Senior Platform Software Engineer (Robotics and Lab Automation)

We are developing reusable software to integrate and coordinate diverse robots, scientific instruments, and laboratory equipment. These capabilities enable reliable execution of physical tasks and capture of experimental data, helping scientists develop and operate intelligent, automated laboratories. We are seeking a Senior Platform Software Engineer to join the founding engineering team. You will independently deliver well-scoped software components and equipment integrations, working with experienced engineers on broader architecture and technical priorities. Your work will span implementation, testing, deployment, and operational support. This is a hands-on individual contributor role working alongside scientists, product managers, hardware engineers, and AI specialists. You will develop software that connects laboratory equipment with platform services, troubleshoot hardware and software interactions, and contribute to reusable automation capabilities. We welcome experience across robotics, industrial automation, instrumentation, scientific software, and related fields. Previous laboratory automation experience is valuable but is not essential. This role requires working from Oracle’s London or Reading offices four days per week, with frequent travel to Oxford. What You’ll Do Design, implement, and maintain software components for device integration, equipment coordination, and automated laboratory workflow execution. Build backend services, APIs, equipment adapters, data-ingestion components, and developer tools using established platform designs. Develop device drivers, instrument adapters, and robot interfaces using vendor SDKs and documented communication protocols. Implement state machines, asynchronous operations, device synchronisation, error handling, and recovery behaviour. Connect equipment and local execution software with cloud orchestration and data services. Work with scientists and engineers to clarify requirements, document interfaces, and translate laboratory workflows into well-defined features. Support hands-on equipment integration, commissioning, calibration, and troubleshooting with hardware, controls, and laboratory specialists. Contribute to AI-assisted capabilities, including tool integration, execution validation, and evaluation, within defined operational and safety boundaries. Independently deliver assigned components, communicate progress and dependencies, and seek guidance on broader system decisions. What You’ll Bring 4+ years of professional software development experience, including production software for robotics, automation, instrumentation, or other hardware-connected systems. Strong programming skills in Python or C++, PMC Programming or robotic programming environments with experience developing and debugging software that interacts with physical equipment. Ability to independently deliver well-scoped components, with guidance on broader architecture, system design, and prioritization. Practical understanding of equipment interfaces, controllers, sensors, actuators, and hardware-software interactions. Experience with device communications, vendor SDKs, service APIs, or software integrations. Familiarity with asynchronous programming, concurrency, state machines, message-based communication, retries, and recovery from failures. Experience with automated testing, source control, code review, diagnostics, and iterative software delivery. Ability to troubleshoot across software and hardware interfaces and collaborate with scientists, operators, and specialist engineers. Curiosity and willingness to learn scientific workflows, robotics technologies, cloud services, and AI integration. Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electronic or Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, Control Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.