Sr. Director, Early Phase Chemistry

Location: Indianapolis
Posted on: June 23, 2025

Job Description:

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. Organization Overview: For more than 140 years, Lilly has been dedicated to discovering and developing medicines to make lives better for people around the world. The Product Research and Development (PRD) organization, within Lilly Research Labs is focused on discovery and development of new medicines across a range of different modalities. Within PRD, the Synthetic Molecule Design and Development (SMDD) is an innovation-focused organization striving to identify, develop, and apply transformative technologies to deliver maximum benefit to our patients. We apply our expertise across the entire lifecycle of an asset ranging from the discovery/development interface through regulatory submission and post-approval changes. We work to improve patient outcomes by delivering safe, scalable, sustainable, and reliable products and processes across a diverse portfolio of synthetic assets including small molecules, peptides, and oligonucleotides. The technical and business solutions that we develop accelerate the delivery of medicines to patients and allow the company to reinvest in the next generation of life saving therapeutics. Role Overview: We are seeking a veteran and visionary Sr. Director of Early Phase Chemistry to join our leadership team. This individual will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of direction of drug substance development at Lilly by providing leadership and guidance of the SMDD small molecule portfolio. The ideal candidate will be instrumental in driving our early phase chemistry initiatives forward, with the vision of building a world-class team. This role will serve to develop internal synthetic capabilities, as well as overseeing external programs at CDMOs. This role will report to the Associate Vice President in SMDD. Key Responsibilities People & Team Management Create a high-performance team culture that operates with clarity of roles, responsibilities, and expectations for both individuals and the team. Ensure safety of employees and facilities, and robust safety programs and procedures are in place. Recruit, develop and grow the next generation of leaders. Actively coach and mentor scientists of all levels across the organization. Foster an environment of collaboration and innovation within the early phase chemistry group and larger Lilly Research Labs organization Portfolio Delivery & Strategy Deliver Early Phase material to meet toxicologic and clinical milestones. Develop a global network of active pharmaceutical ingredient, starting materials, and custom intermediates at CDMOs Build and drive the strategy for internal effort Small Molecules at the Medicine Foundry. Provide strategic guidance including synthetic, formulation and manufacturing strategies; this will include integration and application of new technologies. Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration of CMC development activities with other areas including discovery, toxicology, clinical development. Accelerate discovery and development learnings through Lilly Research Labs partnership and pre-candidate selection to clinical supply material generation. Technical Leadership Integrate new technology and partnerships to increase Early Phase capabilities and efficiencies. Drive successful synthetic route selection and route scouting efforts from Discovery to Ph II, internally and at partner CDMOs Ability to communicate complex technical strategies with clarity Actively manage internal and external resources to drive early phase drug development Have a deep understanding of the portfolio, project objectives, and how the technical programs and people are poised to deliver on those objectives SMDD Management Team Member Provide strategic leadership of early phase chemistry and broader SMDD chemistry goals and objectives. Communicate and support execution of SMDD strategy. Effectively evaluates organizational strengths and needs and drive appropriate changes. Identify opportunities for continual improvement projects that optimize business processes. Basic Qualifications: Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field with 15 years of work experience OR an MS degree in Organic Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field with 20 years of equivalent work experience. Minimum 10 years of CMC experience, specifically in early phase drug development required. Additional Skills/Preferences: Proven track record of building and leading high performing teams Track record of driving effective culture change Excellent communication (written and verbal) Exceptional external network and networking skills Exceptional teamwork/Interpersonal/Leadership/Vision Previous experience leading large teams Expertise in project planning/organization/management Talent assessment and recruiting Knowledge of drug development life cycle Patent filings and intellectual experience Additional Information: Travel: 0 to 10% Position Location: Indianapolis, IN 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 $151,500 - $222,200 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. WeAreLilly

Keywords: , Bloomington , Sr. Director, Early Phase Chemistry, Science, Research & Development , Indianapolis, Indiana