Director / Senior Director, Small Molecule External Innovation

Eli Lilly and Company•San Diego, CA

About The Position

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. About the Team Lilly Small Molecule Discovery (LSMD) exists to create molecules that make life better for people — using cutting-edge science to open new doors for diseases with limited treatment options. Small Molecule External Innovation (SM E&I) identifies, evaluates, secures, and integrates transformative external technologies, capabilities, and assets that strengthen Lilly's small molecule discovery. The team works across three pillars: transformative assets accessed through license or acquisition, emerging platforms and technologies accessed through research collaborations, and capability built through integrated discovery partnerships. These pillars address real and pressing strategic needs: difficult targets, unconventional chemical space, and compressed competitive timelines. What You'll Do This is a high-impact, high-autonomy role at the intersection of science and strategy. You'll be SM E&I's primary connector to the external biotech, venture, and academic ecosystems — guiding opportunities from first contact through due diligence, governance, deal finalization, and internal adoption.

Requirements

PhD (with 7+ years of experience), Master degree (with 10 + years of experience) in pharmaceutical or biotechnology R&D, with a foundation in drug discovery or translational science
3+ years of experience in external innovation, search and evaluation, business development scouting, or a similar function involving systematic evaluation of external scientific opportunities

Nice To Haves

Broad scientific literacy across drug discovery fields — chemistry, biology, pharmacology, AI/ML, automation, and translational science — with the ability to coordinate and synthesize specialist input
Experience conducting or leading structured scientific due diligence for licensing, collaboration, or investment opportunities
Strong written communication skills, with experience preparing evaluation reports or governance materials for senior leadership
Familiarity with the external biotech and health-tech ecosystem, including experience engaging venture-backed and early-stage companies
Familiarity with at least two technology areas such as: macrocyclic drug design, targeted protein degradation, AI/ML driven drug discovery, automation, protein–protein interaction modulators, or DNA-encoded libraries
Exposure to deal structures (research collaborations, licensing, option agreements, asset acquisitions) sufficient to contribute meaningfully to strategic deal discussions
Strong business sense with demonstrated ability to persuade, and influence across internal and external partners
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a track record of building trust and influencing across functions and seniority levels
Ability to manage multiple concurrent evaluations in a dynamic environment
Collaborative personality well-suited to a small, high-autonomy team

Responsibilities

Sourcing & Evaluation Source and evaluate external capabilities, technologies, and assets across all three pillars, drawing on your drug discovery expertise and understanding of LSMD's strategic needs. Maintain a structured pipeline of external opportunities — including potential asset acquisitions, research collaborations, and discovery partnerships — with clear status tracking, strategic fit assessment, and next steps.
Relationship Building & Ecosystem Engagement Build and sustain relationships across the biotech, venture capital, academic, and CRO ecosystems to surface opportunities aligned with LSMD's priorities. Represent SM E&I at partnering events (JPM, BIO, BioEurope), venture showcases, and scientific conferences.
Due Diligence & Governance Lead cross-functional scientific due diligence by coordinating input from LSMD experts across medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, automation, pharmacology, biophysics, and AI/ML. Author structured evaluation reports, investment theses, and governance presentations for senior leadership.
Competitive Intelligence & Strategy Own and maintain a living competitive landscape across SM E&I's key technology domains — tracking partnership activity, asset licensing transactions, technology acquisitions, and emerging science that may shift LSMD's priorities. Translate landscape intelligence into clear, actionable strategic recommendations for LSMD leadership.
Cross-Functional Collaboration Partner closely with Therapeutic Area Search & Evaluate teams, Lilly Research Labs, Lilly's venture ecosystem (Catalyze360), and Corporate BD to ensure portfolio coherence and execution quality.

Benefits

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).

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