Lilly Posted September 8, 2026

Senior Principal Process Automation Engineer- OSD (Oral Solid Dose)

Katwijk, South Holland, Netherlands FULL_TIME
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Lilly is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

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.

About the   Katwijk   Site

This position starts with a 12-month contract, with the intention of offering a permanent contract based on mutual fit. ( Dienstverband :   tijdelijk   met   uitzicht   op vast)

Eli Lilly is investing €2.6 billion in a new   state-of-the-art   manufacturing facility in   Katwijk , Netherlands. This facility will produce oral medicines for cardiometabolic health, neuroscience, oncology, and immunology, incorporating next-generation manufacturing technologies including dock-to-dock automation, paperless manufacturing, and process analytical technology while achieving carbon neutrality and zero waste to landfills.

Position Overview

The Process Automation Area Lead provides automation support for manufacturing at the   Katwijk   site. This role ensures the reliability, compliance, and continuous performance of the Oral Solid Dosage (OSD) process automation systems from site startup through steady-state operations.

During the design and delivery of the project this role will be integrated into the global automation team and then transition fully to a site-based process team position.

Key Responsibilities

Partner with Global Automation and Global Facilities Delivery to design, install, and qualify OSD process automation systems.

Lead the integration of   the automation   systems into the site data collection   and IT systems .

Manage and own the   automation   system security and data integrity.

Lead the management and growth of the   automation systems   as new process   equipment is   added to the facility.

Partner with Corporate Automation for global initiatives including advanced data programs and cyber security.

Develop site procedures that will govern the   process automation systems .

Weigh ,   dispense ,   and   compress   in the unit operations it will support.

Qualifications & Requirements

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related science field .

Professional fluency in English   and Dutch preferred.

Experience /Technical Knowledge

5+ years in   automation

5+ years in pharmaceutical or other regulated industrie s.

Knowledge of GMPs, regulatory requirements, computer system validation .

Experience with Rockwell Automation   p latforms including FactoryTalk View SE distributed and ControlLogix/CompactLogix PLCs or other similar   a utomation technologies.

Additional Skills/Preferences

 

Experience with Spray Drying or Oral Solid Dosing manufacturing.

Knowledge   of   ISE S95 principles and IT/Automation integration.

Experience   with Data   Historians or related technology.

Experience in Microsoft operating systems, virtual environments, and networking.

Experience   with i nstallation of platform software on virtual servers .

Ability to interpret control wiring diagrams and process and instrumentation diagrams .

Experience with   Pharmasuite   or other   ME S.

Interpersonal Skills

Excellent written and verbal communication skills for   internal customers, business partners, and leadership

Ability to work with minimal supervision, manage competing priorities, and drive results in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Ability to collaborate with others.

Strong decision-making, problem-solving, and organisational skills.

On-site Requirement

This is 100% full-time on-site role

Travel requirements   –

We typically expect travel to be 10-20% during the design and delivery phase for engineering meetings, training, and job shadowing opportunities.

Eli Lilly and Company |   Katwijk , Netherlands

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 does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location.  The anticipated wage for this position is

€78,750 - €115,500

Full-time equivalent employees may also 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 pension plan; vacation benefits; eligibility for healthcare benefits; flexible benefits (if applicable) 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

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Katwijk, South Holland, Netherlands
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 498 comparable Principal Manufacturing & CMC roles across 83 biopharma companies.

498Comparable roles tracked
447Currently active
83Companies hiring similar roles
33Countries represented

Salary context

203 of 498 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Senior Technician Calibration - Maintenance · Mylan Technologies, Inc. $37,000/yr – $80,000/yr
Peer group range $58,500 – $288,000 (median $150,600)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 498 comparable roles

United States320
India40
Ireland21
Netherlands18
United Kingdom10
Germany9

+ 27 more countries

Seniority mix

498 of 498 peers have a known seniority level

Senior328
Principal87
Director83

Therapeutic area mix

2 of 498 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Dermatology & Aesthetics1
Oncology1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Lilly Katwijk, South Holland, Netherlands Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Katwijk, South Holland, Netherlands Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Katwijk, South Holland, Netherlands Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Katwijk, South Holland, Netherlands Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
50%similar
Amgen Europe B.V. Breda, Netherlands Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Amgen Europe B.V. Breda, Netherlands Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Sr Principal Associate – Process Engineering - OSD/SDD
Lilly · Katwijk, South Holland, Netherlands · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior/Sr. Principal Engineer, Quality Assurance
Lilly · Katwijk, South Holland, Netherlands · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
50%
Senior Maintenance Technician Utilities
Amgen Europe B.V. · Breda, Netherlands · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
50%
Senior Technician (dagdienst)
NV Organon (Netherlands) · Nld, Netherlands · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.