Advisor/Sr Advisor - Program Governance and Operations - GFD

Lilly • Richmond, VA

5d • $130,500 - $211,200

About The Position

The Advisor/Sr Advisor of Program Governance and Operations is embedded within a single large-scale capital program and serves as a strategic integrator and trusted advisor to the program’s senior leader. The role extends leadership capacity by translating leadership intent into operating norms, execution plans, and communications, while resolving friction before it requires escalation.

The position is accountable for the program’s leadership operating rhythm, executive communications, program office operations, and organizational health. It operates the leadership forum layer above the Program PMO framework, partnering with the Program PMO Lead, Global Portfolio Operations, and Project Integrators to ensure decisions are made at the right time and leadership reporting and communications align with enterprise standards and portfolio messaging.

The role also coordinates the leadership interface with external partners, supports program office readiness, maintains leadership records, and fosters a clear, accountable, collaborative program community. The position requires approximately 10% travel, both within and outside the United States, as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Construction Management, Communications, or a related field.
• 10 or more years of experience in program operations, business operations, or senior program management roles within a large, complex organization.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis; Lilly will not support or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting greenfield and/or GMP-regulated pharmaceutical or life-sciences capital programs.
• Experience on projects or programs with total installed cost greater than $500 million.
• Demonstrated experience authoring executive-level written communications on behalf of senior leadership.
• Ability to operate effectively at strategic and tactical levels while maintaining quality and managing concurrent workstreams under deadline pressure.
• Experience in large, matrixed organizations and alongside external partners and contractors.
• Familiarity with capital delivery stage-gate and governance frameworks.
• Experience preparing and supporting executive- or board-level governance forums.
• High emotional intelligence and mature stakeholder management and relationship-building capability.
• Lean Six Sigma or continuous improvement experience.
• Familiarity with Smartsheet, Power BI, SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams; exposure to Oracle Unifier or Primavera P6 is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted thought partner to the program’s senior leader, supporting prioritization, escalation, and decision readiness across program initiatives.
• Translate leadership direction into operating norms, execution plans, and communication artifacts.
• Identify risks, misalignments, and execution gaps, and provide recommendations with options and implications.
• Ensure program and organizational information reaches leadership in time to inform decisions.
• Own the program’s leadership meeting cadence, including agendas, pre-reads, action tracking, documentation, and follow-through.
• Facilitate leadership office hours, staff meetings, and administrative huddles, ensuring effective use of time and capturing outcomes.
• Prepare leadership for stage-gate reviews, funding decisions, and governance forums in partnership with the Program PMO Lead.
• Ensure leadership meetings and artifacts meet Lilly and GFD expectations.
• Partner with Project Integrators to author and deliver executive-level communications, including steering committee talking points, organizational announcements, event remarks, and external-facing messages.
• Maintain consistent messaging across collaboration, email, intranet, and formal governance channels.
• Distill complex inputs into clear, actionable communications.
• Lead program office operations, including workspace readiness, site and office access, logistics, and change communications.
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to support a seamless employee and partner experience at the program location.
• Establish and maintain the program office as a functioning work environment for the integrated program team.
• Coordinate between Lilly program leadership and external engineering, construction, staffing, and service partners.
• Support onboarding and integration of new partners by clarifying roles, interfaces, and communication norms.
• Ensure partner interactions reflect Lilly’s standards for professionalism, alignment, and decision clarity.
• Foster a high-trust, low-friction operating culture by resolving miscommunications, reducing unnecessary escalation, and protecting leadership focus.
• Participate in mentoring and talent continuity programs and help build organizational relationships.
• Champion collaboration, psychological safety, and continuous improvement across the program community.
• Maintain leadership documentation, decision records, and communications in compliance with Lilly quality, records management, and regulatory standards.

Benefits

• Company bonus, depending in part on company and individual performance.
• Company-sponsored 401(k) participation eligibility.
• Pension.
• Vacation benefits.
• Eligibility for medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug benefits.
• Flexible benefits, including healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts.
• Life insurance and death benefits.
• Time-off and leave-of-absence benefits.
• Well-being benefits, including an employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior