Associate Director - Laboratory Management and Operations - Lilly Medicine Found

Laboratory Management and Operations Associate Director

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. In the Project Delivery Phase and Startup Phase of the project (2025 to 2028), 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. This will require significant collaboration, creativity and resilience as the Lilly Medicine Foundry goes from design, to start-up, and to steady-state operations.

The Laboratory Management and Operations Associate Director position seeks a collaborative, inclusive, and energetic leader who will be accountable for all laboratory areas at the Lilly Medicine Foundry to support the production of synthetic and biologic drug substance processes. The Lilly Medicine Foundry, a state-of-the-art facility, will utilize the latest in automation to further the analytical laboratory capabilities including on-line in-process control testing through material release and on-going process monitoring at the site. The Laboratory Management and Operations group will consist of high-level scientists focused on the implementation of new technologies and laboratory efficiency. This position involves working cross-functionally within the site and across the network to develop strategic laboratory operations and will ensure appropriate capacity, capabilities and business processes are developed, implemented and sustained to ensure the laboratory staff can perform work activities in a safe, efficient, and compliant manner. This position will be key to ensuring a strong safety culture and establishing a safety, quality and continuous improvement focused mindset within the organization.

Responsibilities

• Provide effective management of major instrument service contracts supported by instrument vendors and service management providers.
• Develop effective laboratory housekeeping procedures in alignment with 5S goals.
• Ensure compliance of all laboratory instruments, instrument controllers, and data generation across development and GMP laboratory spaces.
• Identify opportunities to increase laboratory efficiency through improved space and equipment utilization and laboratory organization. Develop tools to enable capacity-based instrument metrics to make purchasing decisions for laboratory equipment.
• Be a champion and thought leader for laboratory safety within the organization.
• Mentor and develop scientific staff. Ensure continued technical and professional growth of group members, encourage efforts towards excellence and knowledge sharing.
• Plan and manage short-term and long-term development activities. Develop and/or review technical agendas and timelines for project work. Recommend resource allocation to accomplish projects according to plans, communicate progress and propose changes in timeline, objectives, or direction.
• Welcome varied perspectives to create new solutions.
• Ensure work and team activities are aligned with all relevant development quality, regulatory, HSE, GLP and GMP requirements.

Basic Requirements

• B.S. or M.S. in chemistry, chemical engineering, biology, or related field with 10+ years relevant foundational experiences in laboratory management.
• Previous laboratory management experience in GMP laboratories is critical to the success of this role.
• Fundamental knowledge of cGMP compliance requirements and cGMP experience.

Additional Preferences

• Demonstrated ability to drive and accept change.
• Good interpersonal skills and a sustained tendency for collaboration.
• Demonstrated success in persuasion, influence, and negotiation.
• Ability to prioritize multiple activities and manage ambiguity.
• Must possess strong communication (oral, written), organizational, and leadership skills.

Initial location at Lilly Technology Center, Indianapolis. Permanent location at the new Lilly Medicine Foundry in Lebanon, Indiana. Flexibility to work from Indianapolis (or other Lilly sites) may be required throughout 2025 and 2026. Position requires on-site presence, 8-hour days, five days per week, with flexibility to support activities during shutdowns, weekends, etc. 0-10% travel required.

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