Lilly Posted September 6, 2026

Senior/Principal Scientist Validation

Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany FULL_TIME
Quality Principal
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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.

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.

At Lilly in Germany, we are currently planning and building a high-tech production facility in Alzey (Rhineland-Palatinate), which will expand our production of injectable drugs from 2027 and employ up to 1,000 specialists. To make the most of our innovative production site, we are looking for motivated reinforcements who, together with us, will ensure the supply of Lilly medicines in Germany, Europe, and worldwide, in line with the three Lilly values of "Excellence," "Integrity," and "Respect for People."

In this role you will be part of the TSMS (Technical Services / Manufacturing Science) team (also known as MSAT or MS&T). The TSMS team is the technical owner of the process, from tech transfer and validation through commercial lifecycle management. Our decisions on control strategy, lifecycle, and process robustness shape how this greenfield parenteral site runs for the next decades, with direct visibility to site leadership and Lilly's global technical network.

Senior Principal Scientist Validation (m/w/d)

As Principal Scientist Validation, you will be expected to instruct and support the validation of production equipment and systems. Your responsibilities will include:

Sterilization validation, cleaning validation, filter validation, shipping validation, process validation, and other TS/MS related activity.

Prepare, review relevant technical documents, as required, such as: change controls, regulatory submissions, deviation investigations, validation protocols and summary reports, processing records, procedures.

Participate in development and implementation of process functional teams in positive fashion to implement TS/MS objectives and deliver on business and quality objectives.

Initiate related validation protocols and reports, and coordinate validation related activities Complete required and assigned trainings on-time.

Key Objectives/Deliverables:

Instruct and support validation of production equipment and systems.

Prepare, review and support relevant technical documents.

Execute validation related activities.

Ensure compliance with the final objective and coordinate with local project team.

English fluent, additional German is preferred

The position is onsite, not hybrid, not remote

Requirements:

Degree/qualifying certifications/training/experience: Engineer, pharmacist, or equivalent with professional experience (at least 5 years) in the industry. Knowledge of GMP Operation skills Good knowledge of document and project management. You have German and basic English knowledge. Additional

Skills/Preferences:

Parenteral manufacturing Strong analytical and synthesis skills. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Ability to work independently and in a team. Ability to coordinate teams without direct hierarchical power. What can you look forward to with us?

At Lilly, we believe in creating an environment where innovation thrives and every team member can shine. Here's what you can expect when you join our team:

Pioneering Spirit:  Be part of a groundbreaking team of specialized professionals that will grow to up to 1,000 colleagues over the next three years. You'll be at the forefront of pharmaceutical innovation, contributing to life-changing advancements.

Cutting-Edge Technology:  Work in a state-of-the-art medical high-tech production facility equipped with the latest and most advanced technology. You'll have the tools and resources to excel in your role and push the boundaries of what's possible.

Creative Freedom:  From day one, you'll have the freedom to bring your ideas to life and make a real impact. Collaborate with cross-functional teams and see your innovative solutions implemented in a dynamic and supportive environment. Personal and Professional Growth:

We are committed to your development. Through our "Corporate Lilly University," you'll have access to a wealth of professional development opportunities, ensuring you can grow and advance your career on a global scale.

Attractive Benefits:  Enjoy a competitive salary, an excellent company pension plan, and a range of individual benefits designed to support your well-being and financial security. We value your contributions and reward your dedication. Have we piqued your interest? Then please apply online with your complete application documents through our applicant portal. We look forward to your application!

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 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. #WeAreLilly

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

€52,500 - €110,000

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
Quality
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

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

We currently track 249 comparable Principal Quality roles across 64 biopharma companies.

249Comparable roles tracked
225Currently active
64Companies hiring similar roles
29Countries represented

Salary context

63 of 249 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 · Associate Quality Control Chemist, Senior (Data Review) · Merck KGaA $25/hr – $39/hr (≈ $52,000–$81,120/yr)
Peer group range $66,560 – $265,000 (median $130,100)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 249 comparable roles

United States135
Ireland15
China11
Spain9
Switzerland9
Singapore9

+ 23 more countries

Seniority mix

249 of 249 peers have a known seniority level

Senior179
Principal37
Director33

Therapeutic area mix

0 of 249 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

No peers with a known therapeutic area yet.

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
50%similar
Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Johnson & Johnson Umkirch, Germany Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
AbbVie Ludwigshafen, RP Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
45%similar
Lilly Lebanon, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) Renss, United States Principal
Same function Same seniority

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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%
Principal Research Scientist I/II Biologics Quality Control in Biologics Analytical R&D (all genders) (full-time, permanent)
AbbVie · Ludwigshafen, RP · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
50%
(Senior) Software Validation Engineer - Quality Assurance (all genders) (fulltime, regular)
AbbVie · Ludwigshafen, RP · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
45%
Principal Scientist
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) · Renss, United States · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
45%
Principal - QA API External Manufacturing Peptides
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area 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.