Product Architect / Owner - Lab Automation Platform (m/f/d)

The role

Join us to define the technical architecture for the next generation of cross‑vendor lab automation. As Product Architect / Owne r at UniteLabs, you’ll lead the design of scalable, vendor‑agnostic automation systems - with a deep focus on liquid handling - bridging instruments, data, and cloud services into a resilient, AI‑ready platform.

Why you'll love this role

• Define the architecture for cross‑vendor labs: Set the technical standards, patterns, and interfaces that enable interoperability across liquid handlers and broader lab ecosystems.

• Build platform primitives that scale: Create reusable integration frameworks, template libraries, and simulation harnesses that unlock rapid addition and exchange of instruments.

• Operate at the intersection of hardware and cloud: Combine device control, workflow orchestration, and cloud data systems into a cohesive, reliable platform.

• High ownership, real impact: Work directly with customers, shape the roadmap, and see your architectural decisions power autonomous, AI‑ready labs.

Your mission

• Own the automation architecture

  • Design and evolve end‑to‑end architecture for lab automation with emphasis on liquid handling, protocol execution, data capture, and system interoperability.

  • Define device abstraction models and task orchestration patterns across heterogeneous vendor ecosystems.

• Build cross‑vendor compatibility at scale

  • Lead integration strategy for liquid handlers, readers, incubators, storage, and analytics across major vendors.

  • Establish stable interface contracts (APIs/SDKs/SiLA 2/gRPC), driver lifecycle standards, and a robust compatibility matrix.

• Architect reliable execution and data flow

  • Specify workflow orchestration (e.g., Prefect) for resilient scheduling, retries, error handling, and state management.

  • Ensure deterministic execution, observability, and end‑to‑end data lineage from instrument events to cloud stores.

• Embed performance, safety, and compliance by design

  • Define throughput goals and reliability targets for high‑volume assays.

  • Implement safeguards for liquid handling (deck validation, tip tracking, volume verification) and align with GxP‑friendly practices.

• Platformize integrations

  • Build reusable connector SDKs, emulators, and conformance tests; integrate driver CI and certification into the release process.

• Translate customer needs into architecture

  • Run technical discovery, PoCs, and pilot deployments; turn findings into reference architectures and product specs.

  • Produce ADRs, system diagrams, and interface specifications; mentor teams on fault tolerance, observability, and secure connectivity.

Your profile

• Deep lab automation experience

  • 6+ years designing, implementing, or operating lab automation systems, with hands‑on liquid handling expertise (methods, calibration, deck layouts, labware definitions).

  • Proven track record integrating multiple vendor instruments into robust, scalable systems.

• Systems and software architecture

  • Strong foundation in distributed systems, event‑driven design, and API‑first platforms.

  • Experience with device abstraction layers, protocol compilers, or workflow engines used in labs.

• Integration and connectivity

  • Practical experience with SiLA 2, gRPC, REST, OPC‑UA (nice), network discovery (e.g., zeroconf), and secure edge‑to‑cloud communication.

• Reliability and operations

  • Familiar with observability stacks, diagnostics at the hardware/software boundary, and strategies for offline/online resilience.

• Product leadership

  • Ability to turn ambiguous user needs into crisp technical roadmaps and platform capabilities; comfortable in startup/scale‑up environments partnering with customers.

Nice to have

• Implemented methods/drivers for major liquid handlers (e.g., Hamilton, Tecan, Opentrons, Agilent, Beckman).

• Experience in GxP‑adjacent environments, validation, and audit‑ready data lineage.

• Familiarity with digital twins/simulation of lab instruments and virtual protocol execution.

• Exposure to AI‑driven optimization of experimental design or scheduling.

• Open to relocate to Munich, where our integration lab is located

About UniteLabs

UniteLabs is building the integration platform for lab automation - bridging hardware and software across vendor boundaries to accelerate life science R&D. Our API‑first services and Python libraries connect instruments to cloud systems, enabling autonomous, AI‑ready workflows where every action and artifact is defined as code. From biotech and pharma to chemistry and food, our customers use UniteLabs to run more experiments, capture richer data, and move faster.

As one of our early team members, you’ll shape the platform’s architecture and standards from the ground up and grow into technical leadership or deep expert roles.

Why join us?

• Impact at platform level: Define the architecture that powers cross‑vendor lab automation at scale.

• Team of builders: Work with ambitious engineers and automation experts in a transparent, high‑ownership culture.

• Flexible, supportive environment: Remote‑friendly with an office at WERK1 in Munich; competitive package with growth potential, equipment of choice, and an annual productivity budget.

• Backed to scale: VC‑funded with a clear roadmap to expand device coverage, reliability, and AI‑driven capabilities.

Tech stack

A non-exhaustive list of our main technologies and tools used for a given task:

• Web: TypeScript, Vue 3, Nuxt 4, TailwindCSS 4

• Services: TypeScript, NestJS, Prisma

• Cloud: Docker, Kubernetes, Helm, AWS, Pulumi

• Storage: PostgreSQL, Minio

• Workflows: Python, Prefect

• Connectors: Python, SiLA 2, gRPC, zeroconf

How to apply

If you’ve architected complex automation systems and care about cross‑vendor interoperability, we’d love to talk. Share your CV or LinkedIn and a brief note on:

• A challenging multi‑vendor integration you led and the architecture you chose

• How you approach reliability and observability for instrument control

• Your favorite pattern for abstracting device capabilities

• Or some other challenge you solved that makes you suitable for this position

Let’s build the backbone of autonomous labs together.

About us

UniteLabs offers an operating system for the automation and digitalization of biotech labs that enables the integration of laboratory equipment/software for real-time data collection and the implementation of AI-supported workflows to optimize R&D processes.