Senior Director, Embedded Systems & Process Engineering; ESPE

Overview

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

The Delivery, Device, and Connected Solutions (DDCS) organization supports the design, development, and commercialization of drug products and pharmaceutical delivery systems, including medical devices, combination products, and container closure systems.

The Senior Director, Embedded Systems and Process Engineering (ESPE) provides functional and strategic leadership for device embedded systems (as applicable), manufacturing technologies, automated assembly processes, and global automation and control strategies supporting DDCS products from development through commercialization.

This role is accountable for defining, deploying, and governing embedded systems design (for those products with that capability), joining technologies, automated assembly architectures (including process data capture/reporting), part handling systems, and assembly control strategies that enable scalable, compliant, and robust manufacturing across Lilly’s global network and external partners.

The ESPE leader ensures that assembly solutions are designed for embedded control (as applicable), manufacturability, automation readiness, safety, and regulatory compliance, while advancing DDCS capabilities in standardization and automation maturity.

• Leadership & Organizational Development
• Serve as the functional leader and subject‑matter authority for product embedded systems, assembly technologies, automation engineering, and assembly controls across DDCS.
• Set DDCS strategy, in partnership with M&Q for capabilities in:
• • Embedded systems requirements, architecture, design, verification, and technology roadmaps.
  • Joining technologies (e.g., adhesive bonding, ultrasonic welding, laser welding, snap‑fit and mechanical joining)
  • Automated and semi‑automated assembly processes
  • Part feeding and handling systems (e.g., feeder bowls, pick‑and‑place, conveyors, escapements)
  • Assembly automation architectures and control strategies
• Lead, coach, and develop engineering managers and senior technical leaders within ESPE.
• Foster a culture of quality, safety, technical rigor, and continuous improvement, aligned with DDCS and Lilly leadership expectations.

• Assembly Technology & Process Strategy
• Define and govern preferred assembly and joining technologies for DDCS devices, including:
• • Technology selection criteria
  • Design guidelines and limitations
  • Process development and qualification approaches
• Establish standards for:
• • Assembly process development and validation
  • Tooling, fixturing, and automation equipment requirements
  • Robustness, repeatability, and failure recovery
• Drive early integration of Design for Assembly (DFA) and Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles into device development programs.
• Balance near‑term program execution with long‑term investments in reusable assembly platforms and standardized automation solutions.

• Embedded Systems (ES) Oversight
• Provide ES strategic inputs to DDCS portfolio decisions across commercial, innovation, and multi‑molecule efforts.
• Ensure ES contributions to DDCS programs are appropriately‑resourced, technically sound, risk‑managed, and prioritized.
• Provide technical oversight and direction for embedded electronics, firmware development, system integration, modeling, and ES verification activities.
• Ensure ES delivers compliant, high‑quality work product including requirements, system architecture, modeling artifacts, and verification traceability.

• Automation, Controls & Electrical Engineering Oversight
• Provide leadership and governance for automation and control strategies used in DDCS assembly systems.
• Establish expectations and…