Associate Director - NextGen MES Execution

Eli Lilly and Company; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 123,000 - 181,000; Full time

Job summary

Eli Lilly and Company seeks a MES Execution Associate to lead the global rollout of the NextGen MES PharmaSuite solution. This role involves collaboration with engineering, quality, and operations teams to ensure project delivery on time and within budget. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership and project management skills in a regulated manufacturing environment.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits program

401(k) and pension eligibility

Company bonus potential

Flexible benefits programs

Employee assistance program

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in MES implementation or related roles in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of Manufacturing and Quality processes.
• Experience in managing complex, multi-site technology deployments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation of the NextGen MES solution PharmaSuite at manufacturing sites globally.
• Establish project governance and drive collaboration with global teams.
• Develop change management strategies and training plans for implemented solutions.

Skills

Leadership

Project Management

Communication

Problem-Solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field

Job description

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

Lilly’s Purpose

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our more than 45,000 employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

Lilly is entering an exciting period of growth and we are committed to delivering innovative medicines to patients around the world. Lilly is investing around the world to create new state-of-the-art manufacturing site’s and continue expanding our existing facilities to created capacity required to continue with our mission. The brand-new facilities will utilize the latest technology, advanced highly integrated and automated manufacturing systems, and have a focus on minimizing the impact to our environment.

Position Brand Description

We are on an ambitious journey to transform our manufacturing operations, and the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is pivotal to achieving this transformation. Multiple projects are currently underway to expand the footprint of MES, enabling new facilities to operate paperless and modernizing MES in established operations worldwide.

The MES Execution Associate will be responsible for leading the implementation and global rollout of the NextGen MES PharmaSuite solution at manufacturing sites, ensuring alignment with each site's strategic milestones. This role will serve as the key point of contact between local and global teams, facilitating collaboration across functions such as engineering, quality, Technical Service, and operations, as well as with global teams including the MQuEST program, automation, and technology groups. The MES Execution Associate will define and execute an integrated deployment plan, establish effective project governance, and lead steering meetings with site leadership to ensure projects are delivered on time and within quality.

Additionally, the MES Execution Associate will ensure that implemented solutions adhere to global standards while aligning with other digital initiatives. This role requires a strong understanding of manufacturing and quality processes, along with technical knowledge of PharmaSuite to support its successful adoption at each site. Close collaboration with site leadership will be key in developing change management strategies, training plans, and a sustainable support model post-implementation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation / rollout of the NextGen MES solution PharmaSuite to the manufacturing sites globally managing the scope and schedule of the deployment aligned with the different milestone expectations of the site.
• Partner closely with the site project leader, various functions within the manufacturing site such as engineering, quality, TS/MS, operations etc. and with the various global teams such as the MQuEST global program team, Engineering and Automation, TS/MS, Quality etc. to create and drive the execution of an integrated site roll out plan.
• Establish and lead the project governance cadence including steering meetings with site leadership.
• Manage the day-to-day activities for the project team including Lilly and external employees to ensure the MQuEST program delivers on-time and within budget on each of these implementations.
• Drive collaboration with the global MQuEST solution architects, the Pharma Suite solution delivery team and MES support teams to ensure that solutions implemented for the site are aligned with the global standards and design.
• Work closely with the MQuEST program leader in managing the financials for the project ensuring budget compliance.
• Drive cross-program collaboration with other NextGen programs like EWM, Labs, Tulip etc. and other engineering / automation initiatives to ensure that the MQuEST project delivery schedule is aligned with the broader digital initiatives for the site.
• Gain a strong understanding of Manufacturing and Quality processes and versatility in understanding how the PharmaSuite solution enables these processes for the site.
• Develop technical knowledge of the PharmaSuite solution and the technical fluency needed to champion and support the adoption of the PharmaSuite solution at the site.
• Work closely with site leadership to craft and support an adoption plan for PharmaSuite including OCM strategy, training plans and execution helping the site scale the learning curve to operate with PharmaSuite as the MES solution.
• Partner closely with site leadership in implementing the support model for the site and ensuring a seamless transition from implementation to support.
• Collaborate with Program Leadership and other Project Leaders to share learnings, adopt best practices and continue to improve the delivery capability of the program.
• Coach/ Mentor team members, fellow project implementation leaders and site project team members to elevate the knowledge and execution ability of the program.

What You Should Bring

• Strong understanding of Manufacturing and Quality processes and the enablement of the same with a MES solution.
• Strong understanding of the MSOEs and the operational model of a manufacturing site.
• Strong understanding of the IT and automation landscape at a site, the S95 model and the various touchpoints for the MES system with other IT and OT applications that collectively enable paperless manufacturing at a site.
• Strong leadership experience for large projects implementation in a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Ability to lead large diverse, international, virtual, and cross-functional teams.
• Ability to manage communication and relationship with global and local governance.
• Must have demonstrated ability to have a global view.
• Understanding of current state and future direction for the area and for the enterprise.
• Demonstrated ability to establish key relationships with those outside of the immediate business area.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and influences integration points with other business areas, processes, functions.
• Excellent initiative and self-management skills as well as ability to lead teams, influence others and manage conflict.

Basic Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) implementation, project management, and/or related roles in a manufacturing environment.
• Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to be employed in the United States; Lilly does not anticipate providing sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B or TN status) for this employment position.

Additional Preferences

• Strong understanding of manufacturing and quality processes within the pharmaceutical or life sciences industry.
• Experience managing complex, multi-site technology deployments, ensuring alignment with business and technical requirements.
• Proven ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams, including engineering, quality, operations, and IT.
• Strong project management skills, including scope, schedule, and budget management.
• Ability to navigate and lead within a global matrix organization, working with both site-level and global teams.
• Experience in change management and user adoption strategies for large-scale system implementations.
• Strong problem-solving skills, adaptability, and ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels.
• Willingness to travel internationally as needed to support global deployments.

Additional Information:

• Position locations: Indianapolis
• Occasional off-hours and weekend work expected.
• 10-15% domestic/international travel required.

#WeAreLilly

Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation) for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.

Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups.

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is

$123,000 - $180,400

Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.

#WeAreLilly