Engineer II / Senior Controls Engineer

Your Impact at Lila

Lila is seeking a seasoned Senior/Principal Engineer, Control Systems Design to lead the design and development of control systems for automated scientific equipment. This role involves architecting advanced control systems, integrating robotics and PLC technologies, and driving strategic initiatives to enhance laboratory automation.

What You'll Be Building

• Assist in designing and implementing control systems using PLC and SCADA technologies to optimize laboratory workflows and promote future scalability.
• Support the integration of advanced robotics into automation systems, ensuring smooth operation within existing frameworks.
• Assist in the integration of 3rd party equipment and vendor software, development of wrappers to connect equipment to existing controls system.
• Design of safety systems with PLCs to safely operate a mix of equipment, robotics, and conveyance systems.
• Collaborate with software teams to integrate control systems with broader IT/OT factory infrastructure.
• Develop comprehensive engineering documentation including P&ID diagrams, wiring schematics, control narratives, and instrument IO lists.
• Lead complex automation projects, defining controls scope, setting milestones, managing vendors, and ensuring on-time and on-budget delivery.
• Oversee calibration, testing, and validation of control systems to meet strict performance, accuracy, and safety standards.
• Interface with subject matter experts (SMEs) and cross-functional internal customers to gather requirements, understand challenges, and deliver tailored automation solutions.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers, fostering a collaborative and innovative team environment.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance system reliability and operational efficiency.

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• 4+ years of experience in designing and implementing complex control systems for automated laboratory environments.
• Extensive knowledge of PLCs, HMI, SCADA, and related automation software and hardware.
• Experience with industrial networking in OT deployments, network routing, security groups, VPNs, etc.
• Strong proficiency in creating detailed engineering documents and schematics using tools like AutoCAD, SolidWorks Electrical, or similar.
• Proven experience with robotics integration and programming using structured text.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for engaging with SMEs and internal stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail and a commitment to excellence.

Bonus Points For

• HMI design and Ignition Gold Certified.
• Structured text programming experience in TwinCAT, Python, C++, etc.
• Use of communication protocols like OPC-UA, MQTT, and REST APIs.
• Safety system design and classification like SIL or PL.
• Configuration of managed network switches, port addressing/IP subnetting, and DHCP services.
• Ability to troubleshoot traffic flows between OT networks and AWS cloud instances.

About Lila

Lila Sciences is the world’s first scientific superintelligence platform and autonomous lab for life, chemistry, and materials science.  We are pioneering a new age of boundless discovery by building the capabilities to apply AI to every aspect of the scientific method.  We are introducing scientific superintelligence to solve humankind's greatest challenges, enabling scientists to bring forth solutions in human health, climate, and sustainability at a pace and scale never experienced before. Learn more about this mission at  www.lila.ai

If this sounds like an environment you’d love to work in, even if you only have some of the experience listed below, we encourage you to apply.

Compensation

We expect the base salary for this role to fall between $93,600 – $158,400 USD per year, along with bonus potential and generous early equity. The final offer will reflect your unique background, expertise, and impact.

We’re All In

Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

Information you provide during your application process will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy.

A Note to Agencies

Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.