Director - Analytical Chemistry

Eli Lilly Eli Lilly · Pharma · Indianapolis, IN

Director of Analytical Chemistry at Eli Lilly, focusing on the development of synthetic drug substances and drug products from pre-clinical to commercialization. This role involves leading analytical efforts within multidisciplinary teams, managing a small team of analytical scientists, developing analytical methods, justifying specifications, designing stability studies, and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. The position requires strong technical expertise in analytical chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences, along with people leadership and collaboration skills.

What you'd actually do

  1. Exhibit a depth of knowledge in concepts relevant to drug substance or drug product commercialization, including developing analytical methods, justifying specifications, designing stability studies, establishing starting material rationales for synthetic processes, identifying impurities, and testing drug product performance characteristics (e.g., dissolution/disintegration).
  2. Drive hands-on implementation of technical solutions and analytical strategies to enable drug substance process or drug product formulation development.
  3. Collaborate within project teams to deliver robust control strategies for drug substances, drug products, and/or drug product intermediates (e.g., spray-dried dispersions).
  4. Have experience authoring IND/CTA, NDA/MAA, and country-specific response to questions and/or registering products across global markets.
  5. Provide technical guidance for analytical activities executed within the external network. Ensure methods are technically sound, well developed, and fit for purpose. Execute technology transfer to CRO/CMO organizations and Lilly manufacturing sites.

Skills

Required

  • Analytical method development
  • Specification justification
  • Stability study design
  • Impurity identification
  • Drug product performance testing
  • IND/CTA authoring
  • NDA/MAA authoring
  • Global market registration
  • Technology transfer
  • Pharmaceutical product development
  • Small molecule development
  • Synthetic peptide development
  • Oligonucleotide development
  • ADC development
  • Regulatory requirements
  • Team management
  • Mentoring
  • Scientific communication
  • Leadership
  • Collaboration

Nice to have

  • PAT
  • Modeling and simulation
  • External innovation application

What the JD emphasized

  • Ph.D. in analytical chemistry or bioanalytical chemistry, or a related field with >8 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry after earning degree.
  • Project/technical leadership experience within an innovator organization focused on pharmaceutical product development and commercialization with specific focus on small molecules, synthetic peptides, oligonucleotides, and/or the payload-linker elements of ADCs, ARCs, etc.
  • Demonstrated familiarity with applicable regulatory requirements and emerging trends in the industry.