Associate Vice President, Automation, Discovery Oncology

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.

Position Summary

The Associate Vice President, Automation will establish, build and lead the Discovery Oncology automation capability within the New York City research facility.  This leader will define the end-to-end automation strategy, build the operating model, and deliver the initial portfolio of integrated automation platforms that accelerate discovery and early development. 

This role is designed for a hands-on builder who combines enterprise leadership with deep technical credibility and a roll-up-sleeves execution mindset. The successful candidate will directly engage in automation development and integration efforts, particularly during the early build-out phase, setting the technical standards and delivery culture for the organization. The AVP will partner across Discovery functions (biology, chemistry, pharmacology, translational research), as well as informatics, IT, and enterprise automation groups to deliver scalable automation platforms that improve throughput, data quality, reproducibility, and cycle time.
Discovery Oncology scope includes support for both large and small molecule therapeutic modalities, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), T cell engagers (TCEs), and small molecule / medicinal chemistry programs.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute a comprehensive laboratory automation strategy aligned with organizational research and development goals
• Build strong partnerships with discovery scientists, team leaders, and functional heads to align automation investments with scientific priorities.
• Deliver multiple high-impact automation platforms from concept to production use, including integrated workcells.
• Reduce experimental cycle time and increase throughput through automation, miniaturization, and workflow standardization.
• Influence stakeholders across a large organization to drive adoption, standardization, and sustained use of automation platforms.
• Build and maintain partnerships with automation vendors and technology providers
• Manage automation capital and operational budgets

Technical Operations

• Serve as the senior technical authority for automation architecture, integration design, and platform execution across Discovery Oncology.
• Lead by example through direct hands-on engagement in high-impact automation development and integration efforts, particularly during the early build-out period.
• Personally drive critical-path technical execution when necessary, including platform prototyping and workflow development, integration design and debugging, method optimization and stabilization, root-cause analysis of complex system failures, and performance tuning (throughput, reliability, data quality).
• Oversee the operation, maintenance, and optimization of automated laboratory systems including liquid handlers, high-throughput screening platforms, and robotic systems
• Establish and enforce engineering best practices including design reviews and technical gate reviews, structured troubleshooting standards, qualification/verification approaches and change control (as appropriate), and software/code standards (version control, release management, documentation).
• Ensure automation solutions are scalable, safe, reliable, and scientifically fit-for-purpose.
• Ensure integration of automation systems with laboratory information management systems (LIMS), electronic laboratory notebooks (ELN), and data analysis platforms
• Enable end-to-end digital connectivity for automated workflows (ELN/LIMS integration, scheduling, instrument data pipelines, analytics readiness).
• Demonstrate measurable performance improvements including data quality, reproducibility, platform uptime, and user adoption.

Team Leadership & Collaboration

• Lead and mentor a team of automation scientists, engineers, and technicians both directly and indirectly
• Collaborate with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and translational research teams to understand automation needs; help train and oversee end users
• Partner with IT, data science, and informatics teams to ensure seamless data integration
• Drive data standardization, structured metadata capture, and automation telemetry to enable reproducibility, traceability, analytics readiness, and AI/ML enablement.
• Ensure high-quality data generation by embedding quality control expectations into automated workflows and platform validation practices.
• Facilitate training programs to build automation capabilities across the organization
• Foster a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and scientific excellence

Project Management

• Lead automation projects from concept through implementation and validation
• Develop project timelines, milestones, and success metrics
• Coordinate resources across multiple concurrent automation initiatives
• Track and report on project progress, risks, and outcomes to leadership
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and safety standards

Required Qualifications

Education

• PhD in Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, or related scientific discipline

Experience

• Minimum 15 years of experience in laboratory automation within academia, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or related industry
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing technical teams
• Strong understanding of laboratory equipment, robotics, and liquid handling systems
• Proven track record delivering multiple complex automation platforms from concept through sustained production adoption.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and drive change in matrixed organizations.

Technical Skills

• Expertise with laboratory automation platforms (e.g., Tecan, Hamilton, Beckman, PerkinElmer)
• Deep expertise in laboratory automation platforms and system integration (e.g., Hamilton, Tecan, Beckman Coulter, PerkinElmer and comparable robotics/HTS technologies).
• Strong understanding of automation architecture including hardware/software integration, scheduling, workflow orchestration, and reliability engineering.
• Familiarity with lab informatics ecosystems including ELN, LIMS, and data management platforms.
• Ability to engage at a hands-on technical level as needed (method development, integration troubleshooting, technical root cause analysis).

Preferred Qualifications, Additional Skills

• Experience supporting programs progressing molecules to IND or IND-enabling milestones.
• Experience supporting and executing discovery oncology (preclinical) workflows (high-throughput screening, assay development, and/or drug discovery workflows)
• Proven experience with miniaturization strategies and high-throughput workflow design.
• Experience with automation enabling digitalization including APIs, data pipelines, metadata capture, and analytics readiness.
• Scripting or programming experience (Python, R, automation APIs, workflow orchestration tools).
• Evidence of innovation such as patents, publications, or recognized contributions in laboratory automation.
• Vendor contract negotiation and external partnership leadership experience.
• Knowledge of AI/ML applications in lab automation and data generation (e.g., predictive maintenance, experimental design, closed-loop optimization).
• Exceptional problem-solving and analytical abilities
• Excellent communication skills with ability to present to diverse audiences
• Proven ability to influence and drive change across organizations
• Strategic thinking with attention to operational details
• Collaborative approach with ability to build effective partnerships
• Experience in discovery and preclinical development of large and small molecule-based therapeutics (i.e. antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), T cell engagers (TCE), small molecule/medicinal chemistry etc…).
• Understanding of assay development, analytical methods, and quality control principles

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in laboratory environments with appropriate safety equipment
• Extended periods of computer work for data analysis and documentation

Travel

• Up to 10% travel may be required for vendor meetings, conferences, and cross-site collaboration.

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Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location.  The anticipated wage for this position is

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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