Laboratory Automation Engineer – Hardware & Orchestration2.5 year W2 Contract · Ridgefield, Connecticut · 4 days on site · Drug Discovery A pharma biotherapeutics research group is running a multi-million-dollar Lab Automation Transformation programme, and new automation hardware is arriving in its Ridgefield labs across Tecan, Hamilton and Biomek platforms, all orchestrated through Cellario. Somebody needs to make that hardware deliver: scripting the liquid handlers, integrating instruments into automated workcells, and orchestrating them so they do what the science needs. This is a hands-on automation role for a scientist. You will understand the science first, then make the equipment work for it. Scientists will come to you when they want a workflow automated, and the programme will rely on you to keep the systems running reliably.
What you'll be doing:
A workflow that a scientist runs by hand today in protein engineering, lead generation, expression and purification, or biophysics has to become a robust automated process tomorrow: scripted on a liquid handler, integrated into a workcell and scheduled through Cellario. Repeat that across three vendor platforms and several research teams, and you have the job.
In practice, that means:
- Writing, optimising and maintaining automated methods on Tecan (EVOware / FluentControl), Hamilton (VENUS) and Beckman Biomek platforms.
- Integrating new instruments into automated workcells and orchestrating them in Cellario.
- Supporting installation, commissioning and qualification of new automation hardware alongside equipment vendors.
- Partnering with scientists to turn manual workflows into robust automated processes.
- Troubleshooting hardware and method issues to keep systems running reliably.
- Training scientists, colleagues and external partners on automated systems, and contributing to SOPs and documentation.
- Contributing to technology and vendor evaluations, with a focus on cost-effectiveness.
- Year one, in one sentence: the new hardware commissioned, qualified and running robust, Cellario-orchestrated workflows that scientists rely on.
- How the team works:
- You report to the Lab Automation Team Lead and work alongside:
- A Digital / Data Integration Lead, who owns LIMS/ELN and data connectivity. You will work closely with this person so that the hardware and data systems fit together.
- Lab scientists across protein engineering, lead generation, protein expression and purification, and biophysics.
- The internal IT team.
- Equipment vendors, whom you will work with on installation and commissioning.
- The labs run business hours. There is no evening work, no weekend work and no on-call.
What we're looking for:- A hands-on lab science background. You have worked at the bench in biologics or protein science, in areas such as protein engineering, antibody discovery, expression, purification or biophysical characterisation.
- Method writing, not just method running. Proven experience writing methods on at least one major liquid-handling platform. Tecan or Hamilton is preferred, and Biomek is also valued. All three are in use, so you will need to be willing to learn the others.
- Orchestration experience. Cellario is strongly preferred. Green Button Go, Biosero or similar will be considered.
- Comfort with the physical side of automation. Instrument setup, hardware troubleshooting and working alongside vendor engineers.
- A problem-solver's mindset. You are methodical when something goes wrong, and you communicate clearly with scientists, IT and vendors.
- Independence and teamwork. You can own your work and also be part of a collaborative team.
- Willingness to be in the lab. You will be on site four to five days a week, because the hardware is there.
- Helpful, but genuinely not required:
- Pharmaceutical or biotech industry experience.
- Python or C# scripting.
- Experience with a new automation build or hardware rollout.
- Robotic arm or workcell integration experience.
- Why it's worth doing
This is a funded, multi-year transformation programme, so you will be building new automation capability rather than maintaining legacy systems. You will broaden your skills across three liquid-handling platforms in a Cellario-orchestrated environment, and you will work at the heart of next-generation biotherapeutics discovery.
And you keep your evenings and weekends. No out-of-hours work, no on-call.
