Senior Process Engineer – Biologics- Lilly Medicine Foundry

Eli Lilly and Company; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 68,000 - 174,000; Full time

Job summary

Eli Lilly and Company is seeking a Senior Process Engineer for the new Lebanon, Indiana, facility startup focused on biologics drug substance manufacturing. The role involves solving process challenges across upstream and downstream operations, ensuring safety, quality, and regulatory alignment.

The successful candidate will work with diverse teams to scale processes, optimize performance, and support regulatory submissions while growing with a leading global healthcare company.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in chemical engineering, biochemical engineering, or related discipline and a minimum of 2 years of experience in pharma/biotech/CMO supporting biologics process engineering.
• Experience with upstream and/or downstream biologics unit operations (bioreactors, media prep, centrifugation, chromatography or filtration).
• Authorized to work in the United States on a full‑time basis; Lilly does not sponsor visa work authorization.

Responsibilities

• Perform impact and risk assessments for unit operations.
• Learn the lab and plant reactor design, automation recipes, and procedures.
• Ensure safety and compliance with company policies and quality systems.
• Maintain equipment compliance with internal Quality System and cGMP requirements.
• Engage with cross-functional teams (HSE, QA, Tech Services, Operations, Automation).
• Prepare, review, or approve technical reports supporting design, qualification, and validation.

Skills

Biologics ops

Cell culture/fermentation

Chromatography

Filtration

Upstream/downstream

Education

BS or MS in chemical/biochemical engineering

Tools

DeltaV

Bioreactor SCADA

Dynochem

Aspen

Electronic lab notebooks

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.

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.

About the Lilly Medicine Foundry:

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.

Organizational Overview:

Lilly is currently constructing an advanced research facility for production of API molecules for clinical trials located in Lebanon, IN. This facility is Lilly’s largest investment in a clinical trial manufacturing capacity and is intended to provide APIs for current and future products, including new modalities. This is a unique opportunity to be a part of the startup team for a greenfield manufacturing site, and the successful candidate will help to build the processes and facility to enable a successful startup into GMP manufacturing operations.

We are seeking a Senior Process Engineer to support the facility in Lebanon with a focus on biologics drug substance manufacturing, including upstream (cell culture/fermentation) and downstream (purification, filtration, formulation) unit operations. This position involves solving technical challenges with equipment design, developing and sustaining process knowledge, optimizing processes, and managing equipment capabilities.

Responsibilities:

• Perform impact and risk assessments for unit operations
• Learn the lab and plant design for the reactors including automation recipes and procedures.
• Ensure that people and their environment are safe and that company policies concerning safety are followed.
• Ensure processing equipment remains compliant with internal Quality System requirements, applicable engineering standards, and cGMP requirements.
• Active engagement and communication with: HSE, Quality Assurance, Tech Services, Development, Operations, FUME/C&Q, Automation, Maintenance, Environmental Monitoring, and Manufacturing.
• Author, review, or approve high‑quality technical reports as required to explain basis of design, including facility fit assessments, process characterization, and comparability considerations.
• Support scale‑down/scale‑up strategy and troubleshooting for biologics unit operations, incorporating cell culture media/feed strategies, chemical engineering first principles, viral clearance requirements, and contamination control strategies as applicable.
• Demonstrateengagement andetobea quality mindset set…. (continued)

Basic Requirements:

• BS or MS in chemical engineering, biochemical engineering, or a related discipline and a minimum of 2 years of experience with a pharmaceutical, biotech, or CMO environment supporting the process engineering of biologics drug substance manufacturing or development.
• Demonstrated experience with upstream and/or downstream biologics unit operations (bioreactors, media prep, centrifugation, chromatography or filtration).
• 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:

• Deep technical interest and understanding in the field of biologics/bioprocess engineering.
• Ability to work well in a team environment incorporating a variety of functional relationships and desire to be point of accountability.
• Experience with single-use technology systems and associated engineering considerations.
• Experience with any of the following software packages: DeltaV, bioreactor SCADA/process chromatography control systems, Dynochem, Aspen, and/or electronic lab notebooks.
• Familiarity with biologics regulatory submissions (IND, BLA, CTD modules) and process characterization/validation requirements.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills for a diverse audience, e.g., both operations staff and management.
• Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a Process Team consisting of a diverse group of management, production, science and engineering professionals.
• Understanding of process control systems relevant to biologics unit operations.
• Creativity to identify improvement opportunities and the tenacity/initiative to see them implemented.
• Guidance/mentoring of others through processes.
• Flexibility to meet business needs.

Other Information:

Initial location at Parkwood West, Indianapolis, IN

Permanent location at the new Lilly Medicine Foundry in Lebanon, Indiana.

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.

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 $67,500 - $173,800 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