Biotech Companies Hiring Senior Engineers
Where to Apply: Senior IC Roles
Where to Apply: Senior Roles
Tier 1: Ginkgo Bioworks — ⚠ Limited Hiring
Why you fit:
- Autonomous labs (RACs) = distributed systems problem
- Catalyst software stack = microservices architecture
- Remaining roles skew senior infrastructure
Currently hiring (June 2026):
- Senior Software Engineer - Driver Developer (Autonomous Lab) — Boston, MA
- Senior Software Engineer, Full Stack (Biosecurity Software) — Boston, MA
- Software Graduate Intern, Autonomous Lab — Emeryville, CA
- Automation Engineer 2, Automation Support Applications — Boston, MA
⚠ Company status: Ginkgo underwent major restructuring starting mid-2024 — ~400 layoffs (~35% of workforce), consolidated locations. Targeting EBITDA breakeven by end of 2026. Stock at risk of NYSE delisting. Hiring is real but minimal; 5–7 total engineering openings. Not a growth phase.
Compensation: $120K–$196K base (Levels.fyi); senior roles up to ~$230K. No ranges listed in postings.
Apply: Ginkgo Careers
Interview prep:
- Read Ginkgo's tech blog (engineering.ginkgobioworks.com)
- Study: Lab automation patterns, bioprocess data schemas, async workflow orchestration
- Pitch: "I built distributed systems for Solana validators. Your RACs are validators for biology."
Tier 2: R&D Platform Companies
Benchling — R&D cloud platform (ELN, LIMS, molecular biology tools) — ✓ Actively Hiring
- Why you fit: SaaS platform engineering, enterprise infrastructure, AI/agents feature development
- Currently hiring (8 open roles): Software Engineer New Grad (2026) · Developer Enablement · Full Stack (Enterprise Lifecycle) · Agents · Developer Platform · Full Stack (Chemistry) · Full Stack (Study Lifecycle) · Big Data Infrastructure
- Compensation: New Grad $144K base; senior avg base ~$184K; L1–L5 total comp $198K–$483K (Levels.fyi)
- Apply: Benchling Careers
- Note: ARR ~$210M, ~27% YoY growth as of mid-2024. Last confirmed layoff April 2023 (none since). Growth areas: AI/agents, chemistry modalities.
Asimov — Bioengineering platform (Boston, hybrid) — ✓ Actively Hiring (Staff level)
- Why you fit: Python platform engineering, GraphQL APIs, computational biology tools
- Currently hiring: Staff Software Engineer (x2) — Bioengineering Platform Lead (Kernel), both focused on GraphQL APIs, data models, biotech platform
- Stack: Python 3, Strawberry, SQLAlchemy, GraphQL, Elasticsearch, Docker
- Apply: Asimov Careers
Tier 3: ML/AI for Drug Discovery
Insitro — ML for drug discovery (South San Francisco, hybrid) — ⚠ Limited Hiring
- Why you fit: Computer vision, ML pipelines, compute infrastructure for robotics
- Currently hiring (~10 total openings): Senior Software Engineer (infrastructure) · Senior/Staff SWE Compute Core · Senior/Staff SWE Imaging · Senior/Staff SWE DevOps · LIMS Software Engineer
- Compensation: $161K–$181K base (posted role); Levels.fyi median ~$270K TC (March 2026)
- ⚠ Company status: Cut 22% of workforce (~65 people) in May 2025; headcount now ~230. CEO Daphne Koller extended runway to 2027. Total funding: $643M (a16z-backed). Focus: metabolic disease + neuroscience pipeline, clinic readiness 2026.
