Associate / Sr. Associate – R&D Operations COE Contracts - Legal Background

Eli Lilly Cork is made up of a talented diverse team of over 2000 employees across 60 nationalities who deliver innovative solutions that add value across a variety of Business Service functions including Finance, Information Technology, Medical, Clinical Trials and more. Eli Lilly Cork offers a premium workspace across our campus in Little Island, complete with flexible hybrid working options, healthcare, pension and life assurance benefits, subsidised canteen, onsite gym, travel subsidies and on-site parking. Inhouse People Development services, Educational Assistance, and our ‘Live Your BEST Life’

wellbeing initiatives are just some of the holistic benefits that enhance the career experience for our colleagues.

Eli Lilly Cork is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). We cater for all dimensions ensuring inclusion of all ethnicities, nationalities, cultural backgrounds, generations, sexuality, visible and invisible disabilities and gender, with four pillars: EnAble, embRACE, LGBTQ+ & Ally and GIN-Gender Inclusion Network. EnAble, our pillar for people with disabilities and those that care for them, partners with the Access Lilly initiative to make our physical and digital environment accessible and inclusive for all. Together they are committed to promoting awareness to create a disability confident culture both at Eli Lilly Cork and beyond.

Come join our team - Be Creative, Be an Innovator, and most of all, Be Yourself!

The R&D Operations COE Contracts team supports LRL (Lilly Research Laboratories) primarily with executing contracts that enable cooperation with external parties. The team also supports LRL with additional workstreams: Preclinical Grants operations, governance to enterprise critical Business Continuity Plans, and Lilly Research Award Program. The team also owns the related contracting systems and provides system administration and business analyses for system enhancements and maintenance. LRL research is focused on where breaking science meets unmet medical needs in the core therapeutic areas to ultimately discover and develop medicines that are either first-in-class or demonstrably best-in-class. Engaging with external parties is a key part of this process and before any interaction can take place a specific agreement needs to be negotiated and executed. 

Purpose 

The Associate/Senior Associate - R&D Operations COE Contracts & Legal Support - serves as the primary contracts negotiation expert for the team. This role encompasses triaging incoming contract requests, negotiating agreements with external parties, and providing expert guidance on contract-related matters to team members, internal stakeholders and external parties. 

While positioned outside of Lilly's formal Legal Counsel function, this role requires substantial legal expertise and acumen to provide informed guidance on redlines, deviations from standard templates, and risk assessment, particularly when reviewing third-party agreements. The Associate/Senior Associate acts as the team's subject matter expert on contract interpretation and negotiation withing the R&D Operations COE Contracting team. 

Collaboration with Legal Counsel and Procurement is a critical dimension of this position. The Associate/Senior Associate works in close partnership with the Legal Counsel responsible for R&D Operations contract templates to ensure process alignment, incorporate template updates, and address legal requirements. This partnership ensures consistent application of legal standards while maintaining operational efficiency in contract execution. 

Responsibilities: 

• Serve as the primary Subject Matter Expert (SME) for LRL R&D Operations contracts, providing expert guidance and serving as the principal resource for all contracting inquiries. 

• Cultivate and sustain strategic relationships with legal counsel to maintain current knowledge, facilitate seamless work instruction exchange, and foster harmonized collaboration between legal teams and R&D Operations. 

• Drive efficient resolution of escalated legal queries from stakeholders and contract requesters. Exercise sound judgment in determining optimal approaches for non-standard requests while ensuring process integrity and regulatory compliance. 

• Deliver exceptional stakeholder experience through timely contract coordination and execution. Monitor daily operational dashboards to ensure adherence to established urgency protocols and service level agreements (SLAs), while optimizing workload distribution. 

• Lead comprehensive stakeholder engagement with internal business owners submitting contract requests, cross-functional LRL partners (including Procurement), and external parties. Demonstrate flexibility to accommodate business operations across multiple time zones as needed. 

• Maintain strict compliance with Lilly's internal policies and applicable external regulatory requirements. 

• Coordinate and facilitate discussions with internal and external stakeholders for both project-related initiatives and operational matters. 

• Develop and deliver presentations highlighting key metrics, process workflows, and training content for stakeholders and team members. 

• Provide effective training, coaching, and mentorship to team members as required. 

• Contribute to R&D Operations enhancement initiatives, including system improvements and process optimization projects. 

• While contracting represents the core function, the successful candidate may support additional team workstreams based on business requirements and individual skillset, either on an ongoing or temporary basis (e.g., preclinical grants and sponsorships, Business Continuity Planning, Systems Administration and Support). 

Personal Attributes 

•  Exceptional strategic and analytical skills, with an ability to translate complex challenges into actionable solutions.  

• Ability to proactively & effectively analyse & resolve problems. 

• Ability to effectively prioritize and complete key tasks and deliverables. 

• Able to respond flexibly and empathetically to customer and stakeholders needs, managing their expectations effectively. 

• Ability to work in an office based and remote team environment and communicate effectively with both internal business partners of all levels & disciplines as well as external parties and outsourced organisations and vendors. 

Requirements: Experience and Education 

• 1-2 years post qualification experience in legal support in contracting operations or similar. 

• Strong compliance mindset, with experience in identifying and implementing process improvements. 

• Qualified solicitor (bachelor’s degree in law) or equivalent legal qualification. 

• Fluency in English (written and verbal). 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications. 

• Experience with contract management systems is advantageous. 

The GBS focuses on the following foundational pillars across the full organization to ensure a solid and consistent approach to running our business. 

Compliance 

• Demonstrate a strong compliance-oriented mindset & help to build a strong compliance culture. 

• Familiarize with all applicable process documentation & training materials to ensure you operate in a fully compliant manner. 

• Ensure ownership for all applicable and assigned operational tasks and controls as well as the remediation for any deficiencies and the sharing of all learnings across the team.  

People 

• Actively work with the core team members, internal business partners, external support agencies and vendors, and external parties to build effective working relationships.  

• Promote and drive a culture of operational excellence where inclusivity and wellbeing are key components to ensure a best-in-class work environment. 

Customer and stakeholders 

• Demonstrate excellence in all interactions with our internal customers, business partners & external parties. 

• Focus on measuring & improving our customers and stakeholders experience. 

Continuous Improvement 

• Demonstrate a strong continuous improvement oriented approach & help to build with a strong culture where continuous improvement at any level is the key for success. 

• Actively work with the core team members and other stakeholders to drive innovation within our “ideally” framework. 

Additional Information  

• Job located in GBS Cork, Cork, Ireland 

• 5-10% travel may be required. 

#WeAreLilly