Staff Software Engineer, Core Engine

Overview

Level: 5

Location: London, Hybrid - 3 Days/Week in Office

At Automata, we're building the automation infrastructure that powers the future of life sciences.

We believe that by combining robotics, data, and intelligent automation, we can accelerate drug discovery, enable the next generation of personalised medicine, and make diagnostics faster and more reliable - where every second counts.

Our platform blends modular robotics benches with a digital software ecosystem that lets scientists describe and automate their experiments effortlessly. The result? Labs that run continuously, with unprecedented precision, scalability, and speed - already saving lives today.

Now, we're scaling globally - and we're looking for a Staff Software Engineer to join our elite engineering team to push the limits of intelligence in automation.

What You'll Do

• Work in a small, senior engineering group to design and build part of our core real-time engine that translates user-intent (via frontend, CLI or integration surfaces) into high-throughput orchestrations across multiple scientific experiments.

• Translate product input into a robust services architecture: you'll handle backend logic in Python (our primary language) and bring strong opinions about where performance-critical modules should be used.

• Build systems that work in cloud, bare-metal, and edge environments - supporting high concurrency, and high throughput with real-time demands.

• Collaborate closely with Platform Engineers, Data Engineers, Product Managers and Designers to ensure your engine solves real user problems and aligns with our mission and vision.

• Participate in architecture decisions and own delivery from 0 1 and then scale, iterating quickly and pragmatically.

• Automate your engineering workflow: you use Gen-AI tools (e.g. Claude-Code, Copilot) and other modern tooling to improve your productivity and raise the bar.

• Work in a regulated/high-stakes domain - lab automation, diagnostics, biotech - where quality, robustness, traceability, and performance matter every day.

• Be present in our London office at least three days a week - we move fast and leverage in person, whiteboards and tap-on-the-shoulder collaboration to accelerate our mission.

About You

• At least 10 years of professional software engineering experience, with a strong background in performance-centric backend/engine work in startup, scale-up, or similar high pace environments.

• Proven success at building from scratch (0 1) then scaling high-volume systems - you understand the difference between a product and a custom solution.

• Deep expertise building real-time or streaming systems, or systems with very high throughput demands.

• Strong programming skills in Python. Bonus if you have experience with other high-performance languages building critical components.

• Experience with containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes), backend systems, microservices design, message/event systems, and deployments in cloud and bare-metal/edge contexts.

• Excellent cross-functional communicator - you translate technical complexity for product/design/data stakeholders, and feel confident pushing forward even with ambiguity.

• Mission and tech-driven: you're excited about building software that matters (life-sciences, automation) and you hold yourself to world-class engineering standards.

• Comfortable working in-office in London (3 days/week) and in a high-autonomy, fast-moving environment.

• Bonus: experience in regulated environments (clinical diagnostics, biotech labs) or edge deployments is highly desirable.

Why Join Automata

• Work at the bleeding edge of life-sciences automation - your work will scale globally and enable labs to discover faster, diagnose sooner and save lives.

• Join an elite senior engineering team, with autonomy to influence direction, stack and infrastructure, while being part of a growth-stage company.

• Use Python today, but with freedom to shape or introduce high-performance languages and libraries where required.

• Competitive compensation (permanent or contractor) and a true mission-driven culture, centred in London with hybrid working.

• A rare opportunity where tech meets impact - build systems that matter for human health and scientific progress.

UK Team Benefits

• Vitality Health Insurance

• Private healthcare that incentives a healthy lifestyle

• Eye Care

• Get your eyes tested once a year on us!

• Salary Sacrifice - EV

• Sacrifice some of your monthly salary in exchange for a company car, provided by your Employer

• Salary Sacrifice - Bike & Tech

• Sacrifice some of your monthly salary in exchange for bike and tech products, provided by your Employer

• Wellbeing & Support

• Support for both your physical and mental health

• Wellbeing & Development Allowance

• Invest in your own well-being, personal growth, and hobbies

• Spill & Employee Assistance Programme

• Access the therapy for you and your family through Spill

• Additional Leave

• Time off for dependents, 'Me days', and volunteering days off

• Pension Scheme

• Plan for retirement with NEST

• Group Life & Critical Illness cover

• Life insurance - for a piece of mind

• Birthday

• Time off for your Birthday

We are an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Discrimination of any kind based on race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status is strictly prohibited.