Senior Principal Engineer - Automation Engineering – Projects and Portfolio Manager

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.

Lilly recently announced a $4.5 billion investment to create the Lilly Medicine Foundry, a new center for advanced manufacturing and drug development. The first-ever facility of its kind, combining research and manufacturing in a single location, the Medicine Foundry will allow Lilly to further develop innovative solutions to optimize manufacturing processes and increase capacity for clinical trial medicines, while also reducing costs and environmental impact.

The Senior Principal Engineer - Automation Engineering will work as a member of the Automation Engineering Department at Eli Lilly, Foundry. The engineer will provide automation support for one or more operating areas across site and/or for capital projects. Process Automation is core to delivering a right first time facility start up and continued support of ongoing manufacturing operations into the future.

The Senior Principal Engineer is also responsible for the productivity and mentorship of the employees with the purpose of ensuring that reliable and compliant control applications and systems are used in the manufacturing at Foundry.  Additionally, the Senior Principal Engineer as a key technical expert with partners to influence and implement within the process control organization and across functional disciplines to support the process control technical agenda, business plan priorities, and compliance objectives.

In the project delivery phase and startup phase of the project (startup expected 2025 to 2028), automation engineering roles will be fluid and dynamic as we endeavor to support the project delivery, build a new organization, develop and implement the necessary systems and business processes required to support GMP operations, and build the site culture. This will require significant collaboration, creativity and resilience as the site grows to a full scale GMP manufacturing through start up. 

Responsibilities

Key Objectives/Deliverables:

• Technical Leadership
• Work with process control team, including project execution, budgeting, Agile methodology, implementation, commissioning
• Process control work implementation and coordination
• Develop and implement the Automation Engineering Project Plan and manage the Automation Engineering Portfolio.

Operational Excellence

• Lead/Support the project management for the construction and commissioning of the Foundry site
• Work with the Automation Leadership for Project implementation, from tech transfer to design through validation and production launch.
• Track facility construction activities, coordinating with contractors, architects, engineers, and internal stakeholders.
• Serve as a liaison between construction teams, manufacturing operations, engineering, and regulatory affairs to ensure alignment and timely decision-making.
• Develop and manage detailed project timelines, budgets, and resource allocations; proactively identify and mitigate risks.
•  Ensure all facility design and construction activities adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and regulatory requirements for radiopharmaceutical production.
•  Manage internal and external project teams, providing clear direction, accountability, and communication.
•  Prepare and deliver regular updates and presentations to the Automation Engineering Leadership, Foundry Leadership, Cross Functional Teams and external partners as required.
•  Support the planning and facilitate the transition from construction to operational readiness, including facility qualification, equipment validation, and staff training.
• Implement project management tools and best practices for tracking progress, reporting, and documentation.
• Support and maintain the validated state of the site control systems in line with Lilly quality standards during the development and execution of validation strategies and associated documentation
• Automation support for capital projects including new product introductions
• Promoting the use of automation to improve productivity, operational efficiency and compliance
• Developing a ‘network’ of corporate contacts and leveraging corporate expertise when needed
• Foster a culture of safety and compliance, ensuring all personnel follow HSE protocols