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 and Position 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.
The Senior 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:
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.
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 Architecture & Infrastructure
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.
Program & Project Leadership
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.
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
15+ years of experience in data management, data science, or digital transformation roles
Held a leadership or management position with direct reports.
Proven track record of successfully implementing enterprise-scale data architecture and AI/ML solutions.
Demonstrated experience managing cross-functional projects and leading digital transformation initiatives in a matrix organization.
Exceptional communication and storytelling with data to diverse audiences
Regulatory and compliance mindset in GxP/GMP environments
Collaborative, integrative leadership style within a matrix model
Additional Preferences:
PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Information Systems, or related technical field with 10+ years of experience as listed above
Experience with regulatory compliance requirements (FDA 21 CFR Part 11, GxP, CSV/CSA) in pharmaceutical or related industries.
Deep understanding of modern data architecture patterns (data lakes, data mesh, lakehouse architectures).
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).
Strategic vision and ability to translate complex data landscapes into actionable roadmaps
Executive presence and stakeholder influence across a matrixed pharmaceutical R&D organization
Technical depth in data architecture, AI/ML, and scientific computing
Change leadership and organizational transformation capability
Other Information:
Travel: 10–20%
Location: Indianapolis, IN; Lilly Technology Center – North (LTC-N)
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.
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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 - $257,400Full-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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