Associate Director - Workforce Productivity Business Operations Lead

Company: Eli Lilly and Company
Location: Indianapolis
Posted on: November 27, 2025

Job Description:

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. We are seeking an exceptional Chief of Staff / Business Operations Lead to serve as the business operational backbone for the Workforce Productivity Services Organization. This role demands a rare combination of financial acumen, operational excellence, and executive presence. You will be the force multiplier that enables strategic leadership while ensuring flawless execution across all business operations. This is not a passive support role. We need someone who is bold, demanding, and uncompromising in their pursuit of operational excellence. You will hold teams accountable, clear obstacles before they become problems, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. When the Senior Director is unavailable, you will step into their shoes with confidence and authority. What You'll Be Doing: Financial Management & Oversight: Own financial operations oversight for five IT teams including budget planning, forecasting, variance analysis, purchase order management, vendor negotiations, and financial reporting. Ensure impeccable accuracy and compliance in all financial matters. Operational Excellence: Drive operational discipline across all teams. Establish and enforce processes, metrics, and KPIs. Identify inefficiencies and implement solutions without waiting for permission. Own the operational cadence including team meetings, planning cycles, and reporting rhythms. Proactive Problem-Solving: Anticipate challenges before they materialize. Clear obstacles, resolve blockers, and ensure the Senior Director can focus on strategy rather than firefighting. Maintain a forward-looking perspective on team needs and organizational dependencies. Portfolio Management: Know the end to end portfolio of products, services, and programs intimately. Initiate, lead, and maintain strategic planning. Drive accountability and delivery across the portfolio of programs coming out of our quarterly planning. Executive Proxy & Leadership: Serve as the Senior Director's trusted deputy. Make decisions, represent leadership in meetings, and drive initiatives forward in their absence. Build credibility and respect across the organization as a leader in your own right. Accountability & Delivery: Take full ownership of assigned initiatives and deliver results without requiring follow-up or supervision. Set high standards for yourself and others. Follow through relentlessly and never let commitments slip. Strategic Planning & Execution: Partner with the Senior Director on long-term planning, organizational design, and strategic initiatives. Translate strategy into executable plans with clear timelines, owners, and success metrics. Cross-Functional Coordination: Navigate complex organizational dynamics. Build relationships across departments, manage stakeholders, and ensure alignment on priorities and deliverables. Be the glue that holds cross-team initiatives together. Team Performance Management: Monitor team health, productivity, and morale. Identify performance gaps and work with leadership to address them. Drive a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement. How You'll Succeed: The Senior Director never worries about action items and operational details because you have everything under control and complete your follow through. Financial processes run flawlessly with zero errors, surprises, or compliance issues Teams consistently hit their commitments and operate with increased efficiency Strategic initiatives move forward without stalling or losing momentum Stakeholders across the organization view you as a trusted, credible leader The organization runs seamlessly whether the Senior Director is present or not If you are someone who takes pride in getting things right, who thrives on accountability and high standards, and who can be both bold and meticulous in equal measure, this role offers the opportunity to make a significant impact while working with leaders across our organization. Key Competencies & Personal Attributes Meticulous Attention to Detail: You catch errors others miss. You are obsessive about accuracy and completeness. Details matter to you, and it shows in everything you produce. Unwavering Accountability: When you commit to something, it gets done. Period. You take ownership, deliver results, and never make excuses. People trust you because you always follow through. You prioritize ruthlessly so that little things get done fast, all thing are accounted for, and a multitude of items can be juggled at the same time with ease. Bold & Assertive Leadership: You are not afraid to be demanding. You push for excellence, hold people accountable, and are comfortable being the tough voice in the room when needed. Proactive & Forward-Thinking: You anticipate needs, identify risks early, and solve problems before they escalate. You are always three steps ahead, preparing for what comes next. Financial & Analytical Rigor: Numbers are your language. You can build financial models, analyze trends, and present insights with clarity and confidence. You make data-driven decisions consistently. Executive Maturity: You operate with the judgment, discretion, and professionalism expected at the executive level. You can represent leadership credibly and make sound decisions independently. Operational Discipline: You thrive on process, structure, and cadence. You create order from chaos and ensure teams operate like well-oiled machines. High Standards & Perfectionism: You have exacting standards for yourself and expect the same from others. Good enough is never good enough for you. You pursue excellence relentlessly. What You Should Bring: Experience in business operations, finance, or chief of staff roles, preferably in technology organizations MBA, CPA, or other advanced degree in business, finance, or related field Experience in IT, technology, or software organizations Familiarity with Agile methodologies, project management frameworks, and IT service delivery Experience managing or coordinating across multiple teams simultaneously Background in management consulting, investment banking, or other high-intensity professional environments Outstanding written and verbal communication skills with the ability to distill complex information for executive audiences Strong executive presence with the confidence to make decisions, push back when necessary, and hold others accountable Exceptional attention to detail with a reputation for accuracy and thoroughness Proven track record of flawless execution and delivery without requiring follow-up or hand-holding Basic Requirements: Bachelors degree and 5 plus years experience in business operations OR a high school diploma/GED and 12 plus years experience working in business operations Experience managing multi-million dollar budgets, financial modeling, and variance analysis. Experience operating at an executive level with minimal supervision and maximum autonomy Experience with financial systems, reporting tools, and business intelligence platforms Experience working in fast-paced, high-growth environments where priorities shift rapidly 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. Organization Overview Lilly IT builds and maintains capabilities using cutting edge technologies like most prominent tech companies. What differentiates Lilly IT is that we redefine what’s possible through tech to advance our purpose – creating medicines that make life better for people around the world, like data driven drug discovery and connected clinical trials. We hire the best technology professionals from a variety of backgrounds, so they can bring an assortment of knowledge, skills, and diverse thinking to deliver innovative solutions in every area of our business. The Global Information and Services Tech team is at the forefront of digitalization to enable and advance the entire company, with increased productivity and best-in-class Customer experiences. This team provides a robust and sustainable infrastructure of hardware, software and services that are critical to enable our global workforce and business to operate and transform. As leaders in technology and understanding business requirements and challenges, this team defines and leads the overall company technology strategy. 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 $124,500 - $182,600 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. WeAreLilly

Keywords: Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis , Associate Director - Workforce Productivity Business Operations Lead, Human Resources , Indianapolis, Indiana