Principal Data Analyst

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us. 

Role Purpose

A Principal Data Analyst is a senior individual contributor / technical leader responsible for:

• Driving end-to-end analytics delivery
• Translating business / clinical needs into data-driven solutions
• Leading standards, governance, and mentoring
• Influencing strategic decision-making through insights

This role often combines deep technical expertise + functional leadership + stakeholder influence.

Key Responsibilities

A. Analytics Delivery & Technical Leadership

• Lead design, development, and delivery of analytics solutions / dashboards / reports
• Perform advanced data analysis, modelling, and interpretation
• Ensure data quality, validation, and compliance standards
• Drive set-up, conduct, and closure phases for data delivery in clinical/data programmes
• Translate business questions into analytical frameworks and outputs

B. Business Translation & Stakeholder Engagement

• Convert business requirements into technical specifications
• Present insights to stakeholders in clear, actionable form
• Partner with cross-functional teams to shape strategy and decisions
• Provide analytics support for study/program deliverables and regulatory needs

C. Process, Standards & Governance

• Define and enforce data standards, checks, and validation frameworks
• Improve efficiency, consistency, and scalability of analytics processes
• Ensure compliance with internal SOPs and regulatory expectations
• Lead adoption of standardized approaches and tools across teams

D. Mentoring & Team Leadership

• Mentor and guide Data Analysts and Senior Analysts
• Provide technical review, coaching, and feedback
• Build capability in:
  • Study design understanding
  • Data flow & critical elements
  • Analytics best practices
• Support talent development, performance reviews, and succession planning

E. Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Drive process improvements and automation
• Introduce new analytical methods, tools, and AI/ML approaches
• Identify opportunities to:
  • Reduce rework
  • Improve turnaround time
  • Enhance quality and audit-readiness
• Stay updated on emerging analytics trends

Key Deliverables

• Analytics dashboards / reports for studies or business functions
• Standardized data checks and validation frameworks
• Business-to-technical requirement documentation
• Insights supporting:
  • Clinical programmes
  • Operational performance
  • Strategic decisions

Required Skills

Technical

• SQL, SAS / R / Python (analytics & modelling)
• Expertise in AI/ML
• Data visualization (Power BI / Tableau)
• Data modelling, validation, and governance
• Clinical data understanding (in pharma context)

Functional

• Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking
• Ability to translate ambiguous business needs into structured analysis
• Understanding of clinical trial lifecycle / data standards

Leadership

• Stakeholder management (cross-functional/global)
• Mentoring and coaching
• Driving standards and influencing decisions

Typical Experience / Qualification

• Bachelor’s/Master’s in Statistics, Data Science, Life Sciences, or similar
• Significant experience in data analytics / clinical data domains
• Proven track record of:
  • Leading analytics initiatives
  • Managing complex datasets
  • Influencing business decisions

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 does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.