Job Description

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. We're driven by our vision of 'Food and Companionship Enriching Life' and our approach to sustainability - the Elanco Healthy Purpose(TM) - to advance the health of animals, people, the planet and our enterprise.

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!

We are seeking a Principal Automation Engineer to lead the strategy, design, and delivery of automation solutions within our global TechOps team. This role combines deep technical expertise with product management principles - bringing an automation-first mindset, customer-centric focus, and strong ownership across the full automation lifecycle.


As a senior technical expert, you will be responsible for delivering robust automation solutions, mentoring various TechOps teams, and advancing automation maturity across the organization. If you thrive at the intersection of engineering excellence and automation impact, this is your opportunity to drive meaningful change on a global scale.

Your Responsibilities:

TechOps is responsible for all IT Infrastructure, Client Services, and Global & Site Operations across Elanco. We leverage modern technologies to build for the future and empower our colleagues to achieve remarkable outcomes. In this role, you will be a champion for automation, fostering a culture where automation is integrated into every facet of our work.


Architect and deliver scalable automation frameworks and solutions across infrastructure and operations Serve as a subject matter expert in automation tools and methodologies (e.g., Ansible, Terraform, Python/PowerShell scripting, workflow orchestration, and AI-powered automation) Collaborate with cross-functional teams to assess automation. opportunities, define requirements, and ensure seamless integration with business operations. Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineers, promoting best practices and driving engineering excellence. Champion a culture of automation-first thinking across TechOps by setting strategic direction and advocating for continual improvement. Ensure reliability, performance, and security of all automated processes through robust monitoring, documentation, and lifecycle management. Stay abreast of emerging technologies, trends, and industry standards to continuously evolve our automation capabilities. Lead automation-related initiatives in Agile planning cycles and manage technical delivery against roadmap priorities.

What You Need to Succeed (minimum qualifications):

10+ years of experience designing, implementing, and managing enterprise-grade automation platforms or services. Advanced knowledge of tools such as Ansible, Terraform, GitHub, Azure DevOps, and scripting languages (e.g., Python, PowerShell). Strong problem-solving and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to influence technical direction and strategy. Proven ability to lead technical initiatives across organizational boundaries. Proven ability to deliver in complex, fast-paced environments with a high degree of autonomy. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.

What will give you a competitive edge (preferred qualifications):

Experience working with cloud environments (Azure, AWS, or GCP). Familiarity with product discovery techniques and customer-centric design. Knowledge of process improvement methodologies. Understanding of AI/ML-driven automation capabilities.

Additional Information:

Travel: 0-10% Location: Hook, UK - Hybrid Work Environment
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 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