Manager - Automation Operations

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. Overview The GBS Capability Optimisation and Automation (GCOA) organisation is a strategic function focused on transforming finance operations through intelligent automation and AI.

GCOA acts as a centralised capability hub, enabling scalable, secure, and compliant solutions that deliver measurable business value. GCOA partners with finance and technology teams to: Identify automation opportunities.

Design innovative solutions. Embed automation as a core enabler of operational excellence and digital transformation.

As the Automation Operations Manager you are tasked with managing operational compliance and stability across our solutions. You are responsible for the development and execution of Quality, information security and other compliance processes and supporting audit.

You will ensure that GCOA developed assets are compliant and data is regularised and up to date across all assets. You will be responsible for ensuring operational stability, managing the CR process for BAU change, anticipating and planning migration activities.

You will own hypercare for newly deployed solutions, ensuring smooth post-go-live stabilisation and structured issue resolution. You will also continuously evaluate existing solutions against technical debt, continued value delivery and potential for sunsetting.

You will own and evolve the GCOA triage and intake process, ensuring work is prioritised, categorised, and routed effectively across Automation and Analytics workstreams. This is a key role involving management of many third parties, vendors, quality and compliance stakeholders, and the business owners of the solutions that are deployed.

Success requires strong interpersonal skills and the ability to lead independently across diverse stakeholder groups, including navigating difficult conversations with composure and judgement. Responsibilities Operational Compliance and Stability: Develop and implement quality, information security, and compliance processes.

Ensure all GCOA-developed assets are compliant and data is up-to-date. Support internal and external audits.

Hypercare and Post-Go-Live Stabilisation: Own hypercare for newly deployed solutions, standing up tracking boards, triaging issues, and driving resolution. Ensure structured handover from delivery to BAU operations.

Triage, Intake and Tooling Ownership: Own and evolve the GCOA triage and intake process across Automation and Analytics. Manage and administer operational tooling — including Jira boards, ServiceNow, and Azure app registrations — ensuring hygiene, adoption, and fit-for-purpose configuration.

Drive tooling adoption across the team through demos, documentation, and ongoing support. Migration and Technical Debt Management: Plan and manage migration activities to ensure smooth transitions.

Continuously evaluate existing solutions for technical debt and potential sunsetting. Ensure continued value delivery from deployed solutions.

Stakeholder Management: Collaborate with quality and compliance stakeholders to align on standards and requirements. Engage with business owners to understand their needs and ensure solutions meet expectations.

Facilitate communication between various third parties involved in the automation processes. Lead without authority across diverse groups, managing competing priorities with maturity and composure.

Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities for process improvements and automation enhancements. Stay updated with the latest trends and technologies in automation, RPA, cognitive intelligence, and data analytics.

Implement best practices to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of automation solutions. Risk Management: Identify and mitigate risks associated with automation solutions.

Develop contingency plans to address potential issues in operational stability and compliance. Reporting and Documentation: Maintain comprehensive documentation of processes, compliance measures, and operational activities.

Generate regular reports on operational performance, compliance status, and vendor performance. Translate operational data into meaningful narratives for leadership, using KPIs to demonstrate value and outcomes.

Essential Requirements Bachelor's Degree in Business, Management Information Systems or Computer Science. 5+ years' experience in either a coding, finance, supply chain, technology consulting or business analyst type role. Proven experience in automation, quality management, and operations.

Experience with and/or good understanding of RPA platforms (e.g. Automation Anywhere) and Python.

Experience managing third-party vendors and overseeing SLAs. Demonstrated experience in compliance, information security, and audit processes.

Strong analytical skills to evaluate existing solutions and identify improvement opportunities. Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and build strong relationships.

Strong project management skills, including planning, execution, and risk management. Excellent interpersonal and conflict resolution skills — comfortable leading difficult conversations independently.

Problem-solving mindset with a focus on continuous improvement. The ability to operate in a dynamic environment, managing multiple deliverables, prioritising and ensuring timely completion.

Desirable Requirements Familiarity with the Office 365 technology stack, Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI. Working knowledge of Jira, ServiceNow, and Azure platform administration.

Experience with cognitive intelligence and data analytics solutions. Vendor management and negotiation experience.

Experience managing or mentoring direct reports, with an interest in growing into a people management role.