Sr Manager - Validation Lead – Technical Support & Operations – Global Services

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.

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Position Overview

Sr Manager - Validation Lead – Technical Support & Operations – Global Services

The Sr Manager - Validation Lead is a leader within Tech at Lilly’s Digital Office and Global Services organization, responsible for the strategic direction, operational excellence, and delivery of validation services across the enterprise. This role integrates analytics, portfolio management, and validation leadership, ensuring all validation activities are efficient, compliant, and aligned with Lilly’s business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Portfolio Management

• Develop and execute analytics and validation strategies aligned with Tech at Lilly priorities.
• Drive transformation of validation services, integrating modernization, automation, and continuous improvement.
• Build and maintain portfolio dashboards and performance metrics to support strategic decisions.

Validation Services Delivery

• Oversee all validation activities, including planning, execution, and delivery of validation documentation (plans, test plans, summary reports, risk assessments, change management, audit readiness).
• Ensure validation standards are efficient, consistent, and compliant with regulatory requirements and Lilly policies.
• Leveraging automation and digital tools lead modernization and continuous improvement initiatives. 

Team Leadership & Resource Management

• Lead without authority and mentor multi-disciplinary validation teams, including both onsite and offshore resources.
• Define roles, responsibilities, and escalation protocols; act as the first escalation point for project-level issues.
• Ensure effective coordination and resource utilization across global teams.

Governance, Reporting & Service Management

• Manage service delivery metrics, including SLAs, KPIs, and customer satisfaction.
• Oversee financial processes related to validation services (e.g., chargeback, invoicing) as required.
• Build and maintain dashboards, metric dictionaries, and traceability documentation.
• Present concise, decision-ready insights and platform updates to stakeholders and executives.

Stakeholder Engagement & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner across business, regulatory, quality, and technology functions to align priorities and resolve tradeoffs.
• Ensure transparency, alignment, and effective execution of validation activities.
• Collaborate with testing teams (manual, automated, performance) to ensure integrated validation and testing services.

Knowledge Management & Training

• Lead knowledge management initiatives, including training programs and process ownership.
• Codify lessons learned, scale best practices, and maintain a validation training academy.
• Compliance & Documentation Tools
• Ensure use of approved Lilly documentation tools (e.g., WebTop, Regulus) for document routing and storage.
• Leverage risk-based validation platforms such as CSA Launchpad and LEVal to standardize approaches and support audit readiness
• Maintain audit-readiness and compliance with internal and external standards.

Success Factors

• Set clear objectives and translate business goals into actionable analytics and validation roadmaps.
• Build strong teams and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
• Deliver effective communication and stakeholder management at all levels.
• Monitor and measure progress, driving ongoing improvement in analytics and validation services.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Business Analytics, Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field;
• 8+ years of progressive experience in business analytics, data science, product delivery, or validation-related roles within the pharmaceutical or technology industry.
• 5+ years’ experience leading global analytics or validation teams and managing stakeholders.

• Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to be employed in the United States; Lilly does not anticipate providing sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B or TN status) for this employment position.

Additional Qualifications

• MBA or advanced degree preferred
• Technical expertise in business intelligence platforms, data visualization, statistical analysis, and validation methodologies.
• Experience with IT Solution Delivery and Support, Computer Systems Validation, and process optimization.
• Strong communication, leadership, and strategic thinking skills.

Location: US, Indianapolis IN

Onsite position - 5 days per week

Travel: 0-10%

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.

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 (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation) 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

$64,500 - $151,800

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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