Senior Director--External Innovation

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.

The Senior Director for Strategy will collaborate with the broad Lilly R&D team, including 5 therapeutic areas (Diabetes/Obesity/Complications, Neuroscience, Immunology, Oncology and Genetic Medicines), Corporate BD, External Innovation departments, Molecule Innovation Hub departments, and China affiliate team to coordinate external search and evaluation efforts in the region of China and Asia-Pacific, to identify programs that will complement Lilly internal portfolio with innovative agents, technologies, platforms or targets that have potential to address critical unmet patient needs.

The Senior Director needs to have a broad understanding of Lilly pipeline and portfolio strategy in order to be able to capture the big trend of the external ecosystem and identify strategic and technical opportunities from the region. He/she will also need to be able to leverage a clear understanding of the general strength of external parties, which are complementary to Lilly pipeline and could fulfill the pipeline needs. He/she will also develop in-depth understanding about the biomedical innovation ecosystem in China/AP region to inform Lilly external innovation strategy in this region.

Key Objectives/Deliverables:

• Lead the identification and rigorous, objective assessment of potential in-licensing opportunities, identification of key issues and appropriate expertise to facilitate resolution, lead the assessment on medical and clinical dev for clinical-stage assets.

• Lead and coordinate over the local due diligence on science, and form the DD team and oversee the local DD efforts, contribute preDD effort on Immunology-related aspects.

• Partner with TA S&E team and co-Lead and/or participate in partnering meetings and visits to external companies with senior leadership, functional groups, business development, and diligence team members.

• Partner with TA S&E team and co-Lead the development of project concepts and execution of these projects when working with external groups.

• Partner with TA S&E team and co-Lead the communication of the results of technical evaluations to internal and external stakeholders.

• Lead the development of relationships within the external pharmaceutical community in the A/P region including pharma and biotech companies, research institutes, academic research hospitals and other scientific organizations.

• Develop key cross-discipline expertise in areas like Medical/clinical development, ADMET, formulation, CMC, etc, liaise with global function leaders and lead the partnership effort in A/P region as per Lilly’s interests.

• Oversee the branding effort of LCIP and represent Lilly to attend external events.

• Oversee the development and maintenance of LCIP portfolio projects into next stage, monitor project progress and coordinate the overall alliance management work with TAs.

• Partner with External Innovation team and co-Lead and/or support the implementation of Catalyst360, Lilly Gateway Labs and Venture investment in the A/P region.

• Work together with transaction team and inform the partnership strategy, facilitate the negotiation and communication with external parties.

• Ensure integration of efforts through effective teamwork, collaboration with Lilly groups and a commitment to serving customers both through the BU’s, therapeutic areas and outside the Company.

• 10-25% travel anticipated (including international).

Basic Qualifications:

• Advanced doctorate degree (PhD, MD, PharmD, etc.) in Pharmaceutical Life Sciences related field (e.g. Pharmacology, Chemistry, Endocrinology, Immunology, DMPK, etc).

• Minimum of 12 years of experience in the pharmaceutical or related industry, strong immunology background and in-depth experience of working on Immunology-related TA on drug discovery/early development would be a plus.

• Strong interpersonal & leadership skills; outstanding oral and written communication skills. Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of Lilly and external stakeholders.

• Strong strategic thinking skills and the track record of forming strategy and its execution.

Additional Preferences:

• Minimum of 2-3 years of experience in external innovation related areas like consulting, venture and research collaborations that strategically support the broader organization’s research focus and enhance knowledge generation.

• Proficiently versed in business development intricacies, with a proven track record in forming partnership in A/P region.

• Proficient in prioritization amidst a multitude of projects, coupled with an adaptable mindset to manage uncertainties and pivot priorities effectively

• Extensive experience in thriving within multifaceted team environments, adept at engaging diverse stakeholders and fostering collaborative relationships across all organizational echelons.

• Outstanding EQ, problem-solving, analytical, project management, communication and leadership skills, ability to influence other without authority.

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.

#WeAreLilly