Senior Automation Engineer; Sr. Eng

Position: Senior Automation Engineer (Sr. Eng I)
** The Role
** Joining Moderna means advancing mRNA science to transform medicine. Work with exceptional global teams on a broad pipeline and build a career that makes a real difference for patients.”Moderna is strengthening its presence in Norwood, Massachusetts, a cornerstone of our manufacturing and operational excellence. Our Norwood campus translates mRNA science into scalable impact, supporting the global delivery of our medicines.

We welcome talent ready to drive innovation and make a meaningful difference for patients  this senior-level individual contributor role, you will design, develop, demonstrate, and continuously improve automated laboratory solutions for mammalian cell culture and plate-based bioanalytical assays.  You will translate complex biological and assay requirements into robust, reliable automation systems that integrate multi-vendor instrumentation and modern software architectures.  Partnering across Research, Technical Development, CMC, and Digital, you will deliver fit-for-purpose automation platforms that accelerate Moderna’s mRNA programs across multiple therapeutic areas.
** Here’s

What You’ll Do:

**
* ** Design and deliver automated bioanalytical workflows.
** Lead end-to-end design and implementation of automated mammalian cell culture and bioassay workflows, including automated feeding and passaging, sterile handling steps, assay reagent preparation, plate handling and logistics, timed incubations, and plate read and analysis integration. Translate assay intent and biological constraints (timing, mixing, temperature/CO₂ control, sterility, cell sensitivity) into scalable and robust automation requirements and solutions.
* ** Develop automation software and controls.
** Build, maintain, and enhance automation software including scheduling logic, device drivers and interfaces, error handling frameworks, run logging, basic analytics hooks, and test harnesses. Apply modern engineering best practices such as version control, modular library development, structured code reviews, and maintainable architecture patterns. Enable connectivity to digital ecosystems and create foundations that allow future integration of advanced analytics and Generative AI–enabled workflow optimization.
* ** Instrument integration and systems engineering.
** Integrate multi-vendor laboratory instruments including liquid handlers, plate readers, imagers, incubators, robotic plate movers, and cytometers. Utilize industry-standard communication protocols such as OPC-UA, REST, TCP/IP, PLC interfaces, and manufacturer SDKs while maintaining strong device abstraction layers and reusable integration modules to ensure extensibility and long-term maintainability.
* ** Technical project ownership.
** Own execution of small-to-mid sized technical automation projects, including requirements definition, system architecture design, prototyping, integration testing, FAT/SAT-style validation activities, staged releases to end users, transition to sustainment, and incremental system improvements. Maintain comprehensive technical documentation, artifacts, and reproducible SOPs for scientists and operators.
* ** Cross-functional collaboration and vendor partnerships.
** Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders across Research, Technical Development, CMC, and Digital to align automation solutions with evolving scientific and manufacturing needs. Engage external vendors to define requirements, perform system integrations, and maintain instrument uptime. Manage vendor relationships as needed to ensure successful integration, serviceability, and long-term performance.
* ** Sustainment and reliability.
** Support deployed automation systems through structured troubleshooting and root-cause analysis across mechanical systems, liquid handling performance, and software layers. Implement corrective and preventive actions that reduce downtime and improve reliability in high-throughput laboratory environments.
* ** Safety and sterility practices.
** Ensure sterile technique considerations are embedded in system design, workflows, and documentation. Apply contamination control strategies appropriate for automated mammalian…