Senior Principal Engineer - Automation Engineering – Biologics

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.

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. 

Key Objectives/Deliverables: 

• Technical Leadership 

• Mentor process control team, including design, controls philosophy, implementation and commissioning 

• Process control work implementation and coordination 

• Develop and implement the Automation Engineering Project Plan. 

Operational Excellence 

• Technically lead and oversee the work of Site Area leads and System Integrator including Functional Requirements, Design Specifications, DCS Application Software, Test Specifications. 

• Lead/Participate in design reviews and DeltaV application software reviews, attend equipment and software FATs 

• Lead a team of automation engineers supporting commissioning 

• Provide periodic status updates to Project Management 

• Devising functional requirements and process control strategies for control systems in collaboration with Process Engineering 

• DCS and SCADA software design, coding/configuration and testing (sequence logic, graphics, batch software etc.) 

• Perform automation engineering activities including design, tuning and troubleshooting of control loops 

• Implement and support electronic systems (such as plant historians, applications and software integration) used to capture process automation related production data 

• Maintain the validated state of the site control systems in line with Lilly quality standards including 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 

Organizational Capability 

• In coordination with automation and compliance consultants, set and reinforce standards for appropriate rigor in automation work products. 

• Demonstrated initiative, good planning and organizational skills, ability to prioritize tasks, commitment to task completion and timelines. 

• Possess a keen technical curiosity and has demonstrated strong problem-solving skills and a desire for continuous improvement 

• Demonstrated ability to influence peers and business partners 

• Good written and verbal communication skills for both technical and non-technical audiences 

• Knowledge of GMP, regulatory requirements, computer system validation 

Basic Requirements: 

• Minimum B.S. in Engineering and experience in Automation Engineering, preferably in Biologics manufacturing. 

• 8+ years working experience in Biopharma engineering, operations, or manufacturing. 

• Experience in design, development, commissioning and qualification of highly automated greenfield manufacturing sites utilizing SCADA, DCS, PLC and MES systems (DeltaV, Rockwell, Syncade, etc). 

• Experience in facilitating and driving decision-making at an organizational level.

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 Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups.

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location.  The anticipated wage for this position is

$64,500 - $167,200

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.

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