Eli Lilly to recruit 90 professionals

PHARMACEUTICAL group Eli Lilly is to recruit 90 finance and customer service professionals to work in its European Shared Services Centre in Cork city.

Opportunities range from senior management to junior accounting and customer order management positions, with a significant number of the vacancies requiring multilingual skills.

The company has enlisted Premier Group to lead the recruitment drive, including the sourcing of internal candidates from within Eli Lilly, either from its Kinsale facility, or overseas staff wishing to re-locate to Ireland.

Bryan Hyland, regional director with Premier Group, said: “The greatest achievement is that the Irish arm of Eli Lilly has won this business. It is a great reflection on the value that is to be had in Ireland, and the quality of the people here, versus other international sites.

“It reflects well on Eli Lilly, on Enterprise Ireland, on Cork Chamber, and on ourselves because we have been at the centre of the process from the start. It is very positive for Ireland, because Eli Lilly is recruiting now, while jobs are being lost in so many other places.”

Recruitment is already under way for the 90 positions, 40 for accounting and finance staff, and another 50 in order management and customer services with multilingual skills. The official launch of the new centre is earmarked for April 1.

Eli Lilly’s European Shared Services senior director Kay Flynn said: “The costs associated with the Irish market are now more realistic, more competitive than they were three years ago. We were drawn here by the quality of graduates available.

“We began this project in earnest in July, primarily working on the physical structure. Now we are really interested in attracting top talent to Eli Lilly.