Genetic Medicine Lab Automation Lead

Industry:

Company: Eli Lilly and Company

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.

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. Our 35,000 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.

Eli Lilly and Company is seeking an Automation Engineer to join the rapidly expanding RNA Therapeutics team in Boston, MA! We are responsible for inventing, characterizing, and advancing novel RNA-based therapeutics for a myriad of clinical applications. Our team works cross-functionally within our organization across multiple disease areas and platforms. Our goal is to deliver on the promise of RNA therapeutics to patients around the world.

Job Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the automation strategy at Lilly’s new Boston site, working with scientists, the global Lilly automation community, and partnering with external vendors.
• Collaborate closely with scientists to translate benchtop processes to fully automated workflows through programming and validating runs to ensure robust processes.
• Contribute to designing, developing and maintaining automated workflows (scripting, editing, error recovery, order scheduling, run execution) for the following processes: preparation and QC of synthetic oligonucleotide libraries, high-throughput cell-based screening, qPCR, and other molecular biology workflows.
• Operate, modify and program automated liquid handling robotics platforms (i.e., Tecan, Hamilton, Beckman, Prime, Echo), and integrated systems with its software and schedulers (Cellario, Green-Button-Go, Momentum, etc)
• Provide training and documentation to scientists in operation of automation instruments, assisting them with advanced experimental troubleshooting and error-recovery support when needed.
• Coordinate with cross-functional team members to execute projects in a timely manner.
• Manage equipment scheduling, service contracts and preventative maintenance.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences or similar scientific field and 7+ years of related experience with high-throughput laboratory instrumentation, or Master’s degree in scientific field and 5+ years of relevant experience.

Additional Skills/Preferences:

• Experience establishing high-throughput analytics (i.e., plate readers) and tools (i.e., automated barcode reads, etc)
• Experience leading script developing projects in collaboration with lab scientists, ability to work on multiple projects and set work priorities.
• Familiarity with general laboratory procedures and basic cell and molecular techniques
• Familiarity with programming languages (i.e., python, C#)
• Familiarity with Atlassian tools for version control (Bitbucket) and issue management (Jira)
• Broad experience with smaller standalone automated systems like Echo, KingFisher, Mantis, BlueCat washer, Opentrons, Hamilton Prep, BigTuna, plate washers, plate readers, etc.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills with clear documentation of scientific work, and experience with laboratory information management systems (i.e., Benchling, Signals)
• Demonstrated time management skills, with ability to work independently and in a cross-functional team environment.

Additional Information:

• This role may require up to 5-10% travel for conferences or training and may include the opportunity to mentor and train junior scientists.
• The position is located at 15 Necco Street, Boston Seaport, MA 02210.

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 an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, 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 help our company develop talented individuals for future leadership roles. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia Network, African American Network, Chinese Culture Network, Early Career Professionals, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinos at Lilly, PRIDE (LGBTQ + Allies), Veterans Leadership Network, Women’s Network, Working and Living with Disabilities. Learn more about all of our groups.

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