track record of technical depth across automation systems of varying scale.
• Ability to work independently on complex projects and provide guidance to others.
• Experience managing relationships with third-party service providers, vendors, and internal engineering teams.
• Experience automating scientific workflows (e.g., Cell Culture, Genomic Screening, or DNA-encoded Library processes).