Sr Director - Engineering (Automation, Maintenance, Process)

Eli Lilly and Company; Huntsville (TN); On-site; USD 164,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Eli Lilly and Company in the United States seeks a Senior Director to lead the site’s process-facing engineering functions, including process engineering, automation, and maintenance, to support startup and long‑term manufacturing goals. The role provides both administrative and technical leadership for engineering operations.

As a member of the Site Lead Team, you will shape strategic direction, build capability, manage cross-functional issues, and ensure safety, quality, and regulatory

Qualifications

• 10+ years of leadership experience in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Ability to lead process engineering, automation, and maintenance teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the site’s process-facing engineering functions, including process engineering, automation, and maintenance, to support startup and long‑term manufacturing goals.
• Define priorities and roadmaps for engineering, automation, and maintenance; ensure safety and quality.
• Develop organizational capability and cross‑functional collaboration with corporate teams to meet site objectives.
• Ensure GMP readiness, system readiness, and governance across programs.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

GMP knowledge

API manufacturing

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Job description

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.

Position Overview

The Senior Director is responsible for leading the site’s process‑facing engineering functions—including process engineering, automation, and maintenance—to ensure the team has the capacity, capability, and leadership to support site startup and long‑term manufacturing goals. This role provides both administrative and technical leadership for engineering operations.

As a member of the Lilly Site Lead Team, the Senior Director contributes to shaping the site’s strategic direction, building organizational capability, and managing cross‑functional issues. The team works collectively to achieve long‑term business objectives, adapt to evolving corporate and external environments, and develop the site for future success.

During the project delivery and startup phases, the Site Lead Team will operate dynamically to support project execution, build the organization, implement GMP systems and processes, and establish site culture. This will require strong collaboration, creativity, and resilience.

Responsibilities

Pre‑Startup & Startup Phase

• Organizational Development : Collaborate with the Site Lead Team to build a capable, inclusive, and resilient organization focused on safety, quality, and operational excellence.

• Functional Strategy : Define priorities and roadmap for process engineering, automation, and maintenance. Develop systems and processes by leveraging internal expertise and external best practices.

• Safety Leadership : Actively contribute to the site HSE Lead Team to ensure safety is embedded throughout project delivery and startup.

• Project Support : Act as end user for process equipment—providing input on design, commissioning, and startup plans to align with both project and long‑term site goals.

• Team Structure : Design and evolve the engineering organization to ensure the right resources and leadership are in place for GMP manufacturing.

• System Readiness : Ensure qualified and safe states for equipment, processes, utilities, and facilities are established and maintained.

• Corporate Alignment : Build strong technical relationships with corporate teams and champion strategic initiatives at the site level.

Post‑Startup Phase

• Ongoing Strategy Execution : Continue refining and executing the engineering roadmap, aligning functional goals with site priorities.

• Compliance & Standards : Ensure adherence to corporate policies and standards across environmental, safety, and quality domains.

• External Benchmarking : Maintain an outward focus to identify and apply best practices from across the industry and internal network.

• Asset Management : Partner with Facilities Engineering to manage site investments—planning, prioritizing, and executing capital projects aligned with site objectives.

• Operational Integrity : Ensure equipment remains in a qualified and safe state, and that maintenance is performed and documented to the highest standards.

• Governance & Controls : Establish and maintain robust control systems to manage compliance and **escalate** issues appropriately.

• Leadership Development : Cultivate future technical and managerial leaders for the site and potential global roles.

Basic Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.

• 10+ years of experience in a leadership role managing teams within the pharmaceutical industry.

Additional Preferences

• Experience in API manufacturing, including implementation of a Process Safety Management program.

• Strong understanding of cGMPs and their application to manufacturing operations.

• Proven ability to build effective relationships across all organizational levels—from site leadership to frontline teams.

• Demonstrated success in leading projects from initiation to completion, meeting timelines, budgets, and performance standards.

• Track record of developing and managing high‑performing, engaged teams with a focus on safety, quality, and strong team culture.

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 Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups.

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

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)

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