At a Glance
- Tasks: Support software improvements and translate user needs into product requirements.
- Company: Join Lila Sciences, a leader in AI-driven scientific solutions.
- Benefits: Gain hands-on experience and work in a dynamic, innovative environment.
- Other info: Opportunity for growth in a fast-paced, collaborative team.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on scientific workflows and enhance your product management skills.
- Qualifications: Interest in product management and strong communication skills required.
The predicted salary is between 20000 - 30000 £ per year.
Your Impact at LILA
Lila is looking for a Fall Co-Op (Intern), Software Product Management to support software and workflow improvements across our scientific software platform. This role sits at the intersection of scientists, software engineering, and product. The co-op will shadow users, help translate recurring workflow needs into clear product requirements, and support the team's work to connect designs, data, results, and learnings across scientific workflows. The role is well suited for someone interested in product management, scientific operations, lab software, or data systems. The co-op will gain hands-on exposure to how scientific workflows become software requirements, while owning a small scoped feature or workflow improvement from discovery through delivery.
What You'll Be Building
- Shadow scientists and other users to understand their software and workflow needs.
- Help groom product backlogs with product, science, and engineering partners.
- Write clear user stories and acceptance criteria from ambiguous requirements.
- Support connecting designs, data, and results across scientific workflows.
- Triage recurring user asks and convert them into actionable tickets.
- Own a small scoped feature or workflow improvement from discovery through delivery.
- Partner with engineers and scientists to clarify requirements, acceptance criteria, and workflow impact.
What You'll Need to Succeed
- Interest in product management, scientific workflows, lab operations, or software systems.
- Strong written communication skills and ability to turn ambiguity into clear requirements.
- Comfort working with cross-functional partners across science, product, and engineering.
- Ability to observe workflows, ask thoughtful questions, and synthesize user needs.
- Organized approach to tracking tasks, decisions, and follow-ups.
- Curiosity about how software can improve experimental throughput, traceability, and data quality.
Bonus Points For
- Experience with product backlogs, user stories, or acceptance criteria.
- Exposure to scientific data systems, lab software, or workflow tools.
- Prior internship, coursework, or project work involving product, operations, or software delivery.
Co-Op, Software Product Management in Cambridge employer: Lilasciences
Lila Sciences is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and innovative work culture, perfect for those passionate about product management and scientific operations. As a co-op, you'll gain invaluable hands-on experience while collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance scientific workflows, all within a supportive environment that prioritises curiosity and growth. Located at the forefront of AI in science, Lila offers unique opportunities to contribute to groundbreaking advancements that tackle some of humanity's greatest challenges.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Co-Op, Software Product Management in Cambridge
✨Join Developer Communities!
Dive into online communities like GitHub or Stack Overflow. Contributing to open-source projects can really showcase your coding skills and catch the eye of hiring managers at companies like Lilasciences.
✨Attend Tech Meetups and Hackathons
Get your name out there by attending local tech meetups and hackathons. It's a perfect way to network with industry professionals and fellow interns, while also demonstrating your coding prowess in a collaborative setting.
✨Leverage University Career Services
Don't forget about your university's career services! They often have partnerships with companies like Lilasciences, and can help you access exclusive internship listings and workshops tailored for aspiring interns like us.
✨Show Off Your Work
Create a portfolio showcasing your coding projects on a platform like GitHub Pages or personal website. When applying for internships, we should link this to provide tangible proof of our skills and creativity, making us stand out to Lilasciences!
We think you need these skills to ace Co-Op, Software Product Management in Cambridge
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Side Projects:If you've got any side projects or contributions to open source, make sure to highlight them in your CV. We want to see what you can create! Include links to your GitHub or any relevant platforms to give us a taste of your coding style and skills.
Tailor Your CV for Software Engineering:Make your CV pop by tailoring it specifically for software engineering. List relevant programming languages, frameworks, and tools you’ve worked with, and showcase any tech stacks you're familiar with. This will help us quickly see how you fit into the Lilasciences team!
Let Your Passion Shine in Your Cover Letter:In your cover letter, don't just list your skills—tell us why you're passionate about software engineering! We love to see candidates who are eager to learn and grow, so share what excites you about this field and how a role at Lilasciences can help you on your journey.
Demonstrate Your Learning Mindset:As this is an internship, focus on your willingness to learn and adapt! We’re keen to see examples of how you’ve tackled challenges or learnt new skills in the past. Bring that eagerness to your application, showing us that you're ready to dive into a real-world software environment at Lilasciences!
How to prepare for a job interview at Lilasciences
✨Showcase Your Coding Skills
Since you're aiming for a software engineering internship, be ready to code on the spot or discuss your past projects. Brush up on your problem-solving skills, and practise coding challenges on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank. We want to see how you approach problems and apply your knowledge, so having a few coding examples up your sleeve will definitely help!
✨Bring Your Portfolio to Life
Prepare a portfolio that highlights your coding projects—don't just list them! Be ready to explain your thought process, the technologies used, and any challenges you faced. It’s not just about the final product; we want to hear how you made it happen, so this narrative will show your depth of understanding and passion for software development.
✨Get Familiar with Technical Questions
Expect some technical questions or scenarios in the interview that assess your understanding of algorithms, data structures, and software design. Practise explaining your coding decisions clearly—it's less about getting the right answer and more about demonstrating your thought process and reasoning skills, which are crucial for growth in an internship.
✨Highlight Your Willingness to Learn
As an intern, your enthusiasm and eagerness to learn are key! During the interview, emphasise your willingness to tackle new challenges and pick up new skills. Companies like Lilasciences are often looking for candidates who can grow with them, so remind us why you're excited about opportunities to learn and contribute in a team environment.
