Sr. Principal Facilities & Project Engineering

Eli Lilly and Company; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 119,000 - 174,000; Full time

Job summary

Lilly is constructing an advanced manufacturing facility in Goochland County, Virginia. We seek a Senior Principal Facilities & Project Engineering to drive capital projects for GMP manufacturing, ensuring safety, quality, and timely delivery.

You will partner with Maintenance and Operations to define needs, manage budgets, and lead cross-functional teams through full project lifecycles. Role requires 5+ years in facility/maintenance engineering and project delivery, plus a BS in engineering.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering is required.
• 5+ years of experience in Facility or Maintenance Engineering in a manufacturing setting.
• 5+ years in Project Management/Capital Project Delivery.
• Experience owning a facility management program.

Responsibilities

• Lead capital project delivery for facilities and utilities systems—typically $5M–$10M—covering piping, clean utilities, and facility infrastructure from scope to closeout.
• Partner with Maintenance and Operations to translate facility needs into project requirements and scope.
• Manage full project lifecycle: meetings, schedule, contractor management, budgeting, stakeholder communication.
• Meet with plant customers (Operations, Engineering, Quality) to gather needs and represent them in planning.
• Oversee contractors to ensure safety, schedule, and budget compliance per GMP and EHS.
• Apply knowledge of clean utilities and facility infrastructure to inform design and sequencing decisions.
• Participate in regular project and operations meetings; surface risks and resourcing needs to leadership.
• Contribute to broader facilities reliability and preventive maintenance planning.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

GMP experience

Facilities systems

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering (Mechanical/Chemical/Electrical/Civil)

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.

Senior Principal Facilities & Project Engineering

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. The successful candidate will help to build the organization, the facility and the culture to enable a successful startup into GMP manufacturing operations.

We are seeking a Senior Principal Facilities & Project Engineering to support our new Manufacturing Facility in Goochland County, Virginia.

Responsibilities

• Lead capital project delivery for facilities and utilities systems — typically in the $5M–$10M range — covering piping, clean utilities, and facility infrastructure projects from scope development through execution and closeout
• Partner with Maintenance and Operations to understand facility system needs and reliability/performance metrics, translating that input into project requirements and scope
• Manage full project lifecycle activities, including team meetings, schedule development, contractor management, budget development and tracking, and stakeholder communication
• Meet regularly with plant customers (Operations, Engineering, Quality) to gather feedback on projects and business needs, and represent those needs in project planning
• Oversee contractors and vendors to ensure project work is executed safely, on schedule, and within budget, in compliance with GMP and EHS requirements
• Apply working knowledge of clean utility systems and facility infrastructure to inform project design, sequencing, and execution decisions
• Participate in regular project and operations meetings, providing status updates and surfacing risks or resourcing needs to leadership
• Contribute project engineering expertise to support the broader facilities organization’s reliability and preventive maintenance planning efforts

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Mechanical/Chemical/Electrical/Civil)
• Minimum of 5 + years’ experience in Facility or Maintenance Engineering Teams, within a manufacturing environment.
• 5+ years Project Management/ Capital Project Delivery
• Previous experience of owning a facility management program.
• 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 Skills/Preferences

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and interpersonal skills including consultative and relationship management skills with ability to drive achievement of objectives
• GMP Manufacturing Experience
• Knowledge of mechanical building services
• Strong leadership skills with demonstrated ability to influence change
• Proven success adhering to and leading project schedules and managing projects
• Substantial understanding and knowledge of facilities systems and preventive maintenance programs
• Substantial knowledge of facilities related government regulations, GMP, and EHS
• Strong problem-solving, organizational, analytical and critical thinking skills

Other Information

• Occasional travel required 0–10%
• Required to be working onsite
• Required to be on call
• Occasional shift work may apply

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 $118,500 - $173,800

Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance).

• 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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