Sr. Principal Scientist - QA

Eli Lilly and Company; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 66,000 - 172,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

401(k) plan

Pension plan

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Flexible spending accounts

Life insurance

Well-being programs

Job summary

Lilly in Indianapolis is seeking a Sr. Principal Scientist - QA to provide QA oversight during radioligand drug product manufacturing at the Indianapolis Radioligand Therapies site. The role focuses on ensuring GMP compliance, batch disposition, and real-time quality support on the manufacturing floor.

The successful candidate will mentor QA staff, review documentation, drive regulatory readiness, and partner with cross-functional teams to reduce variability and meet supply targets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in science, engineering, computer, or pharma-related field.
• 5+ years of QA/QC experience in pharmaceutical industry.
• On-site role at Indianapolis Radioligand Therapies site.
• Authorized to work in the United States full-time.

Responsibilities

• Provide QA oversight during aseptic drug product manufacturing.
• Perform final quality disposition of drug products for the IRLT site.
• Lead, mentor and coach QA ops personnel as QA SME.
• Drive regulatory readiness and maintain GMP compliance.

Skills

QA/QC

Quality Systems

Regulatory compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Training & mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in science/engineering/computer/pharmaceutical-related field

Tools

MES

Electronic batch release

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.

Organization Overview

At Lilly, we serve an extraordinary purpose. We make a difference for people around the globe by discovering, developing and delivering medicines that help them live longer, healthier, more active lives. Not only do we deliver breakthrough medications, but you also can count on us to develop creative solutions to support communities through philanthropy and volunteerism.

Position Description

The Sr. Principal Scientist - QA, is responsible for assuring and verifying QA responsibilities and expectations support for radioligand drug product manufacturing. The role provides Quality oversight during aseptic drug product manufacturing activities and performs final quality disposition of drug products for the Indianapolis Radioligand Therapies (IRLT) production site.

Key Objectives/Deliverables

• - Support the site to ensure a safe work environment including supporting safety efforts for the QA Ops team.
• - Provide quality support of IRLT with a focus on holistic involvement in key activities including real time review of batch records on the floor, coverage during media fill, providing first line of support for quality escalations associated with or impacting the manufacturing processes and Quality Control operations.
• - Ensure that documented in-process checks have been completed for batch disposition including but not limited to deviations, changes and batch documentation that demonstrates requirements have been met prior to batch release.
• - Complete disposition of Drug product batches and Drug substance Intermediates.
• - Ensure regular presence in operational areas (preparation, formulation, synthesis, filling and visual inspection, AQL, QC, warehouse etc. areas) as a part of QA on the Floor support to ensure facility is compliant with GMP and inspection ready. Record compliance and inspection readiness observations per established local and global procedures.
• - Plan and schedule tasks qualification and requalification activities.
• - Provide training to floor QA and batch QA personnel as SME and qualified trainer for batch and floor QA tasks qualifications. Oversee execution of the same activities after training completion to provide feedback for sustaining compliance and development of the QA Ops organization.
• - Provide technical/quality review of documentation that supports manufacturing (e.g., deviations, changes, procedures, protocols, training documents, analytical method validations), as applicable.
• - Support the development of the overall site operational readiness plan including development of quality processes and approval of operational procedures.
• - Drive operational excellence in floor operations and disposition process through data analysis to reduce variability and shift performance cycle times to align with supply delivery targets.
• - Work cross-functionally with the area process teams for metrics reviews (e.g. deviation closure times, batch record release times, training completion etc.) to enhance operational support, and issue/deviation management.
• - Assess and triage deviations in collaboration with the site process team.
• - Lead, mentor, and coach operations and support personnel as quality SME during troubleshooting activities for manufacturing and QC operations.

Minimum Requirements

• - Bachelor's degree in science, engineering, computer, pharmaceutical-related field of study or related technical degree.
• - 5+ years of experience in QA/QC roles in the pharmaceutical industry.
• - On-site role (Indianapolis Radioligand Therapies)
• - 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-1 B, TN, 0-1, E-3, H-181, or L-1

Additional Skills/Preferences

• - Ability to work independently and bring cross-functional team members together, and management as required, to manage potential failure modes, correct errors, remain organized and productive in a fast-paced joint team environment.
• - Strong knowledge of Quality Management Systems and applicable regulatory requirements.
• - Previous regulatory inspection readiness and inspection execution experience.
• - Previous experience with Manufacturing Execution Systems and electronic batch release.
• - Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills.
• - Previous experience working with radioligands preferred.

Additional Information

• - Tasks require entering manufacturing areas which require wearing appropriate PPE.
• - Tasks require entering controlled areas where radioactive materials may be present. Special training and exposure monitoring are required.

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
$66,000 - $171,600

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.