Sr. Director – Immunology Translational Medicine

Role Summary

The Sr. Director – Immunology Translational Medicine leads translational strategies across multiple immunology programs, contributing to discovery- and clinical-stage research in autoimmunity. The role focuses on identifying mechanism-relevant biomarkers, developing drug tailoring hypotheses for clinical trials, and guiding biomarker strategy and translational tooling. The position offers leadership in building and directing translational immunology efforts to advance Lilly’s immunology portfolio and improve patient outcomes.

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.

Qualifications

• Required: Ph.D. or M.D. in Immunology or related life science field.
• Required: 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.
• Required: Deep understanding of the drug discovery and development life cycle.
• Preferred: Demonstrated experience leading and managing diverse multi-disciplinary teams.
• Preferred: Direct experience with external academic, CRO, and biotech/pharma partnerships.
• Preferred: Demonstrated interpersonal communication, team building skills, and experience presenting in large forums.
• Preferred: Experience with high-content data and familiarity with computational methodologies and artificial intelligence applications in translational medicine.

Skills

• Strategic leadership and project management in translational immunology.
• Collaborative cross-functional communication and relationship-building with internal teams and external partners.
• Experience with biomarker discovery, validation, and publication strategies.
• Knowledge of precision medicine, companion diagnostics, imaging techniques, and emerging translational tools.
• Ability to prioritize, mentor, and develop scientific talent in a matrix organization.

Additional Requirements

• Travel: Estimated ~20%
• Work Environment: Position can be based in San Diego CA, Indianapolis IN, or Boston MA