Senior Director – Data Science and ML Engineering/ Operations

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.

About Eli Lilly & Company

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 49,000 employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease. We are looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

Position Summary

The Senior Director – Data Science and ML Engineering/ Operations will lead a multidisciplinary team responsible for delivering advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI solutions to support business objectives. This role requires technical expertise, cross-functional leadership, and a deep understanding of how the data science function interacts with other business areas to achieve organizational goals. This individual will be an active participant of the global Business Insights and Analytics functional lead team, helping realize the team’s mission of delivering insights and intelligence in order for the enterprise to improve patient outcomes and optimize commercial performance globally. This individual will also serve as a collaborator on the Lilly Bangalore Commercialization lead team, supporting site wide culture, productivity, and innovation initiatives and elevating One India talent and contributions.

This role will report to the Vice President – Lilly Bangalore Commercialization Capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

Functional Leadership

• Take accountability for the performance and results of the Bangalore BI&A data science and ML engineering/operations teams.
• Evaluate and resolve complex business, operational, and technical challenges related to data science and ML engineering/operations.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and innovation, removing barriers to success.
• Ensure the team’s work aligns with business area objectives and integrates effectively with other functions.
• Oversee the implementation of policies, procedures, and best practices, driving adoption of tools/capabilities, to improve operational effectiveness.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration with stakeholders across BI&A, Tech@Lilly, and commercial services.

People Leadership

• Provide technical leadership, direction, and coaching for data science and ML engineering/operations leaders (both administrative as well as technical leaders).
• Conduct performance reviews, manage talent development, and build a pipeline of future leaders.
• Ensure effective resource allocation and capacity planning to meet operational and strategic goals.
• Partner across BI&A Bangalore functions to balance headcount requirements across all BI&A strategic priorities.
• Enable technical progression for senior individual contributors through resourcing decisions and project scope design.

Strategic Planning

• Actively contribute to the global Data Science and ML Engineering/Operations priorities and roadmap, balancing technical excellence with business needs.
• Influence adoption of data science and ML engineering/operations solutions.
• Advocate for the assignment of data science and machine learning exploration and innovation initiatives to Bangalore team members.
• Mediate resource constraints across Data Science and ML Engineering/Operations teams, driving holistic resource decisions that enable the highest value work to be done.
• Deliver on productivity agenda across the team, driving top-down adoption of new tools and capabilities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a quantitative field (e.g., Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering).
• 16+ years of relevant experience in data science, machine learning, and AI, including enterprise-scale solution deployment.
• Proven experience leading teams and subordinate managers in a complex, cross-functional environment.
• Demonstrated ability to influence across business areas and drive adoption of advanced analytics and ML solutions.
• Strong understanding of cloud platforms (e.g., AWS), DevOps, analytics platforms, and Agile development methodologies.
• Experience with Responsible AI frameworks and ethical AI standards.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the pharmaceutical or life sciences domain.
• Passion for leveraging AI/ML to solve business problems and drive innovation.

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.

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