Advisor/Senior Advisor - Discovery Immunology

Eli Lilly and Company • Us, IN

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Lilly Immunology is a therapeutic area focused on many autoimmune diseases spanning gastroenterology, dermatology and rheumatology. We are seeking a viable candidate for the New Target Validation within Discovery Immunology to develop biological strategy with translational readiness for projects and execution target identification through mechanistic validation. The ideal candidate is a seasoned discovery biology leader with deep expertise in functional genomics, phenotypic and mechanistic discovery platforms, and physiologically relevant primary human model systems. This role will provide scientific and strategic leadership across cross ‑ functional discovery teams, enabling confident target nomination, modality selection, and early portfolio advancemen t in immunology.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics, Cell Biology, Immunology, or a related field.
• 5 + years of experience in pharmaceutical drug discovery biology in autoimmune diseases
• Strong technical knowledge and organizational skills in laboratory.
• Demonstrated leadership in developing high‑performing teams by coaching, mentoring, and empowering diverse talent to grow in capability, influence and leadership impact.
• Ability to make data-driven decisions and find innovative solutions to overcome scientific and operational obstacles within matrix environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex scientific data to diverse audiences.
• Strong interpersonal skills for effective collaboration with internal teams, external partners, and vendors.

Responsibilities

• Drive scientific decision ‑ making across multidisciplinary project teams to ensure robust biological rationale, mechanism ‑ of ‑ action understanding, and data ‑ supported progression criteria.
• Provides hands-on g uid ance for a ssociates in developing new technology and mentor them to deliver on skey scientific objectives .
• Identify key technical / operational challenges and proactively develops mitigation strategies.
• Strong communication ability to interface with bioinformatics and discovery teams to facilitate iterative learnings from clinical data.
• Expand functional genomics capability, including pooled and arrayed CRISPR knockout, CRISPR base ‑ editing, multiplexed perturbation systems, barcoding technologies, and data ‑ integrated mechanistic workflows.
• Champion the development and application of primary human and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)–derived or organoid model systems and whole ‑ blood assays.
• Lead the creation of and operationalize phenotypic discovery workflows to enable rapid target triage, mechanistic deconvolution, and clear go/no ‑ go determination.
• Integrate these models with multimodal profiling (imaging, transcriptomics, cytokine and proteomics readouts) to strengthen human disease relevance and predictive validity.
• Ensure translational confidence by driving model selection, benchmarking, and alignment with patient ‑ derived data and clinical insights.

Benefits

• company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance)
• 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
• well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree