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.
We are seeking a highly motivated Principal Engineer to join the Downstream Process Development team. The successful candidate will lead development and optimization of downstream purification processes supporting viral vector programs from research through preclinical development.
The ideal candidate will possess deep technical expertise in downstream purification technologies including ultracentrifugation, chromatography, and tangential flow filtration (TFF), with demonstrated experience driving process development strategies, platform development initiatives, technology implementation, and multi-functional collaboration.
This role requires strong scientific leadership, hands-on technical capability, and the ability to independently lead complex purification development activities in a fast-paced environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead development, optimization, and scale-up of downstream purification workflows for viral vectors.
- Design and implement purification strategieusingng Iodixanol and CsCl density gradient ultracentrifugation, affinity chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography (AEX/CEX), membrane chromatography, and polishing operations.
- Lead AKTA-based chromatography workflow development and process intensification initiatives.
- Develop scalable downstream platform approaches to support rapid material generation and process consistency across programs.
- Independently design experiments, analyze data, interpret results, and present technical conclusions to multi-functional teams and leadership.
- Drive troubleshooting, process characterization, and process robustness studies.
- Collaborate closely with upstream, analytical, manufacturing, and external partners to support program deliverables and timelines.
- Support technology transfer, process documentation, and development reports.
- Lead development and optimization of TFF/UFDF workflows for concentration, buffer exchange, formulation, and process scalability.
- Mentor junior scientists/engineers and provide technical guidance across purification activities.
- Contribute to implementation of new purification technologies, automation tools, and continuous process improvements.
- Ensure compliance with safety, documentation, and quality standards.
Basic Qualifications
- Master’s degree in biology, biochemistry, chemical engineering, biotechnology or related field
- 8+ years of relevant downstream process development experience in industry
- Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1.
Additional Skills/Preferences:
- CsCl and iodixanol ultracentrifugation
- Affinity chromatography
- Ion-exchange chromatography
- TFF/UFDF operations including concentration, diafiltration, and formulation development
- AKTA systems and Unicorn software
- Strong understanding of process scale-up, platform development, and purification process characterization.
- Experience analyzing purification performance and product quality attributes using relevant analytical methods.
- Experience in AAV downstream process development and capsid enrichment workflows.
- Experience with automated chromatography systems and process intensification strategies.
- Experience supporting technology transfer and manufacturing readiness activities.
- Familiarity with GMP development environments and regulatory expectations.
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.
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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
$71,250 - $187,000
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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