Associate Director - MQ IT

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.

Overview Lilly is investing more than $6 billion to create a new state-of-the-art manufacturing site in Huntsville, Alabama — the largest initial industrial investment in the state's history. The brand-new facility will utilize the latest technology for synthetic medicine Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) manufacturing, producing small molecule synthetic and peptide medicines, to increase the company's manufacturing capacity. This is an exciting once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help build and operate a new site. The Lilly Huntsville site will be built using the latest high-tech equipment, advanced highly integrated and automated manufacturing systems, machine learning and AI, digitally integrated monitoring and advanced data analytics, and will have a focus on minimizing the impact to our environment. This is an opportunity you don't want to miss!

What You’ll Be Doing

The Manufacturing & Quality (MQ) IT Associate Director – IT for the Huntsville Site will have responsibilities for different areas of the agenda like MES and Labs. This role will report to the Sr Director for Tech at Lilly MQ. They will ensure that the IT portfolio enhances the organizational strategy for the site through successful, consistent, and predictable delivery of programs, projects and applications that benefit the internal organizations and aligns with overall global IT strategy for Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain.

Key Objectives/Deliverables

• Ensure site operational readiness from IT perspective.
• Site start up and integration of IT systems including: Manufacturing Execution System (MES) Data historian, Real Time Floor Tracking Data Integration Data Integrity Laboratory information management Provide IT site functional leadership.
• Implement site Digital Tech strategic and business plan.
• Partner with the site capital project team and Global Facilities Delivery to ensure IT and OT requirements are embedded in facility design, construction, and commissioning.
• Dynamically adapt road maps to site evolution/strategic directions, and new trends/issues.
• Partners cross-functionally locally and globally to establish and implement site IT roadmap.
• Responsible for maintaining a safe work environment.
• Define and execute IT inspection readiness activities.
• People Ensure staffing to meet the site and functional agenda.
• Lead, coach, and develop members of the team.
• Support diversity, equity and inclusion in recruiting and development of team members.
• Lead recognition, pay and promotion decisions.
• Operational Excellence Ensure IT organization is functionally strong and operationally focused.
• Ensure solution focused organization.
• Provide prioritization and barrier removal.
• Provide oversight of technical activities within the group.
• Effectively encourage knowledge sharing and education.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in IT, Computer Science, Engineering
• Minimum 7 years IT Technical Leadership experience working in Pharma and Manufacturing and Quality.
• Preferences Experience delivering IT for a greenfield capital project, including construction phase, commissioning and qualification, and site start up.
• Experience with API small molecule and/or peptide manufacturing and the associated automation landscape.
• Strong experience with MES system implementations, Data Integration and Advanced Analytics.
• Regulatory compliance knowledge and experience (cGMP).
• Demonstrated creativity, analytical thinking, and the ability to troubleshoot and solve problems.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Additional Information

• The role is Monday through Friday and based on-site.
• Must be flexible in providing support to accommodate other inputs (production schedules, shutdowns, etc.).
• Occasional extended hours and/or off-hour work may be required.
• Position will be based out of Huntsville, Alabama, with ability to travel to Indianapolis and other Lilly sites as required.
• The site is actively construction; the role may initially operate from temporary project facilities.

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 ( 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 ( View email address on click.appcast.io), 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 $132,000 – $193,600 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.