- Apply: Insitro Careers (JS-rendered — visit directly)
Recursion Pharmaceuticals — AI-driven drug discovery (Salt Lake City / London / Toronto) — ⚠ Limited Hiring
- Currently hiring: Engineering Manager - ML · Sr. Data Platform Engineer (Computer System Validator) · Staff Engineer AI Security · Staff Engineer IAM
- ⚠ Company status: Acquired Exscientia in late 2024 ($688M all-stock). June 2025 layoffs: ~20% of workforce (~160 people). Narrowed pipeline to oncology and rare diseases. ~38 total open roles; only 4 are SWE/engineering. ML engineering largely through Valence Labs (posts separately).
- Apply: Recursion Careers
Tamarind Bio — Computational biology tools (Y Combinator)
- Why you fit: ML models (AlphaFold), API development, computational biology infrastructure
- Apply: Tamarind Bio (YC)
Tier 4: Clinical Diagnostics & Genomics
BillionToOne — Prenatal genetic testing, NASDAQ: BLLN (Menlo Park / Union City, remote-friendly) — ✓ Actively Hiring
- Currently hiring: Senior Software Engineer, Digital Experiences · Senior Software Engineer, Oncology (x2) · Staff Software Engineer · Software Engineering Intern
- Compensation: Senior SWE $180K–$200K base, ~$265K TC (per Greenhouse posting)
- Company status: 2025 IPO on NASDAQ. Q1 2026 revenue $108.4M (+84% YoY). 2026 guidance $450M–$465M. No layoffs; active expansion mode. 161 total open roles company-wide.
- Apply: BillionToOne Careers
Twist Bioscience — DNA synthesis (South San Francisco, onsite)
- Currently hiring: Instrument Software Engineer
- Apply: Twist Careers
Tier 5: Cloud Platforms & Tools
LatchBio — Cloud platform for biological data (San Francisco) — ○ No SWE Roles Listed
- Status (June 2026): No dedicated SWE roles publicly listed. Only a sales role and open-application slot. Prior roles (Systems SWE, Bioinformatics SWE) appear filled. Check back periodically.
- Apply: LatchBio Careers
Culture Biosciences — Cloud bioreactor platform — ○ Status Uncertain
- Why you fit: Real-time process control, sensor data pipelines, ML optimization
- Status (June 2026): No SWE roles confirmed on BuiltIn or careers page. Senior Software QA Engineer recently posted on LinkedIn (req #4286965070) — check directly. SWE comp per Levels.fyi: $174K–$248K.
- Apply: Culture Biosciences
Frontier Tier: AI-Biology Companies (2025–2026 Series B+)
These companies are growing fast with major recent raises. High signal for senior SWE + ML engineering candidates.
Isomorphic Labs — AI drug discovery (London / Cambridge MA / Lausanne) — ✓ Actively Hiring
- Currently hiring: Software Engineer, Applied ML Research Engineering · Software Engineer, Scientific Data (Lausanne) · Senior Software Engineer, ML Ops (London)
- Company status: Raised $2.1B Series B in May 2026 (led by Thrive Capital; backed by Alphabet, GV, MGX, Temasek) — largest AI drug discovery raise to date.
- Apply: Isomorphic Labs Careers
Xaira Therapeutics — AI-designed biologics (SF / Seattle / London) — ✓ Actively Hiring
- Currently hiring: Software Engineer, Infrastructure · Biomedical AI Research Engineer (posted April 2026)
- Compensation: $190K–$280K + equity
- Company status: Raised $1B+ Series A (2024). Note: company has warned publicly of fraudulent impersonation scams.
- Apply: Xaira Careers
Chai Discovery — Protein structure / AI biology (SF) — ✓ Actively Hiring
- Currently hiring: Software Engineer, Product · Software Engineer, Infrastructure · AI Research Engineer
- Company status: $130M Series B (December 2025) at $1.3B valuation. Backed by General Catalyst, Oak HC/FT, OpenAI. ~25-person team, growing.
- Apply: Chai Discovery Careers
EvolutionaryScale — Protein language models (SF + NY) — ✓ Hiring (Selective)
- Currently hiring: ~4 roles focused on frontier biological AI and engineering
- Compensation: $150K–$350K + equity
- Company status: 18 employees. Built ESM3 protein language model. Backed by Lux Capital, NVIDIA, Amazon. Highly selective, high leverage per hire.
