Senior Director, Mechanical and Materials Engineering

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.

Organization and Position Overview:

At Lilly, we serve an extraordinary purpose. We make a difference for people around the globe by discovering, developing and delivering medicines that help them live longer, healthier, more active lives. Not only do we deliver breakthrough medications, but you also can count on us to develop creative solutions to support communities through philanthropy and volunteerism.

The Senior Director - Mechanical & Materials Engineering provides strategic, technical, and people leadership for mechanical design, materials engineering, and testing capabilities across DDCS. This role is accountable for driving a right-the-first-time quality mindset, advancing M&M capability transformation, strengthening internal and external testing networks, and delivering platform-based solutions that enable predictable execution across DDCS programs. The Senior Director ensures integration across systems, manufacturing, quality, and digital partners while fostering a culture of safety, inclusion, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities:

Technical & Organizational Leadership

• Lead and develop a high-performing Mechanical & Materials organization responsible for mechanical design, materials selection, verification testing, and lifecycle performance.
  
• Set and own the mechanical and materials technical strategy, aligned with DDCS platform, sustainability, and delivery objectives.
  
• Establish and maintain engineering standards, governance, and best practices for mechanical and materials development.
  

Right-First-Time Quality & Execution Excellence

• Champion a right-the-first-time mindset across the M&M organization, with accountability for reducing deviations and improving execution discipline.
  
• Actively monitor deviations and quality signals to identify themes, drive corrective actions, and review progress through established governance forums.
  
• Partner closely with Quality, Manufacturing, and Systems teams to proactively manage technical and compliance risk.
  

Capability Transformation & Testing Network Leadership

• Advance M&M capability improvement initiatives in alignment with established transformation maps, including regular reviews, updates, and progress tracking.
  
• Lead and optimize internal and external GMP testing capabilities supporting Design Verification and Stability studies.
  
• Establish effective governance and performance metrics with external testing partners.
  
• Drive readiness of testing sites, SOP updates, and operational coordination across the testing network.
  
• Enable improved scheduling, workload management, and data flow across testing activities.
  

Platform & Portfolio Delivery

• Grow and expand the platform management initiative across DDCS delivery systems, fostering platform thinking in data, designs, and deliverables.
  
• Ensure Mechanical & Materials leadership and support for critical programs, including successful delivery of Boone platform devices through DV, RS, and subsequent phases.
  
• Balance near-term execution needs with longer-term platform and capability investments to support the DDCS portfolio.
  

People, Culture & Ways of Working

• Model and reinforce DDCS @ Work expectations, including safety, inclusion, and effective use of digital tools.
  
• Build strong talent pipelines, develop future leaders, and create an inclusive environment where teams can perform at their best.
  
• Leverage digital tools and automation to improve efficiency, data integrity, and decision-making across the organization.
  

Basic Requirements:

• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related engineering discipline
  
• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in mechanical and/or materials engineering for complex, regulated products.
  

Additional Preferences:

• PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related engineering discipline
  
• Demonstrated experience leading engineering organizations and large, cross-functional teams.
  
• Strong understanding of regulated product development, verification testing, and manufacturing interfaces (i.e., biocompatibility and/or material performance in design (FEA), development work under ISO13485, etc.).
  
• Experience with drug delivery devices or combination products.
  
• Deep knowledge of materials science, mechanical architectures, and manufacturing processes (i.e. precision injection molding, automated device assembly, etc.).
  
• Experience managing external testing partners and supplier networks.
  
• Strong systems thinking and executive-level communication skills.
  
• Proven ability to drive transformation while delivering results.
  

Additional Information

• Location: Indianapolis, IN (hybrid)
  
• Travel: Up to 15%
  

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 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
$163,500 - $264,000

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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