Site Operational Excellence Business Partner

Eli Lilly and Company; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 143,000; Full time

Job summary

Eli Lilly and Company is launching an Advanced Manufacturing startup in Goochland County, VA. The Operational Excellence Business Partner will drive Lean initiatives, coach teams, and lead cross-functional projects to implement continuous improvement across a new GMP manufacturing site.

The role emphasizes execution and coaching, with training delivery and change-management support to sustain Lean maturity. Travel is minimal, and a competitive benefits package is offered.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum of 2 years experience in a GMP manufacturing facility.
• Authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis; Lilly will not sponsor work authorization.
• Direct experience in manufacturing operations for drug substance/product facilities is preferred.
• Experience in Lean Manufacturing or other productivity methods is desirable.
• Strong written and oral communication and interpersonal skills; ability to influence and coach across levels.

Responsibilities

• Support the site agenda through direct project execution.
• Participate in Flow Team governance, identify trends, and lead improvement initiatives.
• Facilitate Operational Excellence training to all levels of employees to support deployment and sustainability of Lean methods.
• Coach and train teams in Lean tools and systems (daily management, A3 thinking, standard work).
• Lead cross-functional teams in initiatives such as Continuous Improvement, RCA, FMEA, and HPR.
• Participate in Operational Excellence Assessments and sustain Lean maturity on site.
• Lead improvement events and deploy OE tools across projects.
• Educate the business on OE approaches and engage leadership to sustain Lean discipline.

Skills

Lean

Root Cause Analysis

Problem Solving

A3 thinking

Standard work

Daily management

Flow Team

Coaching

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

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 currently constructing an advanced manufacturing facility for monoclonal antibodies, bioconjugates, and aseptic drug product manufacturing in Goochland County, Virginia. This facility is intended to provide capacity for current and future products. This is a unique opportunity to be part of the team for the startup of a manufacturing site, and the successful candidate will help to build the organization, the facility, and the culture to enable a successful startup into GMP manufacturing operations.

The Operational Excellence Business Partner provides direct support for OPEX projects in support of the site agenda. This role reports to the Operational Excellence Lead. They partner with the organization to deploy operational excellence standards and support continuous improvement. The Business Partner is an SME in Lean, Problem Solving, Root Cause Analysis, Manufacturing Standards of Operational Excellence, and Human Performance Reliability. The role involves a balance of execution and coaching.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the site agenda through direct project execution
• Participate in Flow Team governance, identify trends, and lead improvement initiatives
• Facilitate Operational Excellence training to all levels of employees within assigned areas to support deployment and ongoing sustainability of Operational Excellence / Lean ways of working
• Coach and train teams in Lean tools and systems (for example, daily management, A3 thinking, standard work)
• Participates and/or lead cross functional teams in the development and implementation of strategies associated with the area for the following initiatives: Continuous Improvement, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Failure Modes Effect Analysis (FMEA), Human Performance Reliability (HPR), etc.
• Participate in Operational Excellence Assessments within the site (site and globally driven)
• Sustain and evolve Lean maturity and consistency on site
• Empower individuals and teams to use lean behaviors and mindsets to strive for execution excellence
• Lead improvement events and support deployment of Operational Excellence tools in the business including but not limited to systems such as daily management, standard work, A3 thinking, and value stream mapping, RCA, and HPR
• Educate the business on Operational Excellence approaches and partner with leadership to engage all employees in the Operational Excellence journey and ensure the discipline to sustain Lean remains in place
• Serve as Operational Excellence Business Partner by partnering with Business Area Leaders to facilitate the chosen methodology for the given project (for example, Kaizen Event)
• Provide support to ensure robust Organizational Change Management and Monitoring Plans are in place to sustain improvements
• Engage routinely with sponsors to provide status and escalation where appropriate as issues arise
• Ensure lean principles and tools are integrated into both project execution and solution design
• Responsible for assembling Operational Excellence project plans, teamwork assignments, directing and monitoring work efforts daily

Minimum Requirements

• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum of 2 years experience in a GMP manufacturing facility
• 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

• Direct experience in manufacturing operations for drug substance and/or drug product facilities
• Experience in Lean Manufacturing or other Productivity industry methods
• Demonstrated strong written and oral communication and interpersonal interaction skills to be able to work effectively in a team-based environment
• Strong self-management and organizational skills
• Ability to influence without authority
• Ability to coach individuals from the shop floor to Flow Team, and lead project teams

Additional Information

• Travel: 0-10%

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

$60,000 - $143,000

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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