Principal Robotic Automation Engineer

HighRes•Beverly, MA

2d•$135,000 - $180,000•Onsite

About The Position

HighRes is seeking a Principal Automation Engineer to join our Automation Engineering team at our headquarters in Beverly, Massachusetts. Reporting to the Associate Director of Lab Automation Engineering, you will set the technical standard for how we deploy and integrate our systems across a growing engineering organization and become a leading voice on both. The systems we deliver are growing in scale and sophistication, including multi-system integrations with orchestration software, laboratory information management systems (LIMS), electronic lab notebooks (ELN), and third-party software platforms. This role exists to architect how that work gets done: the standards, the integration patterns, and the test methods that govern commissioning across the product line, and to define how new and uncommon products are operated, integrated, and tested before they reach customer sites at scale. The Principal Robotic Automation Engineer operates differently from other roles in the department. Less time is spent in the field, and more is invested in the work that compounds. When this person does deploy on-site, it is because the technical risk of the project warrants it. This role suits someone who has built deep expertise across laboratory automation, earned credibility through results on the hardest projects, and is ready to bring that expertise to bear at an organizational level.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline (Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field) and 8+ years of relevant experience; or Master's degree and 7+ years; or Associate's degree and 10+ years
Extensive hands-on experience configuring, integrating, troubleshooting, and deploying laboratory automation systems in customer-facing settings
Experience with laboratory automation scheduling software such as CellarioScheduler, Green Button Go (Biosero), Momentum (Thermo Fisher), Overlord (PAA), or equivalent
Demonstrated experience architecting or defining deployment standards, integration patterns, or test methodology that an engineering organization adopted
Proficiency in C# or another object-oriented programming language, with experience in scripting, device integration, or driver development
Hands-on experience with robotic arm systems, including SCARA and articulated arms
Strong diagnostic and troubleshooting skills across hardware, software, network, and integration layers
Demonstrated experience coordinating across internal and external stakeholders, including software teams, support, and customers
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey complex technical issues to non-technical audiences with clarity and precision
Ability to travel up to 20% annually to customer locations domestically and internationally, including unplanned travel for escalations
Reliable personal transportation for regional travel
Comfortable working in laboratory and technical environments

Nice To Haves

Experience integrating laboratory automation with LIMS, ELN, or other third-party software platforms
Experience leading new product introduction, or integrating novel devices into established deployment processes
Exposure to GxP environments or validation protocols (IQ/OQ/PQ, FAT/SAT) in pharmaceutical or regulated laboratory settings
Experience with autonomous mobile robots or order-level sample tracking across integrated systems
Experience developing technical training content, standards documentation, or organizational knowledge-sharing programs
Hands-on integration experience with laboratory instrumentation from vendors such as Hamilton, Tecan, Beckman Coulter, Thermo Fisher, Agilent, Revvity, BMG Labtech, or Molecular Devices
Experience with firmware-level device configuration and troubleshooting across diverse hardware platforms
Experience with SQL and relational database configuration, and with Python for automation or tooling
Working knowledge of networking concepts and components in laboratory environments

Responsibilities

Define how the department deploys: the standards, integration patterns, and acceptance criteria that govern commissioning across the product line
Architect the technical approach for multi-system deployments, including integrations with LIMS, ELN, and third-party software platforms
Establish integration patterns for cross-system workflow orchestration and order-level sample tracking
Lead the integration of new HighRes products and third-party devices into the department's deployment processes and standards
Define how new and uncommon products are operated, integrated, and tested, and evaluate new hardware and software platforms for deployment readiness, identifying gaps and building the processes and documentation to close them
Partner with Product, Applications, Software, and System Design Engineering to define new product introduction requirements from the automation engineering perspective
Serve as the final technical escalation point for multi-system and integration issues that exceed senior and lead engineer capacity, owning outcomes from diagnosis through resolution and documentation
Identify patterns across escalations, deployment failures, and quality gaps, and design systemic responses that prevent recurrence
Own on-site execution selectively, where a deployment's technical risk warrants direct Principal involvement
Drive technical training programs, standards documentation, and lessons learned processes that raise the technical floor of the entire department
Develop and maintain internal technical resources that give engineers the tools to handle increasingly complex systems independently
Serve as a mentor and technical resource to engineers at every level of the department
Partner with Applications, Software Engineering, Customer Support, and Professional Services on complex integrations and system-level technical decisions
Represent the automation engineering perspective in cross-functional design reviews, product planning sessions, and escalation forums
Communicate technical risks, requirements, and recommendations to internal and external stakeholders clearly and with appropriate context