Director/sr. Director—immunology Research Cutaneous Biology

Eli Lilly Eli Lilly · Pharma · San Diego, CA +1

This role is for a Director/Sr. Director in Immunology Research focused on Cutaneous Biology within the healthcare domain. The primary responsibilities involve providing scientific guidance, leading research projects for skin and hair disorders, contributing to external innovation and business development due diligence, identifying and validating novel targets, guiding the design and implementation of preclinical models, and managing a research team. The role requires a PhD with 10+ years of experience in biotech or pharma, with preferred qualifications including experience leading discovery programs, knowledge of the dermatology therapeutic landscape, and expertise in cutaneous biology.

What you'd actually do

  1. Provide scientific direction for cutaneous biology discovery research for skin and hair disorders
  2. Lead the design and execution of research projects focused on skin/hair follicle biology
  3. Contribute to external innovation and business development (BD) due diligence activities pertaining to skin and hair biology that drive our decision making around BD opportunities
  4. Help identify novel targets based on human causal biology and validate their contribution to skin quality and hair disorders using relevant in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models
  5. Guide the design, optimization, and implementation of preclinical models that capture translational biology, integrating insights from human tissue profiling data

Skills

Required

  • PhD, PharmD in immunology, molecular biology, or related scientific discipline
  • 10+ years of relevant experience in biotech or pharma

Nice to have

  • Experience leading discovery research programs from early-stage research through candidate selection
  • Knowledge of current therapeutic landscape in dermatology and medical aesthetics
  • Experience with novel therapeutic modalities (cell therapy, genetic medicine, precision medicine, local delivery technologies, etc.)
  • Experience with IND submission and preclinical data package generation
  • Deep expertise in cutaneous biology with demonstrated experience in developing complex ex vivo human skin/hair follicle assays and in vivo models of skin/hair disorders
  • Familiarity with data-driven discovery approaches, including integration of genetic or multi-omics insights
  • Experience building and managing research projects with proven success in project execution in a multi-disciplinary team environment
  • High degree of organizational skills, attention to detail, and critical thinking, with ability to prioritize work and meet target timelines
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to drive cross-site collaboration in a matrixed research environment

What the JD emphasized

  • PhD
  • 10+ years of relevant experience