Staff Software Engineer - Robotics & Life Sciences Automation

We're searching for a Staff Software Engineer who combines deep technical maturity with the drive and ambition to build at the edge of what's possible. Someone who can set direction through technical excellence, operate as the most senior IC on the team, and build systems that scientists and robots can trust without question.

You'll architect and deliver high-throughput, real-time integrations between our robotics platform and a diverse ecosystem of life-sciences instruments - Windows-based, IP-based, serial/RS-based and beyond. You'll design the SDKs, abstractions and tooling that allow Automata (and our customers) to build integrations quickly, repeatably and safely.

This is a hands-on role, but one with first-principles influence: shaping engineering patterns, technical design, and the future of how labs automate experimentation.

If you thrive in ambiguity, ship with intent, and know how to turn complex hardware/software interactions into elegant platform solutions - this is the role you've been waiting for.

What You'll Own

Technical Leadership

• Serve as the most senior IC in a small senior engineering group within our wider software organisation.
• Lead technical direction through architecture, patterns, reviews and hands-on contribution.
• Drive a culture of quality, experimentation and autonomy.

Hardware, Robotics & Platform Integration

• Build stable, resilient integrations with Windows applications, IP-based devices, and serial instruments.
• Develop real-time communication layers, streaming pipelines, and high-throughput interfaces.
• Author rock-solid error-handling and safety-critical logic essential for robotics and life-sciences automation.
• Work with robotics engineers, product managers, platform and data engineers to deliver integrated systems end-to-end.

Tooling, SDKs & Intelligent Developer Experience

• Build frameworks, SDKs, abstraction layers and internal tools that dramatically reduce time-to-integration.
• Leverage LLMs and AI-assisted development (e.g., Claude Code) to accelerate reliability, templating, simulation and automated testing.
• Apply metaprogramming and automation to streamline your own and others' workflows.

Scale, Reliability & Deployment

• Build systems that scale globally with the reliability demanded by regulated environments.
• Own solutions from prototype to production: CI/CD, IaC, observability, performance and deployability.
• Work within a product engineering organisation that values pace, scientific rigour and precision in equal measure.

• 10+ years building high-performance or high-throughput software (backend, fullstack, core systems, device integrations or robotics).
• 4+ years integrating hardware, robots or Windows-based instruments (industrial automation, lab automation, robotics, manufacturing, scientific instruments, or similar).
• Expert in Windows software integrations and .NET.
• Strong experience with Python, ideally also Go, Rust, C/C++ or similar performance-oriented languages.
• Deep experience with real-time systems, streaming, concurrency, state machines, and distributed systems.
• Experience exposing hardware interfaces to the cloud or through robust APIs.
• You think in terms of abstractions, frameworks, and repeatability, not one-off integrations.
• Proficient with IaC and CI/CD for automation-heavy deployments.
• Comfortable in high-pace scale-ups or startups; highly autonomous but communicative.
• Continuous learner who uses LLMs, automation, and modern tooling to amplify impact.
• Mission-driven: excited by the opportunity to transform life sciences through automation., If you are motivated by impact, complexity, and the opportunity to build the foundations of a category-defining product, we'd love to meet you.

Why Automata

• Build automation that enables new discoveries - a platform that already saves lives.
• Work on the hardest problems at the intersection of robotics, software and biology.
• Operate with high autonomy, deep ownership and real influence on direction.
• Join a team of senior engineers working with clarity, pace and craftsmanship.
• Hybrid environment: 3 days/week onsite with world-class engineers and robotics specialists.
• Competitive compensation for both permanent and contract arrangements.

Automata: accelerating breakthroughs that save lives Automata builds automation that accelerates life sciences: enabling faster drug discovery, next-generation personalised medicines, and high-precision diagnostics where turnaround time can mean the difference between life and death. We believe the future of biology depends on automation that is reliable, scalable and accessible - and we're building the platform that makes that possible. Our modular lab bench and digital automation platform already run mission-critical workflows in leading research organisations. The next evolution of our product will scale globally, unify robotics with reproducible software interfaces, and redefine how scientists interact with instruments. And we're building the engineering team that will make that leap possible.