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.
Lilly Small Molecule Discovery is an organization purpose-built to create molecules that make life better for people. We focus on using cutting edge science to unlock new approaches that can treat people suffering from diseases with poor treatment options. We continually challenge ourselves to deliver molecules that can provide breakthrough efficacy with the highest possible safety margins. We are dedicated to optimizing our mindset, technology, and processes for faster, more nimble execution. Our success is built on a culture that empowers innovative problem solving through open collaboration and individual accountability.
Discovery Technology and Platforms is a newly established function within this organization. Its mission is to accelerate molecule discovery by building highly optimized foundational platforms, streamlining lab operations through advanced technologies and data connectivity, and intentionally investing in novel technologies and capabilities.
Position Summary:
Lilly Small Molecule Discovery is seeking a pioneering Mammalian Display Scientist to build and optimize a mammalian cell surface display platform aimed at uncovering allosteric networks and cryptic binding pockets in challenging protein targets. This is a hands-on, lab-based position with no direct reports.
This role offers an exciting opportunity to establish a cutting-edge discovery engine to support next-generation small molecule drug development. The ideal candidate will have strong expertise in mammalian display technologies, protein engineering, and a passion for platform innovation at the interface of biology and chemistry.
Responsibilities:
Develop and optimize mammalian surface display systems (e.g., in HEK or CHO cells) to interrogate conformational landscapes of protein targets.
Design and execute strategies to reveal hidden allosteric sites and cryptic pockets amenable to small molecule modulation.
Engineer and express protein variants optimized for display and conformational sensitivity.
Apply high-throughput selection and screening approaches (e.g., FACS, cell-based assays) to identify conformationally biased binders.
Integrate structural biology, biophysical methods, and functional assays to validate newly discovered allosteric networks.
Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams across Lilly, including structural biology, computational chemistry, and small molecule discovery groups.
Drive platform innovation through agile, hypothesis-driven research and rapid iteration.
Basic Requirements:
Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Protein Engineering, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, or a related field.
Minimum of 3 years' experience (industry or academic) developing or applying mammalian display systems, in an academic or industrial setting, supported by publications and/or patents
Expert in saturation mutagenesis library generation.
Experience with high-throughput screening methods, particularly FACS-based selections.
Strong molecular biology skills, including cloning, mutagenesis, and protein engineering for stability and conformational control.
Ability to design, execute, and troubleshoot complex biological experiments independently.
Additional Preferences:
Proficient in yeast or phage display
Experience of BLI (Octet) or SPR
Strong molecular biology skills, including cloning, mutagenesis, and protein engineering for stability and conformational control.
Ability to design, execute, and troubleshoot complex biological experiments independently.
Excellent scientific communication, documentation, and teamwork skills.
Proven expertise in mammalian cell engineering (HEK293, CHO) including construct design, expression optimization, and surface display techniques.
Collaborative mindset with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, interdisciplinary team.
Additional Information:
Physical Demands/Travel:
The physical demands of this job are consistent with a lab environment.
This position will require travel. The physical demands here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
Work Environment:
This position’s work environment is in a Laboratory.
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
*To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the role and responsibilities satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
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 - $232,100Full-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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Eli Lilly and Company Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Eli Lilly and Company and has not been reviewed or approved by Eli Lilly and Company.
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Strong & Reliable Incentives — Pay is considered competitive with annual increases, bonuses, and equity programs that link rewards to contributions and business performance. Incentive structures and stock opportunities strengthen total compensation.
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Retirement Support — Retirement programs combine a matched savings plan, a pension, and company equity options. Financial advising and retiree health coverage reinforce long-term security.
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Parental & Family Support — Parental leave is generous for all parents, with additional paid time for birth mothers and financial support for adoption or surrogacy. Backup care services, childcare options, and caregiver concierge support further aid families.
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Eli Lilly and Company engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of products in pharmaceutical products business segment. For more than a century, we have stayed true to a core set of values – excellence, integrity, and respect for people – that guide us in all we do: discovering medicines that meet real needs, improving the understanding and management of disease, and giving back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism.
