Executive Director - Applied Intelligence for Discovery (AI4D)

Lilly • San Francisco, CA

3d

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.
Organization Overview
At Lilly, we serve an extraordinary purpose. We make a difference for people around the globe by discovering, developing and delivering medicines that help them live longer, healthier, more active lives. Not only do we deliver breakthrough medications, but you also can count on us to develop creative solutions to support communities through philanthropy and volunteerism.
The Opportunity
We are building something unprecedented — an AI foundation that will fundamentally change how drug discovery research is conducted.
The Executive Director of Applied Intelligence for Discovery (AI4D) will own the technical vision and execution for AI capabilities that enable discovery researchers across therapeutics areas to work in entirely new ways. You will partner with senior leaders across the organization to align these capabilities with research priorities, secure the resources to deliver on the vision, and drive adoption that turns platform potential into scientific impact. You will define the strategic direction for our AI and data science capabilities, ensuring they deliver measurable research acceleration while maintaining the rigor required in regulated drug development.
This role exists to drive a specific transformation: from discovery research that is computationally supported to discovery research that is computationally driven. That means building platforms where AI doesn’t just accelerate existing workflows but enables fundamentally new ones.

Requirements

• Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in Computer Science, Data Science, Computational Biology, or related field
• 10+ years experience in AI/ML or data science, with 5+ years leading teams

Nice To Haves

• Proven track record driving AI/ML from concept to scaled deployment in complex matrixed organizations
• ​Deep expertise in modern ML frameworks, MLOps practices, and cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)
• Demonstrated track record of driving AI/ML capabilities from concept through scaled deployment in complex, matrixed organizations — with evidence of measurable impact on business outcomes, not just model performance
• Ability to translate between scientific research questions and technical solutions
• Experience navigating cross-functional dynamics and influencing without direct authority
• Experience in pharmaceutical, life sciences, or healthcare industries
• Track record managing external technology partnerships and vendor relationships
• Platform architecture background — you think in systems and portfolios, not features and projects

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a multidisciplinary team spanning data science, ML engineering, and scientific software development
• Set technical vision and roadmap for AI/ML platforms serving discovery research, aligning capabilities with enterprise priorities
• Own the full platform lifecycle — from identifying and integrating new AI capabilities to sunsetting legacy solutions, optimizing for overall portfolio performance as research priorities evolve
• Guide architecture decisions for end-to-end ML workflows: data pipelines, feature engineering, model development, deployment, and monitoring
• Serve as executive champion for AI capabilities, articulating value to senior stakeholders and influencing resource allocation
• Identify, establish, and manage strategic partnerships with technology providers and research institutions to expand platform capabilities
• Drive adoption of MLOps practices that enable reproducible, automated, and compliant AI development at scale
• Partner with technology and therapeutic area leaders to envision and execute on high-impact AI applications and translate research requirements into platform capabilities
• Work across organizational boundaries in a complex matrixed environment to align platform strategy with scientific priorities

Benefits

• Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance).
• 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).

What This Job Offers

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