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
Lilly Catalyze360 is a comprehensive approach to enabling the early-stage biotech ecosystem by democratizing access to infrastructure, expertise, and resources. Through its interconnected pillars—Lilly Ventures, Lilly Gateway Labs, Lilly ExploR&D, and Lilly TuneLab—Catalyze360 strategically removes barriers that traditionally block bold science from becoming life-changing medicines, providing biotechs with flexible combinations of capital, physical lab space, R&D capabilities, AI/ML tools, and decades of enterprise learning.
Lilly TuneLab is an artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) platform that provides biotech companies access to drug discovery models trained on years of Lilly's research data. Lilly estimates that this first release of AI models includes proprietary data obtained at a cost of over $1 billion, representing one of the industry's most valuable datasets used to train an AI system available to biotechnology companies. By integrating advanced in silico modelling and federated learning, we connect pioneering machine learning algorithms, substantial computational power, exclusive datasets, and Lilly’s domain-specific knowledge to drive innovation in drug discovery and facilitate access to optimal therapies for patients.
Job Summary
The
Project Management & Special Projects Lead will drive strategic initiatives, manage complex cross-functional projects, and ensure operational excellence for Lilly's TuneLab platform. This role is essential to the successful scaling of our innovative AI/ML drug discovery platform and the broader Catalyze360 ecosystem. The ideal candidate will serve as a trusted advisor to the Global Head of TuneLab, translating strategic vision into executable plans while identifying and leading high-impact special projects that accelerate platform growth and adoption.
Reporting into the Catalyze360 Project Management team and dedicated to the Lilly TuneLab team, you will collaborate closely with product, engineering, data science, and business development teams to coordinate initiatives, track progress against strategic objectives, and lead special projects that address critical business needs. Your expertise in program management, stakeholder alignment, and problem-solving will be instrumental in navigating the complexities of scaling a first-of-its-kind collaborative AI platform in the pharmaceutical industry.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Program Management
- Partner with the Global Head of TuneLab to translate strategic priorities into comprehensive program plans with clear milestones, dependencies, and resource requirements
- Establish governance frameworks, reporting cadences, and decision-making processes that drive accountability and transparency
- Lead cross-functional alignment across product, engineering, data science, and business development workstreams
- Create and maintain integrated roadmaps that balance platform capability development, user growth initiatives, and operational enhancements
- Monitor program progress, identify risks and dependencies, and drive mitigation strategies to keep strategic initiatives on track
Special Projects Leadership
- Identify, scope, and lead high-priority special projects that address strategic business needs or operational challenges
- Serve as an internal consultant on complex, ambiguous problems that span workstream boundaries
- Drive partnership initiatives with strategic vendors and collaborators
- Lead cross-functional teams through time-bound special projects with defined success criteria and executive visibility
- Develop and implement new operational processes as TuneLab scales from startup mode to enterprise-grade platform
Business Operations Excellence
- Design and implement operational metrics, dashboards, and reporting frameworks to provide leadership with visibility into platform performance
- Develop and manage budgeting, resource allocation, and financial planning processes in partnership with Finance
- Create and maintain documentation of key business processes, policies, and standard operating procedures
- Coordinate cross-functional business reviews and prepare executive-level presentations on platform performance and strategic initiatives
- Continuously identify opportunities for operational improvements and efficiency gains as the organization scales
Stakeholder Management & Communication
- Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders across Lilly's organization, including R&D, Tech@Lilly, and business development
- Develop and execute communication plans for major initiatives, ensuring appropriate messaging for different stakeholder groups
- Facilitate cross-functional meetings and working sessions to drive alignment and decision-making
- Represent TuneLab in broader Catalyze360 coordination forums to ensure integration with other pillars
- Prepare executive communications and presentations for leadership reviews and governance committees
Organizational Development Support
- Partner with the Global Head of TuneLab to define organizational structure, roles, and responsibilities as the team grows
- Identify and implement best practices for distributed team collaboration and communication
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor's degree (preferred in business, science, engineering, or related field and advanced degree preferred)
- 3+ years of experience in program/project management, business operations, or strategic initiatives
- 3+ years leading complex, cross-functional programs or strategic projects
- Experience with program governance, risk management, and stakeholder communication
- Proficiency with project management, collaboration, and productivity tools
- Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization and/or visas for this role.
Additional Skills/Preferences
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively in ambiguous, rapidly-changing environments
- Strong analytical skills with ability to synthesize complex information into actionable insights
- Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with experience presenting to executive audiences
- Proven track record of driving results through influence rather than direct authority
- Experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, or healthcare technology industries
- Understanding of AI/ML technologies, platforms, or SaaS business models
- PMP, Agile, or other project/program management certifications
- Experience supporting rapid organizational growth and scaling operations
- Knowledge of drug discovery processes or life sciences R&D workflows
- Background in strategic consulting, business operations, or transformation initiatives
- Experience with technology platforms, digital product development, or innovation programs
Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation) for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.
Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.
Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups.
Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is
$187,500 - $275,000
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).Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.
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