Project Engineer - Global Robotics

Position Overview

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. As a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those in need, improve disease management, and give back to our communities. We put people first and are looking for individuals determined to make life better worldwide.

As part of Corporate Engineering, the Global Robotics Program (GRP) is responsible for designing, delivering, and overseeing robotic applications across all Lilly manufacturing sites globally – testing new technologies, delivering proofs-of-concept, designing robotic systems, and deploying these systems in partnership with site resources.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the effective deployments and Commissioning & Qualification efforts of robotic systems by collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams across manufacturing sites, quality, and other business units.
• Work with vendors to troubleshoot, shakedown, and oversee Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) activities.
• Develop capabilities in robotics and PLC programming to troubleshoot design and/or functional issues at manufacturing sites or vendor locations.
• Author and/or review site documentation (e.g., test cases, design documents) for deployed robotic systems.
• Collaborate with the Robotics Platform Owner to support the design of robotic systems.
• Champion safety, compliance, and quality best practices when delivering robotic systems.
• Support GRP lab activities and application development in areas including robotic system design, 2D/3D vision development, robot code development, and augmented/virtual reality simulation.
• Provide technical mentoring to Lilly engineers on deploying and utilizing robotic technologies, including serving as a Peer Coach to new robotics engineers.
• Work with Global Facilities Delivery (GFD), GRP Platform Owners, and manufacturing sites to support profiling new robotic systems or technologies.
• Support the development of Engineering Best Practices and Standards for robotic application development.
• Participate in cross-functional teams within manufacturing, quality, and other units when developing new robotic systems.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in an engineering field.
• Ability to travel up to 50% domestically and/or internationally (1–2 weeks per month).
• Minimum 5 years of relevant manufacturing experience—preferably in discrete pharmaceutical manufacturing (e.g., parenteral filling, inspection, device assembly, packaging) or other high-speed industries such as automotive.
• Experience in Automation Controls and Mechanical Assemblies for highly automated systems.
• Proven track record in Project Delivery, Commissioning & Qualification, Validation Activities, and adherence to cGMP Regulations.
• Hands-on experience in control system troubleshooting, programming, and integration with PLC (Rockwell Studio5000), HMI/SCADA (FactoryTalk View Studio SE), Fanuc Robotics, 3DV, and Cognex vision systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency with AutoCAD and SolidWorks.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to deliver effective oral, written, and visual presentations.
• Demonstrated ability to use and implement various tools, systems, and processes to drive operational excellence.
• Experience working cross-functionally on complex tasks with aggressive timelines.
• A proven record of working within and leading diverse, cross-functional teams.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret and apply solutions to varied situations based on customer needs.

Benefits & Perks

• Compensation: $63,000 - $165,000 (actual compensation depends on education, experience, skills, and geographic location).
• Eligibility for a company bonus based on company and individual performance.
• Comprehensive benefits including participation in a company-sponsored 401(k), pension, vacation benefits, and medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Additional perks such as flexible spending accounts, life insurance, death benefits, various leave benefits, and well-being programs (employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs/activities).
• Significant domestic and international travel required; this is not a remote position and may involve work in a construction/manufacturing environment with necessary safety equipment or gowning.