At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the Physical AI platform, coordinating teams and ensuring reliability and scalability.
- Company: Join Lila Sciences, a pioneer in AI-driven scientific discovery.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity options, comprehensive health benefits, and flexible time off.
- Other info: Dynamic startup culture focused on solving humanity's greatest challenges.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in robotics and AI while driving innovation in science.
- Qualifications: 4-8 years in technical program management with strong communication skills.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
Your Impact at LILA
You will be the program owner for Physical AI — the shared infrastructure our autonomous labs run on. Working across multiple engineering teams, you'll turn the platform roadmap into a sequenced, dependency-aware plan, own the reliability and scalability programs — SLOs, launch readiness, capacity planning — and be the clear line to the teams who depend on the platform. This is an influence-without-authority role: your leverage comes from rigor, judgment, and trust.
What You'll Be Building
- Drive the Physical AI Platform roadmap: sequence delivery across teams, with clear milestones and owners.
- Coordinate cross-team dependencies: map the critical path, surface blockers, and unblock work before it slips.
- Own reliability & scalability programs: stand up SLOs, launch-readiness reviews, and capacity planning.
- Track risk end to end: maintain a living risk register and drive incident follow-through to closure.
- Align stakeholders: keep the teams who depend on the platform current on scope and trade-offs.
- Coordinate releases: run release and change coordination so launches are predictable.
- Raise operational rigor: establish the rituals — status, escalation paths, decision records — that keep delivery honest.
What You'll Need to Succeed
- Platform program management: 4–8 years of technical program management for platform or infrastructure software across multiple teams.
- Dependency & risk mastery: managing cross-team dependencies, critical paths, and risk registers on multi-quarter programs.
- Reliability fluency: hands-on with SLOs, launch readiness, capacity planning, or release/incident processes.
- Technical credibility: enough depth to engage backend, platform/SRE, and QA engineers on real trade-offs.
- Influence without authority: proven ability to drive delivery and hard decisions across teams you don't manage.
- Clear communication: you translate fluidly between engineers and non-technical stakeholders.
Bonus Points For
- Systems engineering & regulated-industry programs: a systems-thinking background and program experience in regulated, safety-critical domains — aerospace, manufacturing, or healthcare/life sciences.
- Exposure to validation/V&V regimes (GAMP 5 / FDA CSA, DO-178C) or enterprise-to-shop-floor integration (ISA-95) a plus.
- Scientific or lab-automation context: robotics, hardware-in-the-loop, or lab/scientific computing environments.
- SRE-adjacent depth: observability, on-call, and incident management practice.
- Data-platform exposure: programs spanning data pipelines, capacity/cost planning, or ML/AI infrastructure.
Compensation
We offer competitive base compensation with bonus potential and generous early-stage equity. Your final offer will reflect your background, expertise, and expected impact.
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: $192,000 – $238,000 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. If this sounds like an environment you'd love to work in, even if you don't meet every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply.
We’re All In
Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. Information you provide during your application process will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy.
Senior Technical Program Manager, Robotics in Cambridge employer: Lilasciences
At Lila Sciences, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture. As a Senior Principal or Principal Software Engineer in our AI Lab Execution System team, you will have the opportunity to lead cutting-edge projects that directly impact scientific discovery while enjoying comprehensive benefits, flexible time off, and a commitment to employee growth through mentorship and educational assistance. Join us in a dynamic environment where your contributions will shape the future of AI in science, all while working alongside passionate professionals dedicated to solving humanity's greatest challenges.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Technical Program Manager, Robotics in Cambridge
✨Dive into Robotics Meetups
Get yourself out there and connect with others in the robotics-automation field by attending local meetups and industry events. These gatherings are where the magic happens, and you might just rub shoulders with someone from Lilasciences or get insider tips on upcoming vacancies.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Create a portfolio that highlights your robotics projects, whether they're personal, academic, or freelance. Share this on platforms like GitHub or your personal website, as it shows potential employers, like Lilasciences, what you're made of and your hands-on experience in the field.
✨Utilise University Resources
If you're fresh out of university or still connected, don't underestimate your career services. They often have exclusive access to job fairs and employer networking events in technical fields like ours, so make sure you tap into those resources to discover openings at companies like Lilasciences.
✨Engage in Online Communities
Join online communities that focus on robotics and automation, such as forums or LinkedIn groups. Engage in conversations, ask questions, and share insights. This not only builds your visibility but could also lead to direct connections at firms like Lilasciences, which might have the full-time role you're after.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Technical Program Manager, Robotics in Cambridge
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Technical Skills:In the robotics and automation field, it's crucial to highlight your technical skills on your CV. Include specific programming languages, software platforms, and any relevant robotics experience. Don’t forget to mention any projects or systems you've developed – this info can really make you stand out!
Portfolio Perfection:Having a polished portfolio can speak volumes for a role in robotics. Include any relevant case studies, designs, or prototypes you've worked on. If you've participated in competitions or hackathons, showcase these achievements as well – they show initiative and problem-solving skills!
Tailored Cover Letter Magic:In your cover letter, don’t just tell us that you love robotics—tell us why you’re passionate about automation specifically! Explain how your skills can contribute to Lilasciences’s projects and remember to connect your past experiences to what you'll be doing in this role.
Certifications Matter:If you’ve got any relevant certifications, such as in robotic process automation or machine learning, make sure they’re front and centre on your CV. These credentials show you're dedicated to your field and keep you up to date with industry standards – we love to see that!
How to prepare for a job interview at Lilasciences
✨Showcase Your Technical Wizardry
For a role in robotics and automation at Lilasciences, it's crucial to demonstrate your technical skills. Be prepared to dive into specifics about the programming languages and tools you’ve used, like Python or ROS (Robot Operating System). Brush up on your knowledge of algorithms and control systems, as these might come up during technical questions.
✨Bring Your Projects to Life
With a full-time position in robotics, you should have a portfolio of your projects ready to show. Whether it's a robot you built for a competition or a simple automation script, make sure you can discuss the challenges you faced and how you solved them. This hands-on experience is gold and shows you can apply theoretical knowledge in real-world scenarios.
✨Think Like an Engineer
Expect some problem-solving scenarios during your interview. You might be asked to design a basic automation solution on the spot or troubleshoot a robotic system. Practising these types of technical questions can really set you apart, as they require critical thinking and a systematic approach to tackle problems.
✨Culture Fit Is Key!
Don’t underestimate the importance of cultural fit at Lilasciences. They might ask about your teamwork experience and how you handle challenges with peers. Be ready to share examples of working in diverse teams, as collaboration is often central to projects in robotics and automation.
