Technical Product Lead

Eli Lilly and Company•Us, IN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Lilly's product commercialization spans a growing global manufacturing network, dozens of specialized functions, and an expanding portfolio of transformative medicines. The Product Leader fills the gap of no single leader owning the full picture. This role is the single point of accountability for a product's entire commercialization lifecycle, from post-Phase 2 through launch and beyond. The Product Leader owns the manufacturing CMC strategy, leads the Product Core Team, collaborates with development, and serves as the go-to interface for senior executives. This is a strategic leadership role, not a coordination role, demanding deep pharma development and/or manufacturing knowledge, executive presence, and the ability to drive alignment across a powerful, matrixed organization without direct authority. Success in the first year involves demonstrating stakeholder orchestration credibility, establishing a manufacturing technical agenda as the single source of truth, resolving major bottlenecks, ensuring senior leaders are always informed on product status, and fostering a product team that operates with increased speed and purpose.

Requirements

Advanced engineering, scientific degree (M.S., Ph.D., or MBA with strong technical foundation) required.
Minimum 10 years of progressive pharmaceutical industry experience, with meaningful exposure to development, manufacturing, commercialization, and/or technical program leadership.
Demonstrated experience leading or significantly contributing to cross-functional programs through key development and commercialization milestones (e.g., tech transfer, process validation, regulatory submission readiness, product launch).
Proven ability to influence and lead without direct authority across complex, matrixed organizations.
Track record of operating effectively at the senior leadership level — communicating with confidence, handling ambiguity, and making high-quality decisions under pressure.
Strategic Leadership: Shapes long-range manufacturing CMC commercialization strategy; translates vision into execution.
Influence Without Authority: Drives alignment and decisions across powerful, matrixed stakeholders without formal reporting relationships.
Executive Communication: Distills complex technical and operational information into clear, confident narratives for senior audiences.
Negotiation & Conflict Resolution: Balances competing functional and affiliate priorities with fairness, speed, and strategic judgment.
Commercial Acumen: Understands the business implications of manufacturing decisions — including supply risk, launch readiness, and lifecycle value.
Risk Management: Proactively identifies, surfaces, and resolves program risks before they become schedule or quality issues.
Cross-Cultural & Global Collaboration: Effective working across global manufacturing sites, development organizations, and business units with varying priorities.
Entrepreneurial Mindset: Comfortable operating in an evolving role structure; builds credibility and process from the ground up.

Nice To Haves

Functional Background in TS/MS, CMC development, Operations, Supply Chain, or Mfg.

Responsibilities

Demonstrated stakeholder orchestration credibility — functional leaders trust that when you call them in, it matters; when you don’t, it’s handled.
A Mfg technical agenda that serves as the true single source of truth — every relevant function’s input synthesized into one coherent product strategy.
At least one major bottleneck resolved through smart, targeted convening — the right people in the room, no one else.
Senior leaders who say you “always know where the product stands” — earned through disciplined intelligence-gathering, not reporting overhead.
A product team operating with more speed and purpose than before — siloed expertise channeled into coordinated, forward momentum.
Own the Manufacturing CMC Commercialization Strategy across Development, Manufacturing, and the Business Units.
Lead the Product Core Team and oversee its technical execution, ensuring clear ownership, milestone accountability, and proactive risk management.
Drive alignment of launch presentation and commercial image strategy across relevant functional and affiliate stakeholders.
Ensure gate deliverables are clearly defined, plans are in place, and execution is on track — proactively identifying and resolving gaps.
Serve as the accountable representative for the product at all Governance and Oversight Forums, providing clear, confident updates on progress, risks, and decisions required.
Act as the primary interface for senior executives seeking visibility into commercialization status — translating technical complexity into concise, actionable insight.
Ensure escalations are surfaced proactively and resolved with appropriate speed and rigor.
Ensure sustained alignment across Development, Manufacturing, and Business Unit stakeholders throughout the product’s lifecycle, including global manufacturing site teams and CMC Regulatory.
Influence without authority across a complex, matrixed organization — building trust, resolving conflict, and driving decisions through collaboration rather than directive.
Partner closely with Development and CMC Regulatory on submission strategy, ensuring the manufacturing program supports regulatory timelines and requirements.
Lead Post-Launch Technical Agenda (PLTA) strategy for assigned products, influencing pre-submission deliverables and lifecycle management planning.
Ensure the product’s long-term commercial and technical sustainability by driving proactive planning for process improvements, line extensions, and continuous manufacturing optimization.

Benefits

Company-sponsored 401(k)
Pension
Vacation benefits
Medical benefits
Dental benefits
Vision benefits
Prescription drug benefits
Flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts)
Life insurance
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)
Company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance)