Target Intelligence & Discovery Lead

Elanco•Indianapolis, IN

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals! As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People. At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights. Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today! Your Role: Target Intelligence & Discovery Lead The Target Intelligence & Discovery Lead serves as the primary engine for biological innovation and the scientific gatekeeper of our pipeline. This role is a cornerstone of the Mechanistic and Translational Biology ‘innovation engine,’ responsible for architecting the future of animal health by ensuring every target is rooted in rigorous scientific validation and strategic high-integrity. The Target Intelligence Lead will institutionalize a proactive “Discover, Decide, Own” mandate. By leveraging advanced Target Intelligence and AI/ML partnerships, this leader will ensure Elanco can proactively define the market rather than follow it.

Requirements

PhD in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, or a related scientific discipline.
10+ years of experience in discovery research within the pharmaceutical or animal health industry, with a focus on target identification and validation.
Demonstrated experience in people leadership, with a track record of building and managing high-performing scientific teams.
Strong background in AI/ML predictive modeling, 3D cell systems (organoids), and IP strategy for biological targets.
Ability to drive an innovation engine—securing proprietary breakthroughs rather than adapting existing science.

Responsibilities

Manage and develop a high-performing team of discovery scientists.
Foster a culture of scientific excellence, intellectual curiosity, and rigorous check-and-balance within the discovery engine.
Provide mentorship and strategic oversight to ensure the team’s research outputs align with Elanco’s long-term growth objectives.
Lead the function for gathering and synthesizing emerging target selection and validation data.
Drive the identification of first-in-class targets in innovation 'white space.'
Serve as the primary partner to AI/ML teams, leveraging Predictive Modeling for Target, Disease, Toxicology, and Safety assessments.
Oversee the development and implementation of Organoid and 3D Cell Models to improve target translation and predictive accuracy.
Continuously evaluate and institutionalize emerging target selection and validation methodologies.
Lead the comprehensive validation process, including the assessment of BioA needs and partner on foundational Intellectual Property (IP).
Direct the execution of rigorous biological assessments to verify target relevance and mechanism of action.
Act as the institutional 'decider,' ensuring only scientifically sound and high-integrity targets advance through the pipeline.
Oversee formal Target Assessments (TA) to de-risk early-stage programs before progression.
Lead projects at the beginning of the pipeline through target validation.
Define the Discovery Approach and Modality Plan at CP0 for every program in the portfolio.
Drive the identification and early validation of biomarkers and biosignals to enable successful clinical translation.
Partner with RBI Integration and Performance to align discovery outputs with the broader portfolio.