Sr. Principal Engineer - Automation Engineering – Small Molecule, Lilly Medicine Foundry

Lilly • Lebanon, IN

56d • $67,500 - $173,800 • Hybrid

About The Position

Lilly is investing $4.5 billion to create the Lilly Medicine Foundry, a new center for advanced manufacturing and drug development. This facility, the first of its kind, will integrate research and manufacturing to optimize processes, increase capacity for clinical trial medicines, reduce costs, and minimize environmental impact. The Sr. Principal Engineer - Automation Engineering will be a key member of the Automation Engineering Department at the Foundry, providing crucial automation support for operating areas and capital projects. Process automation is fundamental to ensuring a successful facility startup and maintaining ongoing manufacturing operations. This role is responsible for the productivity and mentorship of employees, ensuring reliable and compliant control applications and systems. As a technical expert, the Sr. Principal Engineer will influence and implement within the process control organization and across functional disciplines to support the technical agenda, business priorities, and compliance objectives. During the project delivery and startup phases (expected 2025-2028), automation engineering roles will be dynamic, supporting project delivery, organizational development, system implementation for GMP operations, and site culture building. This period will require significant collaboration, creativity, and resilience as the site scales to full GMP manufacturing.

Requirements

• Minimum B.S. in Engineering or related discipline.
• 8+ years of working experience in Automation Engineering, preferably in Small Molecule or Biologics.
• Experience in design, development, commissioning, and qualification of highly automated greenfield or brownfield manufacturing sites utilizing SCADA, DCS, PLC, and MES systems (DeltaV, Rockwell, Syncade, etc.).
• Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with kilo or high potency labs highly preferred.
• Experience with peptides, oligonucleotides, or ADC’s (antibody drug conjugates) preferred.
• Experience in facilitating and driving decision-making at an organizational level.
• Ability to instill teamwork within the department and demonstrate key interpersonal skills.
• Proficient in DeltaV Distributed Control System, Rockwell Allen-Bradley PLC, and batch process automation.
• Experience with ISA-88 Batch-control standard models, terminology, recipes, and procedural elements.
• Prior work with 21 CFR Part 11 and cGMP regulatory requirements, including computer system validation.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to the process control team, covering design, controls philosophy, implementation, and commissioning.
• Oversee and coordinate process control work implementation.
• Review and monitor financial performance, committing to meeting targets.
• Develop and implement the Automation Engineering Project Plan.
• Technically lead and oversee the work of Site Area leads and System Integrator, including Functional Requirements, Design Specifications, DCS Application Software, and Test Specifications.
• Lead or participate in design reviews and DeltaV application software reviews, and attend equipment and software Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs).
• Lead a team of automation engineers supporting commissioning.
• Provide periodic status updates to Project Management.
• Devise functional requirements and process control strategies for control systems in collaboration with Process Engineering.
• Perform DCS and SCADA software design, coding/configuration, and testing (sequence logic, graphics, batch software, etc.).
• Conduct automation engineering activities including design, tuning, and troubleshooting of control loops.
• Implement and support electronic systems (e.g., plant historians, applications, software integration) for capturing process automation related production data.
• Maintain the validated state of site control systems in line with Lilly quality standards, including the development and execution of validation strategies and documentation.
• Provide automation support for capital projects, including new product introductions.
• Promote the use of automation to enhance productivity, operational efficiency, and compliance.
• Develop a network of corporate contacts and leverage corporate expertise as needed.
• Set and reinforce standards for appropriate rigor in automation work products in coordination with automation and compliance consultants.
• Demonstrate initiative, strong planning and organizational skills, ability to prioritize tasks, and commitment to task completion and timelines.
• Possess keen technical curiosity, strong problem-solving skills, and a desire for continuous improvement.
• Demonstrate ability to influence peers and business partners.
• Communicate effectively in writing and verbally to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Support flow leadership in plant operations, including participation in management sub-teams.
• Ensure knowledge of GMP, regulatory requirements, and computer system validation.
• Act as an escalation resource for complex operational and process inquiries, delivering advanced support and issue resolution.
• Provide need-based off-hour support.

Benefits

• Company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance).
• 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.
• Well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).

What This Job Offers

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