External Manufacturing Operations Lead

At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals!

As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets.

We’re driven by our vision of ‘Food and Companionship Enriching Life’ and our approach to sustainability – the Elanco Healthy Purpose™ – to advance the health of animals, people, the planet and our enterprise.

At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment.

We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success.

Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.

Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today!

Your Role: External Manufacturing Operations Lead

As an External Manufacturing Operations Lead, you will be part of the EEM (Elanco External Manufacturing) Operations team, supporting end-to-end supply chain and manufacturing performance across Elanco’s contract manufacturing network.

In this role, you’ll be responsible for ensuring continuity of product supply through cross-functional coordination, risk mitigation, and operational execution with both internal teams and external partners.

You will lead joint process teams, manage performance with contract manufacturers, and support the execution of projects such as tech transfers, revalidations, and regulatory changes.

Your Responsibilities:


* Lead internal and joint process team (IPT/JPT) meetings with contract manufacturers and Elanco stakeholders, presenting operational performance metrics, facilitating decision-making, and ensuring alignment on production timelines, artwork changes, and capacity constraints.


* Manage day-to-day operations with CMs, including procurement, production, inventory, and logistics, while proactively identifying and addressing risks to ensure uninterrupted supply of products to market.


* Drive operational excellence by tracking and analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs), monitoring slow-moving inventory, overseeing material losses, and identifying opportunities for cost savings and supply chain optimization.


* Coordinate and manage complex changes and deviations, including label updates, product reworks, bridging stock plans, and regulatory-driven modifications, ensuring timely execution and compliance through systems like PCAP and the Blue System.


* Support product lifecycle and technical agenda execution, including launches, geo-expansions, revalidations, rationalizations, and tech transfers, collaborating with quality, regulatory, master data, warehousing, and affiliates to maintain supply continuity.

What You Need to Succeed (minimum qualifications):


* Education: Bachelor’s degree in science, Engineering, Supply Chain, or a re...