Senior Automation Engineer - ML Dataset Generation

About the Role

This is a senior individual contributor role owning the automation platform that generates the data behind Satomic's chemistry. You will design and build the systems that turn chemistry requirements into high-throughput automated workflows, partnering directly with chemists and software engineers to ship methods that run reliably in production.

The right candidate brings deep experience in liquid handling and lab automation and implements solutions with the systems thinking of a developer. You will define test coverage, build internal tools, and work closely with the software team to integrate automation workflows into internal software systems including data capture, experiment tracking, and laboratory information management. You will ensure workflows can be diagnosed and recovered quickly when things go wrong. You will work closely with the chemistry team to validate new methods, troubleshoot complex workflows, and drive improvements that make the platform more robust as scientific scope grows.

This is a hands-on, lab-based role for someone energized by solving hard problems at the intersection of chemistry, instrumentation, and software, and who takes pride in building automation that the whole team can depend on.

Technologies and systems you may work with include:

• Liquid handling robotics (e.g., Hamilton liquid handlers)
• Automation control software (e.g., VENUS, PyHamilton, PyLabRobot)
• Laboratory instrumentation such as incubators, de-cappers, and analytical systems
• Internal software systems used for experiment orchestration and data capture
• Automation validation and testing frameworks used to ensure reliability of automated workflows

Expected Outcomes

By day 30, you will have:

• Assessed existing automated chemistry workflows and the method library, identifying validation status, reliability gaps, and immediate risks to execution
• Worked with the Platform and Chemistry teams to identify and drive resolution of the key automation decisions required before the platform can scale, documenting a clear, prioritized path forward for system expansion
• Shipped at least one production-ready automation method or method improvement on a liquid handling platform, including documented workflow, validation results, and operating procedure

By 90 days, you will have:

• Onboarded at least two liquid handling platforms including all necessary integrations, meaningfully expanding dataset generation and reaction development capacity
• Defined and shipped a liquid class onboarding pipeline with a documented promotion path from development to production, including automated validation checks
• Built internal tooling that meaningfully accelerates method development work
• Established consistent engineering practices for version control, testing, and documentation that are actively used across automation workflows

By year 1, you will have:

• Delivered a dataset generation platform supporting multiple concurrent chemistry programs and generating training data for Satomic's machine learning models
• Engineered at least one solution that adapts a previously incompatible chemistry workflow to run reliably on the automation platform
• Worked with the software team to integrate automation workflows with internal data systems, reducing manual data handling across the platform
• Trained at least one other team member on platform operation using documentation you authored

By year 5, you will have:

• Translated the hardest unsolved chemistry problems in the organization into reliable automated workflows, continuously expanding the chemistry the platform can execute
• Deployed agentic tooling and custom software integrations that enable autonomous handoffs across the platform and support 24-hour unattended operation
• Built Satomic's dataset generation capability into a core competitive advantage, enabling throughput and data quality unachievable without an automation-first platform

What You Will Own

• Technical direction and implementation of Satomic's dataset generation automation platform
• Liquid class development, validation, and lifecycle management from development through production
• Dataset generation method development and maintenance for ML and reaction development workflows
• Internal tooling to accelerate method development, worklist execution, and run analysis
• Integration of automation workflows with internal software systems and data pipelines
• Automated regression testing infrastructure and test coverage methodology for the full method development lifecycle
• Instrument procurement, configuration, and method migration as the platform expands
• Chemistry support and training as the automation technical point of contact for research operations

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in laboratory automation engineering with demonstrated ownership of method development, validation, and production deployment
• Prior Venus (Hamilton) experience is required. You must be able to write, debug, and extend methods independently
• Experience validating and troubleshooting hardware, software, method, or instrumentation issues
• Experience working across software and automation boundaries, including integrating liquid handling platforms with internal software systems or data pipelines
• Experience building internal tooling to support automation workflows, with Python strongly preferred
• Demonstrated ability to apply ML or scripting approaches to reduce manual decisions and operator burden in automation workflows, with Python strongly preferred
• Willingness to work in a hands-on laboratory environment supporting automated chemistry workflows
• Ability to document technical work clearly and collaborate effectively with scientists and engineers
• Comfort adapting chemistry procedures to fit automation constraints or engineering solutions on the platform to suit the chemistry when the chemistry cannot move

What This Role Is (and Is Not)

This role is:

• A senior individual contributor to own and support building out the machine learning dataset generation pipeline in a laboratory setting for small-scale chemistry
• Focused on method reliability, liquid handling systems, and building workflows that scale toward continuous operation

This role is not:

• For a system with PLC automation or industrial-scale chemical manufacturing
• A role where automation methods are handed to you fully defined and ready to execute.
• A software developer, data science, or assay scientist position

Overview of Satomic’s Interview Process

• Phone screen (15 minutes): A brief introductory call to discuss the role and answer questions
• Core Interviews (3 x 45 minutes): the hiring manager will coordinate a block where you can have three 45 minute interviews back to back with different members of the Satomic team, who will ask questions about your past experience and fit for the role
• Take-home assignment: A scoped engineering problem representative of the work at Satomic, completed on your own time
• Final round: A technical review of your take-home submission, and presentation of prior work to the interview panel to understand how you work, how you think, and how you collaborate across disciplines

Why Join Satomic?

Join a team tackling frontier challenges in chemistry and the biggest bottleneck in drug discovery– an opportunity to shape not just Satomic, but the future of how molecules are discovered and made.

Diversity & Inclusion

We know there’s a serious lack of diversity in our industry, and that needs to change. At Satomic, we’re committed to helping drive that change. Our culture is built on inclusion, humility, humanity, and ingenuity— values that guide how we work with one another and how we approach the challenges of scaling science. We believe that bringing together people with diverse perspectives, experiences, and ways of thinking is not just the right thing to do, but makes us stronger: we want every member of our team to feel they belong and can do the best work of their career here.

Our mission is to close the gap from idea to molecule. That mission carries responsibility: the chemistry we enable can accelerate access to life-changing medicines and technologies, but it can also pose risks if used carelessly. We’re not agnostic to how our platform is applied—we care deeply about ensuring it is used for good. Building a team of diverse and thoughtful voices gives us the best chance of delivering a platform that not only advances the future of chemistry and drug discovery, but does so responsibly and with lasting positive impact on our world.

Compensation

This role offers a base salary of $110,000 - $130,000, along with meaningful equity ownership and competitive benefits.

We are an early-stage company and design offers to balance cash compensation and long-term ownership. The salary range above reflects base pay only, and we work with candidates to build a package that aligns with their preferences.

Final offers are based on a candidate's experience and expected impact. For candidates exceptionally aligned with the role we are comfortable positioning offers toward the top of this range and beyond.