Sr. Principal - Engineer - Process (critical Utilities)

Eli Lilly Eli Lilly · Pharma · Houston, TX

This role is for a Sr. Principal Engineer in Process (Critical Utilities) at Eli Lilly's new API manufacturing facility in Houston, TX. The position focuses on providing engineering support for facility start-up, design reviews, process safety, and operational readiness. Responsibilities include developing and implementing control strategies for utilities systems, supporting initial operations training, and continuous improvement of equipment and processes. The role requires a Bachelor's degree in engineering and 7+ years of experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing operations.

What you'd actually do

  1. Provide engineering support to the Global Facility Delivery Team (Lilly’s global large scale capital delivery team) with a strong focus on right first time and on-schedule facility start-up. This includes design reviews, process safety assessments, user requirements, C&Q support, unit operation shakedown and start-up, facility operational readiness.
  2. Define and own relevant aspects of the overall integrated operational readiness plan (e.g. SOP development, maintenance strategy, automation optimization, pre-startup safety reviews, alarm requirements, performance qualification requirements/protocol development, etc.)
  3. Own the qualified state of equipment for respective area of responsibility
  4. Develop and implement unit operation and equipment control strategy to sustain and optimize utilities systems in support of manufacturing operations
  5. Support initial operations training requirements as the equipment and area SME

Skills

Required

  • Bachelor's degree in engineering (chemical or mechanical preferred)
  • 7+ years of relevant experience in relevant pharmaceutical manufacturing operations
  • Chemical engineering fundamentals
  • Mechanical engineering fundamentals
  • Process safety assessments
  • User requirements
  • C&Q support
  • Unit operation shakedown and start-up
  • SOP development
  • Maintenance strategy
  • Automation optimization
  • Pre-startup safety reviews
  • Alarm requirements
  • Performance qualification requirements/protocol development
  • Root cause analysis techniques

Nice to have

  • Deep technical interest and understanding in the field of chemical engineering
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a process team
  • Creativity to identify improvement opportunities
  • Tenacity/initiative to see them implemented
  • Mentoring/guidance of others in technical processes
  • Flexibility to meet business needs
  • Mechanistic modelling
  • Process simulation and analysis

What the JD emphasized

  • right first time
  • on-schedule facility start-up
  • operational readiness
  • qualified state of equipment
  • utilities systems