Associate Director, Catalyze360 Business Operations

Role Summary

The Associate Director, Catalyze360 Business Operations is responsible for driving operational excellence across the Catalyze360 organization. This role requires deep expertise in procurement, contracting, third-party risk management, and other financial and operational matters with the ability to translate that knowledge into streamlined processes and effective system configurations. The individual will design and implement scalable business processes, lead system implementations, and develop a unified onboarding framework for the team. A passion for identifying and evaluating emerging technologies and tools—particularly AI/ML applications—is essential, as this role will continuously scout, pilot, and implement innovations that can enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness. The scope of this role could also be expanded to include contract negotiation responsibilities for Lilly Gateway Labs as well as consulting and sponsorship agreements.

Responsibilities

• Map existing processes end-to-end, identify inefficiencies, and redesign workflows to optimize speed, accuracy, and resource utilization across Catalyze360
• Identify, propose, and pilot innovative solutions—including AI/ML applications—to drive efficiencies and enhance operational capabilities
• Evaluate, select, design, and manage systems and tools to automate contracts and invoice management, financial and headcount tracking, and other operational workflows across the Catalyze360 organization
• Partner with Catalyze360, Procurement, Finance, Legal, IT, and other stakeholders to ensure operational systems meet the business needs, integrate seamlessly with enterprise platforms, and comply with corporate standards
• Design, implement, and manage a consistent, scalable onboarding program for Catalyze360 team members, ensuring new hires are equipped with the knowledge, tools, and resources to succeed from day one
• Represent Catalyze360 in cross-functional operational forums
• Potential for responsibilities to be expanded to include contract negotiations for Catalyze360, including managing agreements related to Lilly Gateway Labs as well as consulting, sponsorship, and other similar engagements

Qualifications

• Minimum Requirements:
  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
  • 7+ years of experience in operations, procurement, contracting, or business development within pharmaceutical/biotech or other regulated industry
  • Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization and/or visas for this role
• Preferred/Additional Skills:
  • Demonstrated experience driving operational/financial efficiencies for biotech/pharma/life sciences companies
  • Mapping and optimizing processes and supporting change management
  • Negotiating and managing R&D service, consulting, sponsorship, and/or real estate agreements for biotech/pharma/life sciences companies
  • Designing, implementing, and evaluating pilot programs for new technologies and tools, with particular emphasis on AI/ML solutions for operational efficiency
  • Using, configuring, and/or integrating with financial/operations systems, such as ERPs, CLMs, third party risk management systems, and human resource systems
  • Supporting system implementations or technology deployments in a regulated corporate environment

Skills

• Strong understanding of contracts, procurement, and financial management processes, including vendor onboarding, contracts negotiation, third party risk management, invoice management, and budget tracking
• Self-starter with a proactive, entrepreneurial mindset and drive to take initiative, solve problems, and deliver results independently
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills with ability to influence across organizational levels
• Current knowledge of emerging technologies and trends, particularly AI/ML applications for operational efficiency and automation
• Strong project management and organization skills

Education

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university

Additional Requirements

• Travel up to 10% domestic