Senior Automation Engineer, High-Throughput Screening
Role summary
The high-throughput biology group at Novartis San Diego is seeking a Senior Automation Engineer to join the Advanced Automation Technologies group. This role focuses on operating, maintaining, and improving high-throughput screening systems for small-molecule drug discovery. Responsibilities include supporting daily discovery needs, contributing to lab-in-the-loop capabilities, chemistry automation, and integration with data and AI systems. The ideal candidate is a hands-on engineer adept at running complex systems, troubleshooting experimental workflows, and implementing practical improvements. This position requires close collaboration with biologists, chemists, engineers, and data scientists.
### Summary
The high‑throughput biology group in Novartis San Diego is seeking a Senior Automation Engineer to join the Advanced Automation Technologies group. The primary responsibility of this role is to operate, maintain, and continuously improve high‑throughput screening systems that support small‑molecule drug discovery. In addition to core screening operations, this role will contribute to the longer‑term evolution of lab‑in‑the‑loop capabilities, including chemistry automation and integration with data and AI systems. The Senior Automation Engineer will work closely with biologists, chemists, engineers, and data scientists to support day‑to‑day discovery needs while helping advance next‑generation automation platforms.
The ideal candidate is a hands‑on automation engineer who enjoys running complex systems, troubleshooting real experimental workflows, and making practical improvements to how experiments are executed and connected.
### About the Role
Internal Job Title: Senior Automation Engineer
Position Location: onsite, San Diego, CA. Given the hands‑on nature of the work and close collaboration with lab teams, this role is on‑site in San Diego and not open to remote or hybrid arrangements. Regular physical presence in the lab is an essential requirement. #LI-onsite
Key Responsibilities:
- Operate, support, and maintain high‑throughput screening systems for small‑molecule discovery
- Ensure reliable execution of automated workflows, including system setup, calibration, and troubleshooting
- Partner with biologists and assay scientists to support screening campaigns and evolving experimental needs
- Diagnose workflow issues, interpret system performance data, and communicate findings to technical stakeholders
- Contribute to the design and improvement of chemistry‑adjacent and lab‑in‑the‑loop workflows
- Support integration between automation systems, data infrastructure, and AI/ML tools
- Develop and maintain automation scripts using Python or similar languages
Essential Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Engineering, or related discipline, or equivalent experience
- 5+ years of relevant experience
- Hands‑on experience with laboratory automation and automated experimental systems, ideally in a screening environment
- Proficiency in Python or similar programming languages
- Experience with system scheduling software, scripting, and basic database concepts
- Strong troubleshooting skills and comfort operating complex, integrated systems
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Highly Desirable Skills:
- Experience with chemistry-enabling or automated synthesis workflows
- Familiarity with liquid handling, acoustic transfer, analytical integration, and microplate‑based systems
- Exposure to lab‑in‑the‑loop or closed‑loop experimentation
- Experience interfacing automation systems with data pipelines or AI/ML tools
The salary for this position is expected to range between $93,800 and $174,200 per year. The final salary offered is determined based on factors like, but not limited to, relevant skills and experience, and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically. Novartis may change the published salary range based on company and market factors.
Your compensation will include a performance-based cash incentive and, depending on the level of the role, eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards.
US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits. In addition, employees are eligible for a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.
To learn more about the culture, rewards and benefits we offer our people click here.
Why Novartis: Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together? https://www.novartis.com/about/strategy/people-and-culture
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EEO Statement:
The Novartis Group of Companies are Equal Opportunity Employers. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.
Accessibility & Reasonable Accommodations
The Novartis Group of Companies are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or to perform the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to [email protected] or call +1(877)395-2339 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message.
Division
Biomedical Research
Business Unit
Research
Location
USA
State
California
Site
LaJolla/SD
Company / Legal Entity
U175 (FCRS = US175) Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Inc.
Functional Area
Research & Development
Job Type
Full time
Employment Type
Regular
Shift Work
No
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Sample Novartis interview questions
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Merge a New Interval Merge a new interval into a list of non-overlapping intervals. Input: intervals = [[1,2],[3,5],[6,7],[8,10],[12,16]], newInterval = [4,8] Output: [[1,2],[3,10],[12,16]] Explanation: The new interval overlaps with [3,5], [6,7], and [8,10], merging them all into the unified block [3,10].
codingmedium - 2
Sort a String by Frequency Sort a string by the frequency of its characters. Input: s = "cccaaa" Output: "cccaaa" or "aaaccc" Explanation: Both 'c' and 'a' appear three times, so sorting them by descending frequency keeps them grouped equally.
codingmedium - 3
Diameter of a Binary Tree Find the diameter of a binary tree. Input: root = [1,2] Output: 1 Explanation: The longest path is simply the single edge connecting the root node to its only child.
codingmedium - 4
Iterator over a Binary Search Tree Implement an iterator over a binary search tree. Input: root = [7,3,15,null,null,9,20], calls: next(), hasNext(), next() Output: 3, TRUE, 7 Explanation: The iterator yields the smallest value (3), confirms more nodes exist, then properly yields the next in-order value (7).
codingmedium - 5
Minimum Path Sum Find the minimum path sum from top-left to bottom-right in a grid. Input: grid = [[1,2,3],[4,5,6]] Output: 12 Explanation: The optimal path moves along 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> 6, resulting in a minimum accumulated sum of 12.
codingmedium
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