Associate Director - HSE (Health & Safety)

Job ID: R-106988Company: LillyLocation: Houston, Texas, United States of AmericaJob Type: Full TimeCategory: Manufacturing/QualityPosted Date: 2026-06-18At 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 40,000 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 it 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.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 Houston 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. The Associate Director HSE – Health and Safety serves as the deputy to the Senior Director HSE and is a key member of the Lilly Houston Health, Safety, and Environmental team. This role provides strategic and operational leadership for site health and safety programs to enable safe, compliant performance across project delivery, startup, and ongoing GMP manufacturing. The position requires strong cross-functional leadership, sound technical judgment, and the ability to translate regulatory requirements and Lilly standards into practical, sustainable site execution.Responsibilities:Pre-Startup and Startup PhaseLead site health and safety readiness for project delivery and startup by partnering across functions to establish compliant systems, support startup execution, and foster a strong safety culture.Partner with the Senior Director HSE to define organizational capabilities, staffing priorities, and management systems needed to build and sustain a high-performing health and safety organization for the Houston site.Provide health and safety leadership on design, risk, and operational readiness decisions to ensure alignment with regulatory requirements, Lilly standards, and project objectives.Post StartupProvide functional leadership and ownership of site health and safety programs to maintain compliance with regulatory requirements and Lilly Global HSE standards, including timely and accurate internal and external reporting.Collaborate with the site HSE leadership team to define priorities, develop the HSE roadmap, benchmark best practices, strengthen team capability, and escalate significant issues to site leadership and corporate HSE management, as appropriate.Basic Qualifications:Bachelor's degree required in environmental engineering, chemical engineering, industrial hygiene, occupational safety, public health, chemistry, or a related technical field.8+ years of relevant HSE experience, including at least 3 years supporting GMP manufacturing operations.3+ years of experience in a leadership or supervisory role managing HSE teams.Additional Skills/ Preferences:Experience leading HSE teams in manufacturing, chemical, pharma, or other high-hazard environments, including site startup, operational readiness, or significant organizational growth.Strong working knowledge of OSHA requirements, risk assessment, incident investigation, contractor safety, and HSE management systems.Demonstrated ability to build team capability through coaching, talent development, and clear performance expectations.Experience interfacing with regulatory agencies and translating requirements into effective site execution.Relevant certifications such as CSP, CIH, or CHMM preferred.Additional Information:Position Location: US: Houston, TexasTravel Percentage (%): Less than 10% annuallyShift Information: Standard day shift; additional support outside normal hours may be required based on site startup and operational needs.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$123,000 - $180,400Full-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.#WeAreLillySkillsgmp manufacturing operationsosha requirementsrisk assessmentincident investigationcontractor safetyregulatory compliancesite startup executionoperational readinesstalent developmentcoachingperformance managementcross-functional leadershipstakeholder managementchange managementbenchmarkingbest practices developmentinternal and external reporting