Senior Director, Manufacturing Operations & Projects

Elanco in; Elwood (KS); On-site; USD 173,000 - 211,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Multiple relocation packages forelig

8-week parental leave

9 Employee Resource Groups

Annual bonus offering

Up to 6% 401K matching

Job summary

Elanco seeks a Senior Director, Manufacturing Operations to lead end-to-end monoclonal antibody vaccine production, including upstream, downstream, fill/finish, and site support for safe, compliant, and reliable supply. Located in Elwood, Kansas, the role partners across Quality, Ops, and R&D to drive lifecycle management.

The role emphasizes building leadership, Lean/Six Sigma and digital manufacturing, while delivering enterprise priorities and continuous improvement across the site and beyond.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Life Sciences, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• Significant leadership experience in biopharmaceutical, biologics, or vaccine manufacturing with site-level accountability.
• Proven ability to lead large, complex organizations with GMP/regulatory awareness.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for all manufacturing functions aligned to portfolio needs.
• Own site manufacturing performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
• Ensure compliant, reliable supply through strong planning and disciplined execution.
• Embed a culture of quality, compliance, and inspection readiness with regulatory standards.
• Lead and develop a high-performing organization; build leadership capability and succession planning.
• Drive Lean, Six Sigma, and digital manufacturing to improve key metrics.
• Partner with Quality, Technical Operations, Supply Chain, R&D, and Commercial teams for launches and tech transfers.
• Oversee capital strategy, facility expansions, and automation programs.
• Proactively manage operational risk and business continuity planning.
• Represent manufacturing at the enterprise level and contribute to global strategy.

Skills

Leadership of large organizations

GMP manufacturing

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Life Sciences, or related field

Job description

Elanco seeks a Senior Director, Manufacturing Operations to lead end-to-end monoclonal antibody vaccine production, including upstream, downstream, fill/finish, and site support for safe, compliant, and reliable supply. Located in Elwood, Kansas, the role partners across Quality, Ops, and R&D to drive lifecycle management.

The role emphasizes building leadership, Lean/Six Sigma and digital manufacturing, while delivering enterprise priorities and continuous improvement across the site and beyond.