Sr. Principal Facilities & Project Engineering
Eli Lilly
- Location
- Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
- Employment
- Full Time
- Work model
- On-Site
- Level
- Principal
- Posted
- Sep 3, 2026
About this role
At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us. Senior Principal Facilities & Project Engineering Lilly is currently constructing an advanced manufacturing facility for monoclonal antibodies, bioconjugates, and aseptic drug product manufacturing in Goochland County, Virginia. This facility is intended to provide capacity for current and future products. The successful candidate will help to build the organization, the facility and the culture to enable a successful startup into GMP manufacturing operations. We are seeking a Senior Principal Facilities & Project Engineering to support our new Manufacturing Facility in Goochland County, Virginia.
Responsibilities
Lead capital project delivery for facilities and utilities systems — typically in the $5M–$10M range — covering piping, clean utilities, and facility infrastructure projects from scope development through execution and closeout Partner with Maintenance and Operations to understand facility system needs and reliability/performance metrics, translating that input into project requirements and scope Manage full project lifecycle activities, including team meetings, schedule development, contractor management, budget development and tracking, and stakeholder communication Meet regularly with plant customers (Operations, Engineering, Quality) to gather feedback on projects and business needs, and represent those needs in project planning Oversee contractors and vendors to ensure project work is executed safely, on schedule, and within budget, in compliance with GMP and EHS requirements Apply working knowledge of clean utility systems and facility infrastructure to inform project design, sequencing, and execution decisions Participate in regular project and operations meetings, providing status updates and surfacing risks or resourcing needs to leadership Contribute project engineering expertise to support the broader facilities organization's reliability and preventive maintenance planning efforts Basic Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in engineering ( Mechanical/Chemical/Electrical/ Civil) Minimum of 5 + years’ experience in Facility or Maintenance Engineering Teams, within a manufacturing environment. 5+ years Project Management/ Capital Project Delivery Previous experience of owning a facility management program. Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1 Additional Skills/Preferences Excellent written and verbal communication skills and interpersonal skills including consultative and relationship management skills with ability to drive achievement of objectives GMP Manufacturing Experience Knowledge of mechanical building services Strong leadership skills with demonstrated ability to influence change Proven success adhering to and leading project schedules and managing projects Substantial understanding and knowledge of facilities systems and preventive maintenance programs Substantial knowledge of facilities related government regulations, GMP, and EHS Strong problem-solving, organizational, analytical and critical thinking skills Other Information Occasional travel required 0–10% Required to be working onsite Required