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.

Lilly’s Neuroscience Research team is dedicated to the advancement of innovative therapies and diagnostics for the treatment of neurological disorders. Biomarkers are of paramount importance in clinical trials, providing essential insights into patient stratification, therapeutic efficacy, safety profiles, and elucidation of mechanisms of action. We are currently seeking an individual of exceptional expertise in biomarker discovery, with a demonstrated track record in mass spectrometry-based methodologies. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in guiding our biomarker discovery and validation strategies, thereby supporting both the diagnosis and therapeutic management of neurodegenerative diseases. In the capacity of Director, the incumbent will assume responsibility for both the strategic direction and technical execution vital for the development of biomarker assays critical to the progression of our neuroscience portfolio. The role will be situated at Lilly’s research facilities in Boston, within a newly established unit led by Dr. Kaj Blennow, Vice President of Neuroscience Biomarker Development.

Key Responsibilities

• Development and validation of novel mass spectrometry-based assays for early- and late-phase clinical trials in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, and rare brain disorders.
• Work with project team leads, and mentor junior associates to design and execute in vitro experiments to support both the preclinical and clinical characterization and evaluation of therapeutic molecules through biomarker assay development.
• Assist with the planning and execution of method development, optimization, and sample analyses, working with internal and external partners to coordinate readouts for complex studies.
• Implement assay validation procedures to deliver high performance biomarker assays for preclinical and clinical sample analyses.
• Serve as a scientific and technical expert for in-house and outsourced biomarker discovery efforts, establishing experimental study design and analytical strategies.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with internal stakeholders (medical, operations, statistics, regulatory) and external partners (CROs, academic institutions) to ensure biomarker validation and successful integration into clinical programs.
• Communicate findings through presentations, publications, and strategic discussions, reinforcing Lilly’s leadership in biomarker innovation.

Basic Qualifications

• PhD in Neuroscience, Biochemistry or a related scientific field, with 5+ years of industry, academic, or postdoctoral experience in biomarker development, with recognized expertise in mass spectrometry-based assays for brain diseases.

Additional Skills/Preferences:

• Must have deep understanding of the mass spectrometry technology and instrumentation as well as mass spectrometry-based assay development and validation for biomarker applications in clinical trials.
• Must be technically skilled to independently execute advanced mass spectrometry-based studies.
• Proven leadership in managing and mentoring biomarker research teams in academic or industry settings.
• Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, and the ability to drive innovation in biomarker discovery.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and negotiation skills to influence both internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to translate scientific insights into impactful clinical applications.

Join Lilly in shaping the future of neuroscience by advancing biomarker-driven precision medicine. If you are a leader in biomarker discovery looking to make a meaningful impact, we invite you to apply.

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), en Able (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

$184,500 - $321,200

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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