Associate Director - Senior Operations Associate

Initial Therapeutics, Inc.; Plainfield (IN); On-site; USD 122,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player in healthcare is seeking a Senior Operations Associate to enhance logistics operations across North America. This role focuses on implementing business improvement projects, ensuring compliance with quality standards, and leading initiatives for efficiency in warehouse operations. The ideal candidate will bring strong leadership and problem-solving skills, along with a solid understanding of the pharmaceutical industry. Join a dynamic team dedicated to improving lives through innovative healthcare solutions and enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including performance bonuses and opportunities for growth.

Benefits

Company bonus

Comprehensive benefit program

Cell phone provided

Support for critical issues off-hours

Qualifications

• 5+ years leading teams, preferably in operations or pharmaceuticals.
• Knowledge of current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs).

Responsibilities

• Support internal US distribution centers with logistics operations.
• Drive efficiency initiatives and manage inventory processes.

Skills

Leadership Skills

Problem-Solving Skills

Organizational Skills

Financial Acumen

Change Management

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering

Bachelor’s Degree in Management

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Excel

PowerBI

Microsoft Word

PowerPoint

TrackWise (QMS)

GMARS (CMMS)

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 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.

Anticipated Wage: $122,250 - $179,300

The Senior Operations Associate supports the North American Logistic Operations (NALO) organization, reporting to the Associate Director of Operations for NALO. The role primarily supports internal US distribution centers (Plainfield, Enfield, and Fresno) with occasional support for NALO’s 3PL network. The position is responsible for the design and implementation of business improvement projects, warehouse capacity analysis, operations metrics development and reporting, inventory management, and compliance initiatives. The position has ownership for investigations and deviations within the operations space and directly manages the waivers and buyer positions at NALO. To meet customer requirements, this position requires a general understanding of the pharmaceutical industry and distribution, warehousing, both US and OUS traffic management, regulatory and sales practices.

Key Objectives/Deliverables:

Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE)

• Drive an interdependent HSE culture, promoting safe work practices across all operations personnel.
• Investigate HSE incidents, implement safety initiatives and action items.

Quality / Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure that operations SOPs meet the quality standards as defined by cGMPs, the Global Quality Standards, and local Quality procedures.
• Investigate operational events and drive implementation of appropriate countermeasures.
• Ensure appropriate training curricula are maintained for operations personnel and that personnel are trained to perform job tasks.
• Coordinate with maintenance and engineering to ensure that equipment is maintained in a cGMP manner.
• Ensure data integrity and good documentation practices across operations roles.
• Prepare operations employees for internal and external audits.

Operations

• Lead major initiatives to drive efficiency opportunities associated with process flow and resource utilization.
• Partner with Associate Directors to develop prioritization lists for SAP enhancements and process improvements.
• Develop robust processes for metric gathering and implementation of improvement initiatives.
• Directly manage employees responsible for order waiving/planning processes and inventory management.
• Replicate distribution best practices across all NALO sites.
• Lead Process Team and escalate risks and challenges to Site Lead Team.
• Coordinate with US Customer Service and LVA to understand customer requirements and schedules.

Financial / Productivity

• Ensure budget commitments are met, reporting key trends in monthly metrics updates.
• Drive productivity initiatives for warehouse operations.

People Development

• Provide performance feedback and coaching to Operators in a timely manner.
• Assist in performance management cycle for direct employees and talent pipeline development across NALO.
• Support SCALE and intern programs as needed.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Management, or similar field.
• 5+ years leading people, preferably in an operational or pharmaceutical organization.
• Knowledge of current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs).

Additional Skills / Preferences

• Highly organized, able to manage competing priorities and influence across multiple levels of an organization.
• Proven critical problem-solving and leadership skills.
• Demonstrated ability with computer systems and software (Microsoft Word, Excel, SAP, PowerBI, PowerPoint).
• Knowledge of cGMP, SAP, TrackWise (QMS), and GMARS (CMMS).
• Experience with Change Management, Deviation Management, and Routine Data Monitoring/Reporting.
• Root cause analysis and problem solving (CAPA).
• Experience with lean manufacturing principles to drive continuous improvement.
• Financial acumen and experience in business case creation and analysis.

Additional Information

• Senior Operations Associate will be provided a cell phone and is expected to provide off-hours support for critical issues.
• Occasional travel is required (approximately 5 – 15%).

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 for further assistance. Lilly is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, 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 help our company develop talented individuals for future leadership roles.

Full-time equivalent employees will be eligible for a company bonus, and Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees.

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