Associate Director - QC Microbiology

About the role

Lilly is currently constructing an advanced manufacturing facility for monoclonal antibodies, and bioconjugates in Goochland County, Virginia. This facility is intended to provide capacity for current and future products. The QC Leader of Leaders builds and strengthens the QC leadership pipeline by cultivating Firstline Leaders and technical talent, shaping team capability through strategic hiring, development planning, and a coaching-centered management approach.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead Firstline QC Leaders and technical staff by recruiting and retaining high-quality talent, setting objectives and development plans aligned to departmental goals, providing ongoing coaching and feedback, and fostering a culture of trust, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Oversee and coordinate QC microbiology operations by proactively managing workloads, adjusting resources across teams, and engaging directly with personnel to address atypical results, equipment malfunctions, and other operational and/or technical issues to ensure production and supply needs are met.
• Represent QC microbiology in cross-functional and global forums, share and adopt best practices to drive consistency and operational excellence, ensure inspection readiness through proactive compliance activities, and manage laboratory financial responsibilities including purchase orders and invoice approvals.
• Execute all Quality Control activities in a timely manner, in compliance with applicable SOPs, methods/protocols, good documentation practices, data integrity standards (ALCOA+), cGMPs, EHS requirements, chemical hygiene, and biosafety guidelines, maintaining an ongoing state of inspection readiness and providing support during audits and inspections as requested.
• Identify and escalate atypical results and potential deviations, participate in root cause investigations and corrective/preventive actions, contribute to cross-functional teams and continuous improvement initiatives, and maintain training competencies to ensure only qualified work is performed.
• Provide primary QC microbiology coverage and technical guidance for the site until the full team is recruited, onboard, and qualified, including making operational decisions and escalating issues to site leadership, as appropriate.

Requirements

• Minimum of a bachelor's degree in a science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in a microbiology laboratory within a GMP-regulated QC environment.
• 5+ years of people leadership experience.

Skills/Preferences

• Proven experience leading and developing first-level supervisors or team leads within a GMP-regulated QC environment, including talent recruitment, succession planning, and building leadership capability across multiple teams.
• Demonstrated ability to manage operations across multiple QC work units simultaneously, balancing competing priorities and allocating resources to meet shifting production and supply demands.
• Experience representing QC in cross-functional and site-level forums, with a track record of influencing stakeholders in Manufacturing, Quality Assurance, and Regulatory to integrate QC considerations into broader site decisions.
• Familiarity with laboratory budget management, including forecasting resource needs, managing purchase orders, and tracking expenditures against allocated budgets.
• Experience applying Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies to drive operational excellence, standardization, and efficiency improvements across a QC organization.
• Proficient in good documentation practices (GDP) and data integrity principles (ALCOA+).
• Proven ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.

Benefits

• 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
• Well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities)

Pay

The anticipated wage for this position is $123,000 - $180,400. Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance).

Schedule

Minimal travel (10% or less) is expected after onboarding. May include on-call support.