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.

This position is a technical leadership role (Advisor or Senior Advisor) in the Peptide Discovery Team as part of Biotechnology Discovery Research in San Diego, to direct research for the discovery of peptide macrocycles of therapeutic interest. The individual will possess expertise in the innovation and operation of industry state-of-the-art macrocyclic peptide discovery technologies, such as mRNA display, phage display, and related platforms. The individual will lead drug discovery research activities through individual contribution, as part of a peptide discovery team of scientists.

In this role, the individual is responsible to lead the peptide screening projects and collaborate extensively with team members and cross-functional teams to accelerate the development of macrocyclic peptide hits for therapeutic applications, including oral peptides, peptide drug (small molecule or nucleic acids) conjugates and peptide radionuclide conjugates. This role includes responsibilities for mentoring junior scientists and technical associates, proposing strategies and future directions to meet broader Peptide Discovery Team goals, and effectively communicating progress within Biotechnology Discovery Research and to cross-functional research groups in Lilly discovery research.

KEY OBJECTIVES/DELIVERABLES:

• Apply knowledge of molecular biology, genetic engineering, and chemistry to build the next generation of peptide display platforms with high impact toward drug discovery research.

• Design and execute peptide library screens for the discovery and optimization of peptide hits for a given biological target of interest

• Develop new methods and technologies to strengthen the team’s discovery platforms

• Train junior scientists on the build and execution of peptide display platforms

• Lead screening projects and collaborate closely with experts in different fields, such as medicinal chemistry, computational science, protein sciences, and structural biology

• Incorporate knowledge to improve peptide properties such as target affinity and pharmacology or physico-chemical and ADME properties

• In collaboration with peptide medicinal chemists, implement rational SAR strategies to improve pharmaceutical properties of therapeutic peptide leads

• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally, and excellent organizational, communication and presentation skills

• The candidate is expected to exhibit strong problem-solving abilities and be familiar with understanding and resolving issues that lie at the interface of peptide discovery, peptide engineering and pharmaceutical developability

• Basic Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. degree and/or postdoctoral research in chemistry, biochemistry, or molecular biology with a strong focus on peptide display and discovery technologies

• 0-5 years of experience in a biotechnology/pharmaceutical company with a demonstrated leadership in peptide discovery and a track record of advancing peptide-based therapeutics, from concept to clinical development

Additional Skills and Preferences:

• Experience using state-of-the-art macrocyclic peptide display platform as demonstrated by publications or patents

• Experience with biochemical and cell assay design and development to support peptide discovery efforts

• Experience in Sanger and NGS sequencing genetically encoded, and the triaging and validating peptide actives following selection campaigns

• Understanding compound physical chemistry models, measurements, their relationships to ADME properties

• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally, and excellent organizational, communication and presentation skills

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

$138,000 - $224,400

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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