Senior Engineer I / Technical Program Manager, Hardware & Controls Engineering

Lila Sciences Lila Sciences · AI Frontier · Alewife, Cambridge, MA +1 · Autonomous Science Platform

This role is for a Senior Engineer I / Technical Program Manager within the Hardware and Controls Engineering team. The primary focus is on driving the execution of multidisciplinary hardware, controls, and software platform programs. Responsibilities include program-level coordination, project management (milestones, procurement, resourcing, vendor coordination), and cross-functional alignment to ensure ambitious engineering efforts stay on track. The role involves managing complex engineering programs from concept through commissioning in regulated and industrial environments, ensuring alignment with product architectures and IT standards, and overseeing vendor performance. Experience in systems integration, quality management systems, and managing multidisciplinary teams is required. While the company is AI-focused, this specific role is centered on program management for hardware and controls engineering, not direct AI/ML model development or research.

What you'd actually do

  1. Lead complex, multi-project engineering programs focused on the development, integration, and deployment of custom hardware, controls, and automation systems within regulated and industrial environments.
  2. Own end-to-end program execution, serving as the primary technical and delivery point of contact across internal stakeholders including Product Management, Engineering, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Software, IT, Facilities, Process Automation, and external vendors.
  3. Manage engineering projects from concept through commissioning, including scope definition, scheduling, risk management, budgeting, and quality-first execution.
  4. Partner with Legal, Procurement, and Finance to review MSAs, develop SOWs, manage purchase orders, and oversee vendor contracting for external engineering and integration services.
  5. Lead and coordinate multidisciplinary teams spanning engineering, design, manufacturing, construction, quality, panel shops, IT, and third-party system integrators.

Skills

Required

  • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, Controls, Automation, or related discipline)
  • 3-5 years of experience delivering complex systems engineering, automation, or industrial control programs
  • experience operating at a senior project or program management level
  • Demonstrated experience working with life sciences, regulated manufacturing, and industrial automation integration environments
  • Strong background in systems integration, including controls, SCADA, hardware/software interfaces, and networked systems
  • Proven experience executing projects within quality management systems, including validation, verification, installation procedures, deviation management, and root cause investigations (e.g., GAMP 5, 21 CFR Part 11)
  • Extensive experience managing multidisciplinary teams and coordinating work across engineering, operations, IT, quality, and external vendors
  • Strong financial and program management skills, including budgeting, forecasting, margin control, and resource utilization
  • Quality-first mindset with a track record of delivering compliant, reliable, and scalable systems

Nice to have

  • Master’s degree preferred
  • Experience supporting laboratory, manufacturing, or research environments in life sciences or industrial settings
  • PMP or equivalent project/program management certification
  • Six Sigma or continuous improvement training
  • Experience modernizing or migrating legacy systems to standardized, reusable architectures

What the JD emphasized

  • regulated and industrial environments
  • Quality-first execution
  • quality management systems
  • validation, verification, installation procedures, deviation management, and root cause investigations