Executive Director - DDCS Digital Transformation & Data Science

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:

Delivery, Devices, and Connected Solutions (DDCS) sits within Eli Lilly's Product Research & Development organization. We are a diverse team of scientists and engineers responsible for discovering, designing, and developing patient-centric drug delivery solutions across a broad range of modalities — from injection devices to novel routes of administration and nanomedicines. DDCS drives the drug delivery innovation agenda across early and late development to meet the needs of an expanding portfolio that spans small molecules, biologics, and nucleic acid therapeutics.

DDCS is organized around a matrix model with strong disciplinary and functional horizontals supporting innovation and commercialization verticals. Our vision is to get our medicines to more patients faster by accelerating reach and scale, guided by three strategic pillars: Delivery Systems, Robust & Sustainable, and Patient Experience + Outcomes.

The Data Sciences & Digital Transformation horizontal within DDCS builds and deploys a comprehensive data, AI, and digital capability to accelerate the organization's innovation and commercialization missions. This team serves as the enterprise-grade data backbone—connecting experimental data from measurement sciences, computational predictions from the modeling team, and device/combination product development workflows into actionable intelligence that drives decisions across the DDCS matrix.
 

Position Overview:

The Executive Director of Data Sciences & Digital Transformation will lead a specialized, multidisciplinary team of data and AI professionals to drive digital transformation and establish a comprehensive data strategy within DDCS's regulated pharmaceutical and medical device development environment. This leadership role requires a strategic thinker who bridges technical expertise with business acumen to accelerate innovation, streamline workflows, and enhance decision-making capabilities—serving both the innovation and commercialization verticals of the DDCS matrix.

Key Responsibilities:
 

Data Transformation Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Develop and execute the DDCS digital transformation strategy, data strategy, roadmap, and implementation plans—anchored in the matrix model's priorities.
• Champion a data-driven culture and promote adoption of advanced analytics and AI solutions across DDCS horizontals and verticals.
• Define and communicate the long-term vision for data architecture and computational sciences capabilities.
• Integrate data and AI capabilities across all DDCS functions and ensure alignment with organizational business needs and strategic objectives.
• Identify opportunities to leverage data assets for competitive advantage; quantify and communicate the business impact of data and AI initiatives.

DDCS Data Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team spanning Data Management, AI/ML, IT/API Development, and Scientific Modeling disciplines.
• Foster a collaborative, innovative team environment encouraging continuous learning and professional growth.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and performance objectives aligned to the horizontal discipline model.
• Build organizational capability through talent acquisition, training, and succession planning.

Data Infrastructure Strategy and Oversight

• Develop and evolve enterprise data architecture to support current and future DDCS business needs—scalable, secure, governed.
• Drive implementation of data science solutions to streamline, integrate, and automate technical workflows and business processes.
• Accelerate decision-making through strategic deployment of analytics and AI capabilities across innovation and commercialization programs.

Data Science Program & Project Leadership

• Identify and drive DDCS and PRD opportunities to apply data science for scientific insights and decision support.  Provide directions and resource
• Oversee DDCS data projects from conception through implementation and optimization.
• Develop and monitor KPIs and metrics to track progress and measure success.
• Identify project risks, barriers, and dependencies; proactively develop mitigation strategies.
• Manage project portfolios, prioritize initiatives, and allocate resources effectively.

Stakeholder Engagement & Partnership

• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders, business leaders, and external partners.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration across the DDCS matrix to inform strategy, gain alignment, and unlock complex business challenges.
• Communicate technical concepts effectively to non-technical audiences; translate business needs into technical requirements.
• Contribute to PRD and Lilly-wide data initiatives; serve as primary point of contact for DDCS data and AI initiatives.
• Maintain presence in external scientific field to establish Lilly’s leadership position in this field.  Utilize external learning to inform internal strategy and innovation.

Compliance, Governance & Quality

• Ensure security, integrity, and compliance of data with regulatory standards (FDA, EMA, ICH) and industry best practices.
• Establish and enforce data governance policies, procedures, and standards.
• Ensure responsible and appropriate application of AI/ML technologies in regulated contexts.
• Maintain validation and documentation standards for computerized systems in compliance with GxP requirements.

Basic Requirements:

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Information Systems, or related technical field with 15+ years of experience in data management, data science, or digital transformation roles.
• Proven track record of successfully implementing enterprise-scale data architecture and AI/ML solutions.
• Deep understanding of modern data architecture patterns (data lakes, data mesh, lakehouse architectures).
• Demonstrated experience managing cross-functional projects and leading digital transformation initiatives in a matrix organization.

Additional Preferences:

• PhD in the relevant discipline with a minimum of 10 years of experience
• Held a leadership or management position with direct reports.
• Experience with regulatory compliance requirements (FDA 21 CFR Part 11, GxP, CSV/CSA) in pharmaceutical or related industries.
• Proficiency with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and their data services.
• Strong knowledge of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics methodologies.
• Familiarity with programming languages (Python, R, SQL) and data science tools.
• Understanding of pharmaceutical R&D processes (drug discovery, development, clinical trials, regulatory submissions).

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

$148,500 - $257,400

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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