Senior Automation Engineer– Molecular Tool Development

The Allen Institute accelerates science for a healthier world through large-scale research designed to answer some of the most complex questions in biology. Our multi-disciplinary teams generate foundational knowledge, tools, and data to understand how our brain, cells, and immune system work. We share our work openly so others can build on it, move faster, and ask bigger questions. We drive discovery forward and create new possibilities for improving human health.

The mission of Scientific Shared Resources and Technologies is to enable biological insight through technology innovation, development and application in partnership with the Accelerators at the Allen Institute. This includes generation of world leading datasets.

We are searching for an Automation Engineer, Senior to lead the automation group in the Molecular Tool Development team within Shared Resources. The mission of the Molecular Tool Development team is to pioneer, develop, and deploy advanced molecular tools and cutting-edge liquid handling automation across the Allen Institute. By serving as a centralized engine of innovation, the team partners directly with accelerators and high-throughput standardized services to seamlessly translate novel workflows into robust, scalable pipelines.

This role sets the team’s automation strategy and partners with scientists and technical teams across the Allen Institute to translate emerging molecular methods and complex laboratory workflows into reliable, scalable automation solutions. The Automation Engineer, Senior leads automation initiatives through requirements definition, design, integration, validation, deployment, and ongoing improvement; establishes team technical standards and best practices; and guides the adoption of automation across diverse scientific programs.

The position also manages and develops the automation group in the Molecular Tool Development team, aligns staff and financial resources with Institute priorities, and ensures the team delivers reproducible, high-throughput workflows that expand scientific capabilities across the Institute.

At the Allen Institute, we believe that science is for everyone – and should be open to everyone. We are dedicated to combating biases and reducing barriers to STEM careers more broadly.

We also believe that science is better when it includes different perspectives and voices. We strive to make the Allen Institute a place where everyone feels like they belong and are empowered to do their best work in a supportive environment.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and strongly encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for our open positions.

• Partner with scientists and technical stakeholders early in project life cycles to identify automation opportunities, define technical requirements, translate scientific concepts into scalable engineering plans, and develop automation roadmaps that accelerate scientific and operational outcomes.
• Build, lead and manage the automation group in the Molecular Tool Development team, including recruiting, coaching, performance management, resource allocation, and workforce planning to meet Institute-wide automation needs. This includes tracking financial spend and cost recovery models
• Develop and maintain strategic vendor partnerships and provide technical leadership for equipment evaluation, procurement, implementation, and ongoing support
• Drive the full lifecycle of automation development including requirements gathering, custom scripting, system validation, release, and ongoing operational support
• Design and integrate automation platforms across complex workflows, including lab-in-the-loop systems, proteomics, functional…