- Apply: EvolutionaryScale Careers
PostEra — ML medicinal chemistry (remote-first, YC-backed) — ✓ Actively Hiring
- Currently hiring: Lead Software Engineer, Platform (remote) · Full Stack Software Engineer (remote)
- Company status: YC-backed, ML-accelerated medicinal chemistry platform. Lean team, high-leverage roles. Remote-first.
- Apply: PostEra Careers
Salary Expectations (June 2026 Data)
By Level and Location
| Level | SF Bay Area Base | SF Bay Area TC | Boston Base | Remote Base |
|---|
| Entry (0–2 yr) |
$95K–$130K |
$110K–$155K |
$85K–$115K |
$80K–$110K |
| Mid (3–5 yr) |
$130K–$170K |
$160K–$215K |
$110K–$150K |
$105K–$145K |
| Senior (5–8 yr) |
$165K–$215K |
$200K–$280K |
$140K–$185K |
$130K–$175K |
| Senior (90th pct, SF) |
~$362K TC (Glassdoor 2026) |
By Company Type (Senior Level)
| Company Type | Base | Equity | Total Comp |
|---|
| AI-Biology Frontier (Xaira, Chai, Isomorphic) |
$165K–$280K |
Options/RSUs (high) |
$190K–$350K+ |
| Public (BillionToOne, Recursion) |
$160K–$220K |
RSUs (~$50K–$100K/yr) |
$210K–$320K |
| Late-Stage (Benchling, Insitro) |
$170K–$215K |
Options (~$30K–$80K/yr) |
$200K–$295K |
| Series B (BillionToOne, Asimov) |
$140K–$200K |
Options (~$20K–$60K/yr) |
$160K–$265K |
| Early Stage (YC, Seed) |
$120K–$160K |
Options (high risk/reward) |
$140K–$200K |
Geographic Differences
- Bay Area / San Francisco: ~25% premium over Boston; highest-paying hub; median biotech SWE TC $200,536 (Glassdoor 2026)
- Boston / Cambridge: Leads Bay Area in raw job volume; $140K–$185K avg for senior biotech SWE
- San Diego: Third-highest hub (Illumina, Scripps cluster)
- Remote: 28% of biotech employers hire regardless of location as of 2026 (up from 20% in 2025)
Role-Type Premiums
- Senior ML Scientist / AI Research Engineer: $245K–$325K base + equity (highest tier)
- Senior SWE (biotech, national avg): ~$143K base
- Senior SWE (CA, top of range): up to $264K (ZipRecruiter)
- PhD bonus: $10K–$15K above equivalent MS at entry level
Equity Compensation (2026 Trends)
- RSU Prevalence: Micro-cap: 51% (up from 39% in 2020); Mid-cap: ~80%; Large-cap: ~90%
- Senior TC breakdown (SF, funded biotechs): Equity runs 30–40% above base when included
- Big pharma vs startup: Big pharma pays 5–15% higher base; startups compensate with larger equity
- Additional Comp: Annual bonuses (10–20% of base), sign-on bonuses common, 401k matching
Compared to crypto: ~20–30% lower total comp than top crypto firms (Jump, Paradigm), but more stable. Higher job security, better work-life balance.
Market snapshot (June 2026): ~563 biotechnology software engineer listings on Indeed. Application-to-job ratio in Tech/IT: 6.8x (highest of any biopharma function). Boston leads Bay Area in raw computational role volume. Frontier AI-biology companies (Xaira, Chai, Isomorphic) are the growth vector — legacy biotech SWE hiring is flat to contracting.
