Manufacturing Solution Architect

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. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People.

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: Solution Architect – Research & Development

Elanco IT is evolving to meet the quickening pace of innovation, proactively partnering to create new value through digital products, services, and insights for both internal partners and external customers.

As a Solution Architect supporting Research & Development, you will champion the adoption of modern pharmaceutical development systems such as High Performance Computation, AI & Machine Learning, Electronic Lab Notebooks, and Laboratory Execution Systems. You will influence key design decisions and technology investments that drive drug discovery and development in areas like bioinformatics, computational chemistry, genomics, and systems biology.

Your Responsibilities:

• Shape the technical vision and roadmap across R&D product groups, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards and principles.

• Own key architecture assets (city maps, reference architectures) and influence investment decisions, balancing new features with technical debt reduction.

• Design implementation paths for SaaS and custom applications supporting pharmaceutical development processes.

• Collaborate with Product Managers, Engineers, and Designers to take architectural designs to “ready-to-build” state.

• Build relationships with stakeholders and external vendors to ensure solutions meet business outcomes and technical competency requirements.

What You Need to Succeed (Minimum Qualifications):

• Education: B.S. in Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field.

• Experience: 5+ years in architecting and delivering enterprise IT systems.

• Proven track record with pharmaceutical development IT systems (ELN, LIMS, CDS, LES, Informatics, Instruments, HPC, Regulatory). Example tools: Benchling, Scilligence, Empower, Veeva.

• Strong technical background with hands-on IT engineering and architecture experience.

• Skills: Cloud-native design patterns (Microsoft Azure/Google Cloud), SaaS integrations, API-first design, data architecture principles, digital platforms (release management, regression testing).

What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications):

• Experience with modern architecture methodologies (SOA, API-centric, 12-Factor App, FAIR).

• Exposure to DevSecOps practices including CI/CD and TDD.

• Deep understanding of data lifecycle and computational workflows in R&D (bioinformatics, target ID, lead optimization).

• Practical experience implementing FAIR data principles.

• Knowledge of HPC, workload schedulers (e.g., SLURM), and workflow tools (Nextflow, Snakemake).

• Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) in research environments.

• Awareness of GxP and compliance standards (21 CFR Part 11).

• Architecture certifications in Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud.

Other Information: Occasional travel may be required.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Elanco we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive work environment. If you think you might be a good fit for a role but don't necessarily meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply. You may be the right candidate for this role or other roles!

Elanco Benefits and Perks:

We offer a comprehensive benefits package focusing on financial, physical, and mental well-being while encouraging our employees to pursue our purpose! Some highlights include:

• Multiple relocation packages
• Two weeklong shutdowns (mid-summer and year-end) in the US (in addition to PTO)
• 8-week parental leave
• 9 Employee Resource Groups
• Annual bonus offering
• Flexible work arrangements
• Up to 6% 401K matching

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