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.

We are looking for a highly motivated and creative scientist with a deep technical background in mRNA therapeutic technology to join the mRNA Platform team at Lilly to support R&D efforts focused on pre-clinical mRNA optimization for circular and linear mRNA modalities. The successful candidate will need strong organizational and communication skills, creative problem-solving, and flexibility.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead projects to develop, design, and evaluate mRNA therapeutics, with emphasis on circular mRNA.
• Establish cell-based assays (cell lines and primary cells) to evaluate mRNA activity and expression of therapeutic proteins.
• Contribute to projects directly at the bench and through close internal collaborations.
• Coordinate formulation and in vivo studies for validation of mRNA activity in relevant animal models.
• Clearly communicate results and recommendations to collaborators, colleagues, managers, and senior management, leading project decision-making.
• Contribute to the company’s intellectual property portfolio by generating new ideas, recommending technical strategy, reading broadly in relevant fields, and diligently maintaining organized records.

Job Requirements

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, or related scientific discipline with 2+ years of relevant academic or pharmaceutical industry experience.

Additional Skills/preferences

• Expertise in mRNA (circular and linear) sequence design and familiarity with common molecular biology design software (SnapGene, Geneious, etc.).
• Deep understanding of applications and technical challenges with mRNA therapeutic modalities with emphasis on circular mRNA.
• Experience with applications of RNA chemistry for mRNA therapeutics e.g. ligation of synthetic oligos to mRNA.
• Hands-on experience with developing and running mRNA screening assays in primary cells.
• Experience with in vivo study design in mouse models.
• Experience with preclinical development of mRNA therapeutics.
• Experience in an immunology therapeutic area is a plus.
• Familiarity with circular and linear mRNA production methods and analytics.
• Enthusiasm about lab automation and incorporation of automated liquid handlers in lab workflows.
• Relevant publication record in academic and/or patent literature.
• Strong organization, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to drive projects in a highly collaborative work environment.

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

$133,500 - $217,800

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.

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