Sr. Director – Immunology Translational Medicine

Company: Eli Lilly and Company
Location: Indianapolis
Posted on: January 22, 2026

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: 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. Lilly 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. Position Description : We are the Translational Immunology team, and we are looking to add new experience and additional scientific capabilities to our team. This role will contribute to discovery- and clinical-stage research in autoimmunity to enhance the understanding of programs within the immunology portfolio as well as the patients we serve. Our mission is to identify mechanism-relevant biomarkers for assets in Lilly’s immunology pipeline and develop drug tailoring hypotheses in various autoimmune diseases that can be implemented in clinical trials. The position offers an outstanding opportunity to impact the development and success of Lilly’s therapies to the most suitable patients suffering from autoimmune disease. Do you have a passion for innovation and leadership? Consider joining our diverse team here at Lilly to contribute to the improved health of patients around the globe. Responsibilities: Define and execute Translational strategies for multiple programs in parallel to enable Lilly’s immunology portfolio. Play a key role in all Translational Immunology activities through active collaboration with program teams at various stages of discovery and clinical development. Establish and maintain a laboratory that leads and/or supports Translational Immunology aspects of programs in the Lilly pipeline and prioritize work. Initiate and drive publication strategy of biomarker research findings for disclosure at conferences and in journals. Protocol and regulatory support for the biomarker portion of Immunology clinical programs. Identify internal and external resources to enable biomarker strategies, in conjunction with operations and clinical teams. Support discovery efforts by identifying and enabling novel targets/pathways through collection and analysis of human bio-samples (bedside-to-bench). Represent Lilly Translational Immunology in collaborations with external partners and help in establishing new partnerships with academic or biotech/pharma partners. Maintain vigilance and strategically incorporate novel translational tools, including developments in Precision Medicine, novel approaches or technologies, companion diagnostics, imaging techniques, etc. Provide strategic input on future Lilly Immunology investment prospects. Experience working independently and in a matrixed environment with demonstrated ability to prioritize work for team, and meeting ambitious goals and timelines Actively coach, mentor, and develop other scientists at Lilly. Basic Qualifications: Ph.D. or M.D. in Immunology or related life science field. At least 6 or more years of relevant pharmaceutical, biotech industry, or drug development experience, supporting clinical programs in the areas of rheumatology, respiratory, and/or gastroenterology with Translational Immunology assays and strategies. Deep understanding of the drug discovery and development life cycle Additional Skills/Preferences: Demonstrated experience leading and managing diverse multi-disciplinary teams. Direct experience with external academic, CRO, and biotech/pharma partnerships. Demonstrated interpersonal communication, team building skills, and experience presenting in large forums. Experience with high-content data and familiarity with computational methodologies and artificial intelligence applications in translational medicine. Travel: Estimated 20% Work Environment: Position can be based in San Diego CA, Indianapolis IN, or Boston MA 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 $168,000 - $294,800 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

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