Engineer II / Senior Mechanical Engineer, Sustaining Engineering

About the role

Lila is seeking a Mechanical Engineer II/Senior Engineer on our Sustaining Engineering team to improve the reliability, uptime, and lifecycle performance of deployed bench-scale robotics and mechanical systems. This role focuses on sustaining and improving fielded robotic workcells rather than greenfield design.

Responsibilities

• Maintain, troubleshoot, and improve deployed bench-scale robotics and mechanical systems used in scientific automation workflows.
• Diagnose failures across pneumatic, electromechanical, optical, and mechanical subsystems, then implement durable corrective actions.
• Use SolidWorks CAD and analysis to design replacement parts, retrofits, fixtures, and reliability improvements.
• Create and validate prototypes, spares, and design fixes using 3D printing, laser cutting, and other rapid fabrication methods.
• Perform structured root cause analysis using methods such as 5 Whys and fishbone diagrams.
• Manage engineering changes through ECO/ECM, PDM/PLM, and requirements management systems.
• Plan preventive maintenance, manage component obsolescence, and recommend upgrades as systems mature.
• Track reliability metrics such as uptime, MTBF, MTTR, and recurring fault rates to guide improvement priorities.
• Maintain design documentation, runbooks, technical specifications, and lessons learned from field issues.
• Coincide cross-functionally to keep mechanical designs aligned with software, controls, safety, quality, and scientific workflow requirements.

Requirements

• Experience in mechanical engineering, robotics, laboratory automation, or a related technical field.
• Bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or equivalent practical experience in mechanical engineering, robotics, or a related discipline.
• Strong SolidWorks CAD skills, including practical experience with GD&T and DFMA.
• Experience troubleshooting mechanical systems under operational pressure, including issues that span mechanical, electrical, and controls interfaces.
• Working knowledge of RCA, FMEA, CAPA, or related reliability and quality improvement methods.
• Experience with requirement management, product lifecycle management, or product data management systems.
• Ability to support deployed systems, document technical decisions, and mentor others on maintainable mechanical design.

Bonus points for

• Experience sustaining automated systems in life science, physical science, biotech, manufacturing, or other complex technical environments.
• Experience with PDM Vault management, rapid prototyping, mechanical testing, and field reliability workflows.
• Knowledge of motion control, mechatronic systems, robotic integration, or discrete material movement.
• Experience supporting production ramp, process optimization, or fielded product reliability in automotive, battery, semiconductor, packaging, or similar environments.
• Strong attention to detail in documentation, standards adherence, equipment management, and controlled change processes.

Pay

We offer competitive base compensation with bonus potential and generous early-stage equity. Your final offer will reflect your background, expertise, and expected impact.

Schedule

Full-time position.

Benefits

U.S. Benefits. Full-time U.S. employees receive a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer-paid life and disability insurance; flexible time off with generous company wide holidays; paid parental leave; an educational assistance program; commuter benefits, including bike share memberships for office based employees; and a company subsidized lunch program.

International Benefits. Full-time employees outside the U.S. receive a comprehensive benefits program tailored to their region. USD salary ranges apply only to U.S.-based positions; international salaries are set to local market.

Expected Base Salary Range

$93,600 - $158,400 USD

About LILA

Lila Sciences is building Scientific Superintelligence™ to solve humankind's greatest challenges. We believe science is the most inspiring frontier for AI. Rather than hard-coding expert knowledge into tools, Lila builds systems that can learn for themselves.

Lila combines advanced AI models with proprietary AI Science Factory™ instruments into an operating system for science that executes the entire scientific method autonomously, accelerating discovery at unprecedented speed, scale, and impact across medicine, materials, and energy. Learn more at www.lila.ai.

Guided by our core values of truth, trust, curiosity, grit, and velocity, we move with startup speed while tackling problems of historic importance.

A Note to Agencies

Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.