Associate Director, Clinical Research Lead - Immunology & Neurodegeneration Cardiometabolic Health (Southcentral or Midwest)

Role Summary

Associate Director, Clinical Research Lead - Immunology & Neurodegeneration Cardiometabolic Health (Southcentral or Midwest). The Clinical Research Lead is a strategic, field-based scientific leader responsible for driving the execution of Lilly clinical trials through exceptional investigator engagement and site performance management. This role ensures the portfolio is prioritized at high-performing sites and that trials are delivered with quality, speed, and insight.

Responsibilities

• Accountable for the full spectrum of investigator engagement from identification and qualification through enrollment, and support database lock, and study closeout
• Serve as a clinical trial scientific ambassador, ensuring investigators deeply understand protocol intent, scientific rationale, and patient eligibility requirements
• Develop and sustain strategic, high-trust relationships with investigators that span trials and therapeutic areas
• Influence enrollment by co-creating tailored recruitment strategies aligned with site capabilities, patient population realities, and study objectives
• Proactively find opportunities to reach new patients, accelerate enrollment and increase impact at priority sites, including for example, novel site models, community-based research initiatives
• Capture and elevate critical insights from sites to optimize feasibility, protocol design, and study conduct

• Lead site-level strategy and risk planning to ensure strong and predictable enrollment and data delivery
• Leverage performance metrics to anticipate issues, intervene decisively, and maintain momentum toward clinical milestones
• Drive inspection readiness as a continuous discipline across sites
• Collaborate across functions and with vendor partners to resolve operational barriers, ensuring delivery with speed and quality
• Maintain advanced understanding of local treatment paradigms and standard of care to influence strategic country/site selection and protocol localization
• Provide oversight and quality assurance for vendor monitoring, escalating risks proactively
• Where applicable, lead end-to-end management of Post-Marketing Safety Studies in compliance with local regulations

• Cultivate a portfolio of strategically aligned, high-impact investigators who consistently prioritize Lilly trials
• Enable an exceptional investigator experience by being a responsive, knowledgeable, and valued scientific partner
• Collaborate cross-functionally to align on trial and site priorities, troubleshooting challenges with urgency and creativity
• Conduct data-informed site prospecting and prioritization, contributing to trial competitiveness and regional strategic execution
• Maintain scientific fluency and therapeutic expertise to lead meaningful discussions with site personnel
• Act as a key liaison between field teams, vendors, and investigators, ensuring alignment and knowledge transfer
• Partner closely with field team colleagues to elevate the investigator and site experience, improving enrollment outcomes

• Represent Investigator Engagement with regulatory agencies, ethics committees, and national research organizations in countries/territory
• Influence the clinical trial ecosystem to improve regulatory agility and operational feasibility
• Ensure local requirements are translated into compliant, efficient trial execution and that internal processes reflect evolving country landscapes
• Partner with leadership to identify and align regional initiatives and contribute to enterprise-wide clinical development success

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent; strong preference for scientific, clinical, or health-related fields
• Minimum 5 years of experience in clinical research or pharmaceutical industry with experience directly interacting with or working with HCPs and clinical sites
• Legally authorized to be employed in the United States; no sponsorship expected for this position
• Resident or willingness to relocate to Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas or Illinois

Other Information / Additional Preferences

• Advanced degree in a scientific or clinical field (PharmD, PhD, MD, or MSc preferred)
• Experience in Immunology or Cardiometabolic therapeutic space
• Understanding of GCP, clinical development and operations, and trial lifecycle
• Ability to apply therapeutic knowledge to decision making
• Ability to build credibility and influence HCP community
• Strategic, results-driven in complex, fast-paced environments
• Data-driven decision-making and ability to interpret performance metrics
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and organizational skills
• Deep therapeutic area knowledge and familiarity with local clinical research ecosystems
• Experience influencing clinical site performance and driving enrollment success
• Proven track record delivering targets in a matrix environment
• Experience with regulators or national bodies in clinical trial delivery
• English fluency; local language proficiency as needed

Travel Requirements

• Willingness to travel extensively (60-80%)