Process Automation Engineer – Packaging

100 Eli Lilly and Company; Wisconsin; On-site; USD 66,000 - 172,000; Full time

Job summary

Lilly seeks a Process Automation Engineer – Packaging to support high-speed packaging lines at the Kenosha, WI site. You will coordinate design, installation, qualification, and startup activities, bridging OEM equipment with MES, warehouse, and scheduling systems.

The role requires a STEM degree and 7+ years of automation engineering experience, with emphasis on CFR/OSHA compliance, Studio 5000, and FactoryTalk View SE. Travel domestically/internationally may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM required.
• 7+ years of experience as a process engineer with automation expertise.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Automation teams to design, install, and qualify the new LKC packaging lines.
• Lead automation activities through full project lifecycle including design review, FAT, installation, SAT, qualification, and startup.
• Serve as technical owner for integration between packaging equipment and MES, warehouse systems, scheduling systems, and site automation platforms.
• Review OEM electrical, controls, and safety designs to ensure Lilly standards and industry standards compliance.
• Develop and execute automation verification and qualification activities, including IV/OV testing, integration testing, and startup troubleshooting.
• Support implementation and lifecycle management of Lilly platforms such as GPP, GRIP, GPM, and MES integrations.
• Design, troubleshoot, and support interfaces including PLCs, HMI/SCADA, databases, servers, networks, and middleware.
• Partner with Quality, Operations, Engineering, IT, OEMs, and global teams to resolve automation and integration challenges.
• Lead startup readiness activities including PSSR, safety verification, automation cutovers, and qualification support.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying root causes and implementing robust automation solutions.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership across multiple manufacturing areas.
• Own/SME of equipment, packaging processes, and maintenance programs per Lilly standards.
• Lead cross-functional team in medium-large scale projects and ensure CFR/OSHA compliance.
• Establish control charts and monitor KPIs to optimize equipment performance.
• Provide tertiary troubleshooting support for complex issues.
• Utilize root cause analysis and causal factor charts to resolve deviations.
• Identify corrective actions from CAPAs and drive improvements.
• Periodically review equipment performance and maintenance strategies.
• Identify and drive procedural or equipment improvements.

Skills

Studio 5000

FactoryTalk View SE

Robotics

Vision systems

Statistical thinking

Root cause analysis

Process automation

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Tools

Studio 5000

FactoryTalk View SE

Job description

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it's work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us. Lilly is a fortune 500 company in operation for 150 years creating high-quality medicines for our patients. The new facility on the Kenosha County campus will be one of Lilly’s most technically advanced manufacturing sites. The facility will include high-speed manufacturing, robotics, advanced data collection and analytics that will result in safety improvements, increased productivity, and variability reduction for Packaging lines. This is an exciting opportunity to help build a state-of-the-art facility and Quality System from the ground up.

Responsibilities

As the Process Automation Engineer – Packaging, you will be supporting and managing the Packaging crucial to Lilly's supply chain. This role will be part of the LKC Site Engineering organization responsible for the delivery of the lines and support of continuous operations by providing subject matter expertise in process control, improvements, project management, and technical leadership to the process team. This position will require the development of expertise in production processes, commissioning, qualification, and validation requirements and equipment specific code and/or control system technologies. Individuals who have passion to architect, integrate, qualify, and start up complex packaging systems while serving as the technical bridge between OEM equipment, manufacturing control systems, MES, warehouse systems, and site operations are encouraged to apply.

Key Objectives/Deliverables

• Partner with Corporate Automation, Global Packaging & Robotics, Automation Integrators, and Global Facilities Delivery to design, install, and qualify the new LKC packaging lines.
• Assist in the integration of these lines into the site data collection and SCADA layer.
• Lead automation activities through the full project lifecycle including design review, FAT, installation, SAT, qualification, and startup support.
• Serve as the technical owner for integration between packaging equipment and enterprise manufacturing systems including MES, warehouse management systems, scheduling systems, and site automation platforms.
• Review OEM electrical, controls, and safety designs to ensure compliance with Lilly standards and applicable industry standards (e.g., machine safety, electrical safety, and control panel requirements).
• Develop and execute automation verification and qualification activities, including IV/OV testing, system integration testing, and startup troubleshooting.
• Support implementation and lifecycle management of Lilly manufacturing platforms such as Global Packaging Platform (GPP), GRIP, GPM, Global Scheduler, and MES integrations.
• Design, troubleshoot, and support manufacturing system interfaces including PLCs, HMI/SCADA systems, databases, servers, virtual environments, networks, and middleware platforms.
• Partner with Quality, Operations, Engineering, IT, OEMs, and global platform teams to resolve complex automation and integration challenges during project execution and commercial operations.
• Lead manufacturing system startup readiness activities including PSSR execution, safety verification, automation cutovers, and qualification support.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives by identifying root causes, implementing robust automation solutions, and improving reliability, quality, and operational performance.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership across multiple manufacturing areas and project teams.
• Owner/SME of equipment, Packaging processes, and maintenance programs associated with Lilly Global Quality Standards (GQS) and Engineering Best Practices/Functional Standards (EBP/EFS).
• Technically lead and delegate activities to a cross-functional technical team supporting the packaging lines on medium-large scale projects.
• Proficient and capable of understanding OSHA/regulatory (CFR) requirements and ensuring compliance.
• Clear understanding of equipment flow chart, process flow document, critical quality attributes, and equipment controls.
• Establish control charts & monitor/trend operating parameters to verify and optimize equipment performance/KPIs.
• Provide tertiary support in troubleshooting efforts to resolve more difficult equipment and operational problems.
• Utilize formal problem-solving techniques, such as root cause analysis and causal factor charting, to resolve equipment deviations.
• Responsible for system/component classification and maintenance strategy for equipment.
• Identify and gain alignment on corrective actions and countermeasures arising from CAPA’s.
• Accountable for Periodic Reviews for equipment.
• Identify and drive improvement opportunities (procedural changes, upgrades, projects, etc.) associated with equipment within the area.

Requirements (Education, Experience, Training)

Bachelor’s degree in STEM 7+ years of experience as a process engineer with automation expertise Preferred attributes but not required: Technical leadership. Strong learning mindset with curiosity, adaptability, and technical aptitude to rapidly acquire new skills and technologies. Proven experience delivering engineering projects in both greenfield and brownfield environments, including facility startup, commissioning, expansion, and retrofit initiatives. Ability to lead first-time processes and navigating a cross-functional team through ambiguity. Pharmaceutical cGMP experience and compliance OSHA and CFR knowledge. Project management skills. Adequate interpersonal and communications skills to be able to work effectively in a team-based environment. Strong knowledge of Studio 5000 and FactoryTalk View SE. Understanding of automated vision systems, and robotics. Ability to apply statistical thinking concepts to the analysis of manufacturing problems. Experience in utilizing root cause analysis techniques for the systematic solving of problems.

Additional Information

Schedule - 8-hour days - Monday through Friday, rotational on-call support will be required. Travel - Domestic and International travel may be required during build-up phase (~25-50%). Domestic and International travel may be required after Operation Readiness (~5-10%).

Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions.

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 (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is $66,000 - $171,600. Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance).

• 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
• 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 At Lilly we strive to ensure our employees are part of a team that cares about them and our shared purpose of making life better for those around the world. How do we do this? We continue to look for ways to include, innovate, accelerate and deliver while maintaining integrity, excellence and respect for people. We hope that you seek to join us on our journey as we create medicine and deliver improved outcomes for patients across the globe! #WeAreLilly