Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence

Location: Indianapolis
Posted on: June 23, 2025

Job Description:

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. 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 35,000 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. Responsibilities Drug Product External Manufacturing (DPEM) is responsible for making medicine at contract manufacturers (CMs) located globally, selected by Lilly to make drug product for commercialization that will bear the Lilly brand. DPEM manages technical, quality, supply, and financial aspects of all issues with the contract manufacturers and alliances who supply product to Lilly to ensure risks to Lilly in manufacturing product outside Lilly is appropriate and provides optimum protection to the Lilly brand. Partner with all organizational levels and functions in DPEM to lead Operational Excellence (OE) efforts and drive Continuous Improvement with a focus on Digitalization and Automation of business processes and systems in DPEM. Focus on results and outcomes should include all aspects of Safety, Quality, Reliable Supply, Commercialization, Speed, Cost and Digital transformation in DPEM. Take ownership for specific DPEM business/governance processes as appropriate. Support Lean program and business processes in DPEM Represent DPEM in wider CI community in M&Q and beyond to ensure alignment with CI and digitalization priorities and best practices. Key Objectives/Deliverables Facilitate the implementation and maintenance of DPEM automation/digitalization roadmap. Establish and maintain digital flow of metrics and information across the DPEM network to support the DPEM Daily Management System and reporting processes. Lead and facilitate priority Continuous Improvement Projects in DPEM to support execution of Business Plan and strategic objectives. Leverage results of systems assessments with associated feedback processes follow up governance mechanisms to coach key roles in the DPEM team and implement best practices. Facilitate the deployment of system standards in DPEM Facilitate and execute processes for systems governance and assessment (health, maturity, performance) and continuous improvement of the processes. Contribute to the CI/OE program strategy in DPEM. Serve as a CI coach, partnering with DPEM teams and leaders to facilitate CI activities at all levels across the team (e.g. A3, Kaizen) Maintain an active relationship with central CI resources and community to stay current with training and expectations and provide input into CI/OE systems design. Provide support to ensure robust Organizational change Management and Monitoring Plans are in place to sustain improvements. Ensure Lean principles and tools are integrated into both project execution and solution design. Provide training to DPEM team on Lean processes, tools and techniques and work with wider Lean experts as needed to support Lean deployment and sustainability in DPEM. Relationships DPEM CI Resources, leadership and team. M&Q CCI community members. Tech @Lilly supporting M&Q and DPEM DPEM Leadership and teams. Network within Lilly manufacturing to support role and relationship. Basic Qualifications Bachelor's of Science in Engineering, Science or STEM Operations, Technical, Engineering and/or Quality roles. Minimum 3-5 years of hands-on relevant professional experience in pharma operational leadership or similar area. Previous experience leading projects/improvement initiatives using Continuous Improvement methodologies. Additional Skill/Preferences Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or similar level of Lean Coach/Practitioner Certification. Strong leadership, interpersonal and communication skills with the demonstrated ability to operate cross functionally and collaboratively. Ability to represent Eli Lilly in a positive, professional, and ethical manner with internal and external organizations. Strong problem-solving skills, critical thinking and analytical skills History of digital transformation project implementation. Hands-on pharma Operational leadership experience. Additional Information Some travel 10 - 15% US and minimal OUS travel 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 $122,250 - $179,300 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

Keywords: , Bloomington , Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence, Manufacturing , Indianapolis, Indiana