Manager - Operational Readiness at Eli Lilly in Houston, TX

Manager - Operational Readiness
Location: US, Houston TX
At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us.

About the Role
Lilly is currently constructing an advanced manufacturing facility for production of API molecules located in Houston, TX.  This facility is intended to provide APIs for current and future products, including new modalities.  This is a unique opportunity to be a part of the site technical team for the startup of a greenfield manufacturing site, and the successful candidate will help to build the organization, the facility and the culture to enable a successful startup into GMP manufacturing operations.
This role provides critical capacity and capability within the Operations function, with end-to-end accountability across the full project lifecycle for Operational Readiness at Lilly's advanced API manufacturing facility in Houston, TX. The position drives day-to-day issue resolution and continuous improvement, ensuring all operational readiness deliverables are rigorously planned, scheduled, and executed — enabling a successful, on-time startup into GMP manufacturing operations at this first-of-its-kind greenfield site.
Primary Responsibilities
Partner with site leaders and subject matter experts to define and mature operational readiness scope across multiple technical areas, ensuring alignment from concept through execution.
Lead cross-functional project teams to translate operational readiness scope into a fully integrated, milestone-driven schedule.
Own end-to-end tracking of operational readiness deliverables, providing clear metrics and progress reporting to drive stakeholder accountability and informed decision-making.
Integrate operational readiness schedules with the overall project master schedule, enabling real-time critical path visibility and proactive risk identification.
Bridge operational readiness activities with construction and qualification schedules, ensuring seamless handoffs and no gaps in the path to GMP startup.
Serve as the site Subject Matter Expert for Project Management, embedding best practices, tools, and governance standards across all functional areas.
Proactively escalate concerns, providing timely and accurate operational status updates to leadership.
Champion and uphold Lilly's standards for safety, environmental stewardship, quality, and operational excellence in all aspects of the role.
Lead structured problem-solving sessions with cross-functional teams to resolve technical and operational issues, drive root-cause analysis, and implement durable corrective actions.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in biology, chemistry, engineering, or related scientific discipline.
At least 3 years of experience in manufacturing (preferred in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry).
Project management experience
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, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1.
Preferred Qualifications
Demonstrated ability to adjust quickly to changing priorities and to influence decision-making on complex technical issues.
CAPM or PMP Certification.
Experience with capital project execution and operational readiness in a GMP environment.
Ability to make critical decisions 7 days/week and effectively communicate decisions to staff and upper management.
Strong written and verbal communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
Experience utilizing project scheduling software.
Ability to work as a team leader to execute multi-disciplined, cross-functional projects.
Must exhibit a team-first attitude.
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 (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location.  The anticipated wage for this position is
$65,250 - $160,600
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.
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