Associate Director, Learning Operations and Data Strategy

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.

The Associate Director, Learning Operations and Data Strategy is a techno-functional leader responsible for setting and leading the data strategy, analytics, and visualization efforts across Global Manufacturing and Quality Learning & Development, including all sites.

This role combines leadership in data science, business intelligence, and digital transformation, with a solid focus on operational excellence, strategic growth, and development of a learning culture empowered by analytics.

You will be accountable for developing and implementing data strategies that power organizational learning, optimize business operations, and drive data-driven insights for business decision-making and performance improvement.

The ideal candidate will maximise procedures in analytics, visualization, and digital platforms to enhance the consumer and employee experience, cultivate innovation, and enable Lilly to stay at the forefront of healthcare transformation.

• Execution of strategy
• Set the vision and complete data strategy, integrating sophisticated analytics, visualization, and business intelligence across commercial, learning, and transformation teams.
• Drive strategic discussions to identify key opportunities, whitespace, and innovative solutions for data-driven business and learning outcomes.
• Champion analytic capabilities and the expansion of data science-driven business solutions across M&Q partnering with Tech@Lilly.
• Ensure alignment and common understanding of data strategy and learning operations across global teams and key partners.
• Drive the integration of systems to deliver integrated, guided execution and Hyper-automation generating insights for evidenced-based decision making.

• Serve as a trusted advisor and authority, actively participating in all  projects.
• Lead the design, development, and deployment of interactive dashboards, reports, and data-driven learning platforms using Power BI, PowerApps, Tableau, Spotfire, or equivalent tools.
• Develop and operationalize dashboards/critical metrics in support of strategic and tactical plans, ensuring data accuracy, quality, and integrity.
• Present outcomes and recommendations to collaborators at all levels, simplifying complexity and inspiring action.

• Establish and optimize core business and learning operations, ensuring long-term and short-term goal setting, governance, performance, and risk management systems.
• Implement best project management practices (agile/scrum as needed), both for analytics and system integration.
• Supervise key performance indicators, identify areas for improvement, and drive continuous improvement initiatives in learning operations and data strategy.

• Network with industry experts, consultants, and external partners to develop, test, and implement new approaches for analytics and learning capabilities.
• Lead without authority, through ambiguity, and influence multi-functional teams to achieve strategic objectives.
• Coach and deploy agile teammates to accelerate initiatives and ensure resourcing in key priority areas.

• Lead development and execution of comprehensive data strategies to power the employee learning experience, optimize operations, and measure performance.
• Conduct exploratory data analysis, root-cause investigation, and predictive modeling using sophisticated techniques including machine learning, artificial intelligence, and natural language processing.
• Partner with business collaborators and technical teams to ensure data standardization, availability, and quality.
• Integrate working models for analytics capabilities across teams, driving cross-pollination of standard processes and technology adoption.
• Ensure secure and effective data connections through data gateways, and API/cloud integrations.

• Drive data-driven problem solving to enable focus on top employee challenges, enhancing learning outcomes and business results.
• Derive actionable insights from multiple sources to optimize employee experience and operational effectiveness.
• Demonstrate the value of learning operations and data strategy externally to select collaborators, supporting Lilly’s mission of improving lives.
• Reporting & Relationship Management
• Report to leadership, providing regular updates on strategy, operations, performance, and impact of learning operations and data strategy initiatives.
• Collaborate with Finance, HR, and other business partners on performance tracking and metrics.
• Support the building of organizational skills in data-driven problem solving and digital learning innovation.

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, computer/data science, or similar field (for foundational requirements).
• 5 years of relevant work experience with demonstrated success in setting up and leading high-performing analytics/data-science teams, ideally in healthcare, pharma, or related industries.
• Extensive experience in machine learning, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, advanced mathematical and predictive modeling, and visual analytics.
• Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization and/or visas for this role.

• Master’s degree in technology, statistics, mathematics, econometrics, operations research, computer science, data science, business, or related field.
• Solid understanding of statistics, data wrangling, data cleaning, and redefining large datasets, with ability to develop scalable apps and dashboards for sophisticated business needs.
• Significant coding experience in R and/or Python, and proficiency in Microsoft Power Platform (Power BI, PowerApps), Tableau, Spotfire, and related visualization tools.
• Demonstrated strengths in analytical thinking, problem-solving, business problem definition, and attention to detail.
• Exceptional communication skills, including executive-level verbal and written presentations, and ability to simplify complexity and tell compelling data stories.
• Proven ability to lead without authority, thrive in ambiguity, and drive results through collaboration and influence.
• Track record of achieving operational excellence and leading continuous improvement initiatives.
• High learning agility, entrepreneurial mindset, and passion for technology, innovation, and building impactful solutions.
• Experience with value-based agreements and understanding employer/stakeholder needs.
• Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and experience managing app lifecycle and secure data integrations.
• Certification in Microsoft Power Platform (PL-400, PL-600, PL-300) preferred.
• Experience with Agile/Scrum methodologies and advanced analytics platforms (e.g., Power Automate, Python/R).
• Familiarity with industry important metrics relevant to drug development, pharma, healthcare, and learning operations.
• Knowledge of BI, data governance, security roles, and row-level security (RLS) within Power BI and PowerApps.
• Ability to develop and complete upskilling plans, both for teams and individuals, and supply to inclusive and innovative communities of practice.

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

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.

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