Advisor - Lab Automation Software Engineer
About this opportunity
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.
We are seeking a Lab Automation Software Engineering Advisor to join our biotherapeutics discovery automation team at the Lilly Biotechnology Center in San Diego, where you'll architect and implement revolutionary software solutions that transform how we discover life-saving biotherapeutics.
As a Lab Automation Software Engineering Advisor, you'll be at the forefront of designing and building AI-integrated, closed-loop autonomous discovery ecosystem whereby intelligent systems propose hypotheses, execute experiments through advanced robotics, analyze results instantly, and iteratively refine and design the next set of experiments - all with minimal human intervention. In your role, you'll harness the latest breakthroughs in AI, machine learning, and laboratory digitalization to build software that makes our biotherapeutics discovery automation lab smarter, faster, and more innovative than ever before.
If you're excited about harnessing AI and automation to solve real-world problems in drug discovery and want to be part of building the lab of the future, we want to hear from you.
You will have the opportunity to:
Design and develop software applications that orchestrate complex automated laboratory workflows and closed-loop learning systems.
Build data pipelines and visualization tools that provide real-time insights into lab operations and experimental outcomes.
Implement machine learning models for visual inspection systems, predictive maintenance, and process optimization that enhance operational efficiency.
Create digital lab infrastructure including IoT integrations, digital lab twin models, and telemetry monitoring systems.
Develop and maintain integrations across multiple automation schedulers, LIMS, and data platforms.
Ensure robust software deployment through best DevOps practices and cloud-based solutions.
Basic Qualifications:
Ph.D. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Bioengineering/Engineering with at least three years of industry experience.
M.S. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Bioengineering/Engineering with at least 10 years of experience.
B.S. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Bioengineering/Engineering with at least 13 years of experience.
Experience should include relevant industry experience, preferably in a pharmaceutical company or an automation provider.
Additional Skills/Preferences:
Strong proficiency in Python, SQL, and JavaScript, with working knowledge of programing/scripting in C#, VBA, R, C++, MATLAB, and Bash.
Experience with statistical analysis tools (JMP, SAS, R) and business intelligence platforms (Tableau, Power BI, Spotfire).
Expertise in best DevOps practices, including database management systems (DBMS), data warehousing, software development, cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure), and version control tools (GitHub, GitLab).
Experience with lab digitalization technologies (IoT device integration, digital lab twins, automated usage and error reporting telemetry metrics) as well as autonomous lab systems and closed-loop learning frameworks is strongly preferred.
Familiarity with lab data platforms including Benchling, LabGuru, PostgreSQL, Genedata, or similar LIMS/ELN systems.
Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work cross-functionally with scientific and engineering teams.
Background in life sciences, pharmaceutical research, or high-throughput screening environments.
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 proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, 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 are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups.
Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is
$141,000 - $228,800
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.
#WeAreLilly
Job details
How this role compares
Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.
We currently track 240 comparable Associate Manufacturing & CMC roles across 48 biopharma companies.
Salary context
71 of 240 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)
Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.
Where these roles are based
Top locations among the 240 comparable roles
+ 16 more countries
Seniority mix
240 of 240 peers have a known seniority level
Therapeutic area mix
0 of 240 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden
No peers with a known therapeutic area yet.
Similar opportunities
The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.
How we calculate "similar"
No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.
Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.
0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.