Sr. Director - Central Estimating & Planning - GFD

Lilly Group; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 164,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan

Pension

Vacation benefits

Medical, dental, vision benefits

Flexible benefits

Life insurance

Paid time off

Well-being programs

Job summary

Lilly is seeking a Sr. Director, Central Estimating & Planning in Indianapolis to lead the capital estimate from concept to closeout for a multi‑billion portfolio.

You will shape the estimating strategy, manage validation, and align with GPCO standards while building a high‑performing team across PortOps. Required are 10+ years in cost estimating on large projects, a relevant engineering degree, and accountability to work in the United States.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or related field.
• 10+ years of cost estimating on large capital projects, with team leadership.
• Authorized to work in the United States full-time.

Responsibilities

• Owns capital estimate from concept to closeout with continuous continuity.
• Sets estimating/planning strategy with targets for accuracy and predictability.
• Owns basis of estimate, plan, validation, and benchmarking across portfolio.
• Builds and scales Central Estimating & Planning function with hiring plan.

Skills

Cost estimating

Project management

Leadership

Communication

Stakeholder influence

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Construction Management or related field

Certification: CCP/CEP or PMP

Tools

Primavera P6

Oracle Unifier

AACE methodologies

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.

JOB POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Sr. Director, Central Estimating & Planning sits within the Capital Portfolio Operations (PortOps) team in Global Facilities Delivery (GFD), part of Manufacturing & Quality, and reports to the AVP, Capital Portfolio Operations. This role owns the capital estimate from initial concept through project closeout for GFD's capital portfolio of approximately $65 billion, and is accountable for establishing the estimating and planning strategy that delivers predictable and accurate cost outcomes across that portfolio. Scope includes basis of estimate, basis of schedule, estimate and schedule validation, contingency and allowance setting, and benchmarking. This role is accountable for developing the team’s structure, defining the hiring plan, hiring and onboarding estimators, and establishing the team’s operating processes for this function. The role works across a large number of senior stakeholders, including Network AVPs, program directors, Finance, and GPCO, and is expected to influence decisions through others where it does not hold direct authority. Estimating strategy is owned by this role and is aligned with the project controls framework and tools established by the Global Portfolio Controls Office (GPCO).

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Responsibilities are expressed as owned capability areas:

• Owns the capital estimate from initial concept through project closeout, maintaining estimate continuity across each project phase and funding gate.

• Establishes and maintains the estimating and planning strategy for the capital portfolio, with defined targets for estimate accuracy and cost predictability, and reports performance against those targets.

• Owns basis of estimate, estimate plan, and estimate validation across the capital portfolio.

• Owns basis of schedule, schedule design plan, and schedule validation across the capital portfolio.

• Owns CSRA (contingency and allowance setting) for the capital portfolio.

• Validates cost and schedule changes that escalates to the executive level.

• Owns benchmarking of estimates and schedules against industry and internal data.

• Builds the Central Estimating & Planning function: defines the hiring plan and recruits, hires, and onboards a team of estimators; plus, plans for surge capacity contract estimating support.

• Establishes team structure, operating processes, and ways of working for a newly built team, consistent with methodology and tools established by GPCO.

• Aligns estimating strategy and practice with the project controls framework and tools established by GPCO.

• Manages estimate and schedule positions with multiple senior stakeholders who have competing priorities, including Network AVPs, program directors, and Finance, and defends those positions in governance forums (CPMO, PASC, SteerCos).

• Pulls in subject matter experts from GPCO and other PortOps functions as needed to support estimate and schedule development.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

This position requires a combination of technical or project management education, direct experience delivering capital projects, and strong analytical and communication skills.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field.

• 10+ years of experience in cost estimating on large capital projects, including estimating individual projects with a total installed cost greater than $1 billion, and experience managing a team with direct reports.

• 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.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience estimating individual projects or programs with a total installed cost of $5 billion or greater.

• Demonstrated ability to influence decisions through others and manage multiple senior stakeholders with competing demands.

• Experience standing up or scaling an estimating or project controls function, including hiring and onboarding staff.

• Previous experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing or pharmaceutical capital project delivery.

• Proficient in cost estimating and scheduling methods and tools (e.g., AACE methodology, Primavera P6, Oracle Unifier).

• Certified Cost Professional (CCP), Certified Estimating Professional (CEP), or PMP certification.

• Proven ability to operate effectively within GMP-regulated pharmaceutical environments.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Position Location: Indianapolis, IN

• Travel Percentage (%): ~30%

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

$163,500 - $239,800

In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees:

• 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.

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