Timeline: 6-Month Pivot
| Month | Activity | Output |
|---|
| 1 |
Biology fundamentals (MIT OCW, iBiology) |
Notes, Anki flashcards |
| 2 |
Metabolic engineering (COBRApy, FBA) |
Blog post "FBA for Engineers" |
| 3 |
Portfolio project (strain design tool) |
GitHub repo, demo site, README |
| 4 |
Applications + networking (10 companies) |
Resume, cover letters, LinkedIn outreach |
| 5 |
Interviews (3–5 onsites) |
Systems design, coding, domain questions |
| 6 |
Offers + negotiation |
Accept senior role, start |
Job Boards & Resources
Specialized Biotech Job Boards
General Job Boards (Biotech Filter)
- LinkedIn — Search: "synthetic biology software", "biotech senior engineer", "AI drug discovery engineer"
- YC Work at a Startup — Filter by biotech tag (PostEra, Tamarind Bio, others)
- "Who is Hiring" (Hacker News) — Monthly thread, search "biotech"/"bio"/"drug discovery"
- Indeed — ~563 biotechnology SWE jobs as of June 2026
Salary Research Tools
Application Strategy
Resume Adjustments
Highlight transferable skills:
- "Built distributed system for X" → "Expertise in distributed systems, workflow orchestration, fault tolerance"
- "Optimized financial models" → "Experience with constrained optimization, linear programming, stochastic analysis"
- "Rust/Go systems programming" → "High-performance systems development (Rust/Go), relevant to bioinformatics pipelines"
Add biotech education section:
- MIT OCW 7.01SC Fundamentals of Biology (2026)
- Metabolic Engineering coursework (COBRApy, FBA)
- Portfolio: [Link to strain design tool / CRISPR designer / etc.]
Projects section:
- Lead with biotech portfolio project
- Show technical depth + domain knowledge
- Include metrics (performance improvements, validation results)
Cover Letter Template
Dear [Hiring Manager],
I'm a senior software engineer with 5 years building distributed systems for [Solana/crypto/DeFi]. I'm writing to apply for the [Senior SWE / Staff Engineer] role at [Company].
I'm pivoting to biotech because I want to apply systems engineering to cellular factories. Over the past [3–6] months, I've been studying metabolic engineering and built [portfolio project link] — a [brief description that proves domain knowledge].
My background in [distributed systems / optimization / high-performance computing] directly translates to [company's specific problem: lab automation / strain design / bioprocess optimization]. At [previous company], I [specific achievement with metrics]. I'm confident I can bring the same rigor to [specific challenge company faces].
I've attached my resume and portfolio. I'd love to discuss how my systems engineering experience can contribute to [company]'s mission.
Best,
[Your name]
Cold Application vs. Warm Intro
Cold application success rate: ~5–10%
- Apply anyway to build pipeline
- Customize each cover letter
- Reference specific company tech/blog posts
Warm intro success rate: ~40–60%
- Network at SEED 2026 (Denver, June 15–18) and iGEM (Paris, November)
- LinkedIn cold outreach (30% response rate)
- Twitter engagement → DMs
- Ask for referrals from any biotech contacts
Strategy: Do both in parallel. Cast wide net with applications, while building warm connections. Note that with a 6.8x application-to-job ratio in 2026, warm intros matter more than ever.
Interview Prep Checklist
Technical Prep
- Review systems design patterns (microservices, data pipelines, workflow orchestration)
- Practice explaining FBA, CRISPR, metabolic pathways to non-experts
- Prepare code samples from portfolio project
- Study company's tech blog / engineering posts
- Brush up on algorithms: graph problems, optimization, simulation
Domain Prep
- Know the basics: plasmids, CRISPR, fermentation, genome-scale models
- Read 2–3 papers relevant to company's focus area
- Understand company's product/platform at technical level
- Prepare questions about their bio constraints (what fails, what's slow)
Behavioral Prep
- Craft your pivot narrative (see interview strategy)
- Prepare STAR stories from crypto/systems work
- Practice bridging: "In crypto we did X, in biotech that's like Y"
- Have questions ready about team structure, tech stack, growth trajectory