Associate Director - Biologics Operations – Lilly Medicine Foundry

Role Summary

Associate Director – Biologics Operations – Lilly Medicine Foundry. Directly responsible for managing day-to-day manufacturing operations in the Biologics building, overseeing operational resources for the execution team, and leading frontline leaders to safely and compliantly manufacture high-quality medicine. Acts as the key integrator of the cross-functional team to drive safety, quality, and continuous improvement in pursuit of Operational Excellence. Supports project delivery and startup phases with systems, processes, and staffing to enable GMP operations.

Responsibilities

• Build and promote a strong Safety and Quality culture; maintain a safe working environment and conduct production activities to protect safety, environment, and quality.
• Ensure consistency of operations across shifts through active engagement on the production floor.
• Own the implementation of the change and improvement agenda for the assigned area, ensuring cross-functional support and integration.
• Set objectives and development plans for Operations staff, including Operations Leaders and Operators.
• Manage events, ensuring appropriate communication within the team and with external teams; provide input and approve investigations.
• Ensure team members are appropriately trained, and that operating procedures and training material are available and current.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and operational excellence by supporting lean principles.
• Participate in development and delivery of the medium- and long-term strategic direction for the site.
• Ensure Biologics operations remain compliant with applicable regulatory requirements (Safety, Quality/cGMP, Environmental, Financial, Legal, HR).
• Support site governance through participation, influence and leadership in cross-functional meetings and initiatives.

Qualifications

• Required: Minimum of a bachelor's degree in a relevant scientific, engineering or operations discipline and a minimum of 5 years of experience in a leadership role managing operations or relevant experience within the pharmaceutical industry.
• Preferred: Ability to work with a team, make independent decisions, influence diverse groups; strong interpersonal skills; ability to provide innovative solutions and leverage ideas from other functional areas; strong verbal and written communication; ability to function in a cross-functional team environment as a leader.

Skills

• Leadership and people development
• Safety, quality, and regulatory compliance
• Operational excellence and lean principles
• Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management
• Process improvement and change management

Education

• Bachelor‚Äôs degree in a relevant scientific, engineering, or operations discipline

Additional Requirements

• Initial location at Lilly Technology Center, Indianapolis; permanent location at the Lilly Medicine Foundry in Lebanon, Indiana.
• Experience or ability to contribute during startup phase (2025‚Äì2027) including talent acquisition and building organizational capability to operate at high safety, quality, and operational excellence standards.