Senior Principal Engineer - Automation Engineering – Mixed Modalities Manufacturing - Lilly

BioSpace; Lebanon (IN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 167,000; Full time

Job summary

Lilly in Indiana seeks a Senior Principal Engineer - Automation Engineering to lead capital project execution and provide expert automation support across site operations. You will mentor peers and ensure compliant control applications within a GMP environment.

Initial location at Parkwood West, Indianapolis, with permanent site at Lilly Medicine Foundry in Lebanon, Indiana, supporting startup activities from 2026 to 2029.

Qualifications

• Minimum BS in Engineering with 8+ years in Biopharma automation engineering.
• Experience with DeltaV batch and biomanufacturing environments.
• Authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Responsibilities

• Provide automation support across site operations and capital projects.
• Lead capital project execution and design, commissioning and qualification.
• Mentor peers and ensure compliant control applications.
• Collaborate with Process Engineering and multi-disciplinary teams.

Skills

Technical leadership

Mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Process control expertise

Regulatory compliance

Project planning

Communication

Education

BS in Engineering

Tools

DeltaV DCS

Rockwell PLC

Batch Process Automation

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 recently announced a $4.5 billion investment to create the Lilly Medicine Foundry, a new center for advanced manufacturing and drug development. The first‑ever facility of its kind, combining research and manufacturing in a single location, the Medicine Foundry will allow Lilly to further develop innovative solutions to optimize manufacturing processes and increase capacity for clinical trial medicines, while also reducing costs and environmental impact.

The Senior Principal Engineer - Automation Engineering will work as a member of the Automation Engineering Department at Eli Lilly, Foundry. The engineer will provide automation support for one or more operating areas across site and/or for capital projects. Process Automation is core to delivering the right first‑time facility start up and continued support of ongoing manufacturing operations into the future.

The Senior Principal Engineer is also responsible for the productivity and mentorship of their peers with the purpose of ensuring that reliable and compliant control applications and systems are used in the manufacturing at Foundry. Additionally, the Senior Principal Engineer as a key technical expert with partners to influence and implement within the process control organization and across functional disciplines to support the process control technical agenda, business plan priorities, and compliance objectives.

In the project delivery phase and startup phase of the project (startup expected 2026 to 2029), automation engineering roles will be fluid and dynamic as we endeavor to support the project delivery, build a new organization, develop and implement the necessary systems and business processes required to support GMP operations, and build the site culture. This will require significant collaboration, creativity and resilience as the site grows to a full scale GMP manufacturing through start up.

Key Objectives/Deliverables

• Technical Leadership - Lead capital project execution, Design, Development, commissioning & qualification and support.
• Lead and oversee the work of Site Area leads and System Integrators.
• Lead/Participate in design reviews and DeltaV application software reviews, attend equipment and software FATs.
• Develop functional requirements and process control strategies for control systems in collaboration with Process Engineering.
• Translate technical concepts for executive audience and/or non-technical stakeholders.
• Develop and implement the Automation Engineering Project Plan.
• Promote the use of Digital innovation and automation to enhance efficiency of team functions.
• Maintain validated state of the process control system application software.

Operational Excellence

• System level thinking and expertise working with multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Deep Expertise working with DeltaV Distributed Control System, Rockwell Allen Bradley PLC and Batch Process Automation.
• Thorough understanding of 21CFR Part 11, GMP processes.
• Provide periodic status updates to Project Management.
• Lead/Participate in design reviews and Site system hardware reviews, attend equipment and FATs.
• Promote the use of Digital Innovation and automation to improve productivity, operational efficiency and compliance.

• Experience in clinical‑stage manufacturing with flexible, multi‑product capabilities is preferred.
• Thorough understanding of various process control communication protocols.
• Developing a ‘network’ of corporate contacts and leveraging corporate expertise when needed.
• Provide On‑call support for operations, as needed.

Organizational Capability

• Mentor process control team to strengthen technical capabilities and adopt best practices to enhance system reliability and business continuity.
• Be a fully active member of the flow leadership in running the plant, including participation on technical sub‑teams.
• Possess a keen technical curiosity and has demonstrated strong problem‑solving skills and a desire for continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated initiative, good planning and organizational skills, ability to prioritize tasks, commitment to task completion and timelines.
• Demonstrated ability to influence peers and business partners, influence without authority.
• In coordination with automation and compliance consultants, set and reinforce standards for appropriate rigor in automation work products.

Basic Requirements

• Minimum B.S. in Engineering, with 8+ years working experience in Biopharma Automation Engineering, preferably in major pharmaceutical manufacturing.
• Experience working in Biotech or Small Molecule manufacturing using DeltaV batch are a must.
• Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full‑time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1.

Additional Preferences

• Experience in design, development, commissioning and qualification of highly automated greenfield manufacturing sites utilizing SCADA, DCS, PLC and MES systems (DeltaV, Rockwell, Syncade, etc).
• Experience in facilitating and driving decision‑making at an organizational level.

Other Information

• Initial location at Parkwood West, Indianapolis, Indiana.
• Permanent location at the new Lilly Medicine Foundry in Lebanon, Indiana.
• 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 (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

$64,500 - $167,200

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.

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