Senior Scientist

What if the work you did every day could impact the lives of people you know? Or all of humanity?

At Illumina, we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients.

Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person, in every role, has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people, inspiring leaders, and world changing projects, you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible.

Position Summary:

Illumina’s Applications and Customer Enablement (ACE) team bridges our Product Development organisation and strategic customers. The team partners with a select group of top-tier customers to design, develop, and deploy integrated workflow solutions that address their business needs.

As a Senior Scientist in ACE, you will work across cross-functional teams to support strategic customer accounts and accelerate adoption of Illumina technologies through the design, development, and deployment of reference workflow solutions that address customer needs.

 

Position Responsibilities:

 

• Lead the design, development, verification, and deployment of reference workflows spanning library preparation, liquid handling automation, LIMS integration, and downstream data analysis.

• Develop, optimise, and troubleshoot automated laboratory workflows, with strong emphasis on scripting and liquid handling platforms, ideally Hamilton systems and VENUS programming.

• Serve as a subject matter expert for automation and workflow integration, supporting complex investigations across instrumentation, software, assay, and process components.

• Design and execute workflow verification studies; analyse data, interpret results, and communicate findings to technical and business stakeholders.

• Collaborate with Product Development, Informatics, Engineering, Operations, and Commercial teams to deliver robust end-to-end workflow solutions.

• Contribute to the development of workflows in emerging omics areas including proteomics, epigenetics, and spatial biology.

• Partner with commercial teams to understand customer requirements and support successful adoption of Illumina workflow solutions.

• Build relationships with key opinion leaders (KOLs) and strategic customers to assess needs, identify opportunities, and gather customer insights.

• Provide customer-driven feedback to Product Development teams and help drive improvements that address workflow and product gaps.

• Generate high-quality technical documentation, protocols, training materials, and best practices to support reproducible implementation and knowledge transfer.

• Support customer engagements, demonstrations, troubleshooting activities, and training, both remotely and on-site as required.

• Mentor colleagues and contribute technical leadership within the team, sharing expertise in workflow development, automation, and problem-solving.

• Identify opportunities for workflow innovation, increased automation, and expanded use of Illumina technologies.

• Travel occasionally to customer sites and Illumina locations to provide technical support and collaborate with internal and external partners.

 

Listed responsibilities are an essential, but not exhaustive list, of the usual duties associated with the position. Changes to individual responsibilities may occur due to business needs.

 

Position Requirements:

• Excellent knowledge of relevant areas of NGS, library prep, automation, LIMS and downstream analysis

• Hands-on experience programming and troubleshooting automated liquid handling systems is required, with Hamilton VENUS experience strongly preferred.

• Knowledge of high throughput processes and process management

• Able to multi-task effectively and interact with different teams

• Excellent communication, analytical and interpersonal skills

• Ability to communicate across levels and disciplines of the organization as well with external partners and stakeholders

All listed requirements are deemed as essential functions to this position; however, business conditions may require reasonable accommodation for additional task and responsibilities.

 

Preferred Experience/Education/Skills:

• Typically requires a minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 3 years and a master’s degree; or a PhD without experience; or equivalent work experience

We are a company deeply rooted in belonging, promoting an inclusive environment where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute to our mission. Built on a strong foundation, Illumina has always prioritized openness, collaboration, and seeking alternative perspectives to propel innovation in genomics. We are proud to confirm a zero-net gap in pay, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or race. We also have several Employee Resource Groups (ERG) that deliver career development experiences, increase cultural awareness, and offer opportunities to engage in social responsibility. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to providing employment opportunity regardless of sex, race, creed, color, gender, religion, marital status, domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, pregnancy, military or veteran status, citizenship status, and genetic information. Illumina conducts background checks on applicants for whom a conditional offer of employment has been made. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws. Background check results may potentially result in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment. The background check process and any decisions made as a result shall be made in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws. Illumina prohibits the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the application and interview process. If you require accommodation to complete the application or interview process, please contact accommodations@illumina.com. To learn more, visit: https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf. The position will be posted until a final candidate is selected or the requisition has a sufficient number of qualified applicants. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.