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 is building a next-generation biotech drug substance manufacturing facility in Richmond, VA—our most technically advanced site to date. This greenfield facility will feature cutting-edge manufacturing technologies and advanced data platforms designed to drive improvements in safety, quality, and productivity.
The Associate Director, Biotech Operations will lead both the cross-functional process team and the manufacturing operations team, ensuring they meet day-to-day and medium-term goals while staying aligned with broader site objectives. This is a rare opportunity to shape an organization, a facility, and a culture from the ground up.
Key Responsibilities
Daily Operations
Champion a strong safety and quality culture across all operations.
Lead production planning, execution, and floor-level oversight for the assigned area.
Ensure consistency across shifts through active engagement on the production floor.
Verify that all systems, procedures, equipment, and facilities are properly installed, qualified, validated, and maintained.
Support new product introductions and site inspections as needed.
Drive the change and improvement agenda for the assigned area.
Set and review cross-functional Process Team objectives and scorecards.
Manage deviations and investigations, providing input and approvals as required.
People Management
Build and lead a cohesive team with a clear common purpose and strong team culture.
Ensure team members are trained and that SOPs and training materials are current.
Set individual goals tied to team and site objectives; manage performance and career development.
Communicate site objectives clearly and consistently across the team.
Ensure the team is adequately staffed to meet business needs.
Site Leadership
Collaborate with maintenance, engineering, analytical, finance, procurement, and technical support groups.
Serve as an active member of the cross-functional management (Flow) team and broader site leadership.
Start Up Priorities:
During the facility startup, this leader will:
Build an organization with the capability, capacity, and culture to operate this facility to the highest standards.
Develop and implement site systems and processes, leveraging Lilly best practices while incorporating external expertise.
Ensure regulatory compliance and operational excellence through lean principles and a digitally native approach.
Partner with the project team to deliver the facility on time—providing feedback on key decisions to meet both near-term deliverables and long-term site goals.
Basic Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Science, Engineering, or a related field.
5+ years of GMP manufacturing experience, ideally in biopharmaceuticals.
3+ years of experience leading a cross-functional team or project.
Additional Preferences:
8+ years of industrial experience in a cGMP environment.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
Proven ability to work independently and make proactive decisions.
Skilled at resolving conflict and facilitating sound team decision-making.
Working knowledge of regulatory requirements from FDA, HPRA, HSA, and EPA.
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
$123,000 - $180,400
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.
#WeAreLilly