Engineer - IT Manufacturing Execution in Liverpool

Your role as an Engineer at Elanco will be a key technical contributor to the digital heart of our production facilities. You will specialise in implementing and supporting our Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). This hands-on role is the critical bridge between our physical manufacturing processes and the digital systems that control and document them, ensuring our operations are efficient, compliant, and reliable.

Strategic Priorities

• Pipeline Acceleration: Optimise the search and approval of high impact medicines with a focus on speed, cost and precision.
• Manufacturing Excellence: Improve the efficiency, quality and consistency of core manufacturing processes, specifically execution and equipment effectiveness.
• Sales Effectiveness: Simplify the process to find, trust and consume relevant customer insights that drive sales growth and improved engagement.
• Productivity: Expand operating margin through efficiency by systematically reducing our operating expenses across the company, improving profitability.

Responsibilities

• System Design and Configuration: Contribute to the design and be responsible for the configuration and implementation of MES solutions, building and modifying electronic batch records (EBRs), system workflows, and configuring equipment integration based on defined requirements.
• Process Optimization: Collaborate with operations and quality teams to analyse manufacturing and laboratory workflows, using MES capabilities to implement process improvements, reduce production cycle times, and enhance data integrity at the shop-floor level.
• System Management and Support: Provide frontline technical support for MES platforms, acting as a key technical resource to troubleshoot and resolve system issues, ensuring high availability for our manufacturing and lab teams.
• Integration: Assist with the integration between MES and other critical systems, such as our ERP (SAP), and shop-floor equipment (PLCs/SCADA), ensuring a reliable flow of data.
• Validation and Compliance: Execute validation protocols (IQ/OQ/PQ) for MES enhancements and new implementations, generate validation documentation, and ensure systems remain in a validated state, compliant with GxP and data integrity requirements.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with Manufacturing Operations, Quality Assurance, and Process Science teams to gather system requirements and provide updates on technical activities.
• User Training and Enablement: Develop training materials and conduct training sessions to ensure that manufacturing and lab personnel are proficient in using the MES/LES systems effectively in their day-to-day roles.

Minimum Requirements

• Educational Background: A Bachelor's degree in Engineering (e.g., Industrial, Chemical, Manufacturing, Computer Science) or a related technical field or equivalent experience.
• Required Experience: 3+ years hands-on experience with the configuration and support of an MES platform (e.g., Tulip, Werum PAS-X, Emerson Syncade, POMSnet).
• Manufacturing Environment Experience: Experience working directly in a manufacturing environment, preferably within the pharmaceutical, biologics, animal health, or another GxP-regulated industry.
• Regulatory Knowledge: A working knowledge of GxP (Good Manufacturing Practices) and familiarity with computer system validation (CSV) principles.
• Process Control Understanding: Familiarity with industrial automation concepts, including PLCs, SCADA, and how they integrate with higher-level manufacturing systems.
• Database and SQL Skills: Experience with SQL for data queries to support troubleshooting, data extraction, and report generation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, with the ability to systematically diagnose and resolve technical issues.
• Process Analysis: A solid understanding of business process analysis and workflow design, and the ability to read and interpret process maps and requirements documents.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Good communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to work effectively in a team environment with operators, scientists, and management.
• Cloud Platform Proficiency: Familiarity with public cloud platforms, specifically Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud Platform (GCP), is a plus.
• DevSecOps: Familiarity with the concepts of DevSecOps, including Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) and source control (Git), is desirable.
• Communication Skills: Good verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively within a technical team.

Additional Information

• Travel: 0–10%
• Location: Hook, UK – Hybrid Work Environment or Speke, UK – Hybrid Work Environment

Elanco is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and 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. Elanco may use automated tools, including AI, to support parts of our recruitment process, such as reviewing applications against job-related criteria and/or transferrable skills. These tools help ensure a consistent, structured evaluation, but they do not make hiring decisions. All decisions involve a human reviewer. For more information on how we handle personal data, please see our Elanco Workforce Privacy Notice.