Advisor/Senior Advisor - Discovery Immunology

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work, but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us.

Position Overview

Lilly Immunology is   a therapeutic area   focused on many autoimmune diseases   spanning gastroenterology, dermatology and rheumatology.    We are seeking a viable candidate   for the   New Target Validation   within Discovery Immunology   to   develop   biological strategy   with translational readiness for projects   and execution target identification through mechanistic validation. The ideal candidate is a seasoned discovery biology leader with deep expertise in functional genomics, phenotypic and mechanistic discovery platforms, and physiologically relevant primary human model systems.

This role will provide scientific and strategic leadership across cross ‑ functional discovery teams, enabling confident target nomination, modality selection, and early portfolio advancemen t in immunology.

Key Objectives/Deliverables

Strategic Leadership & Discovery Excellence

Drive scientific decision ‑ making across multidisciplinary project teams to ensure robust biological rationale, mechanism ‑ of ‑ action understanding, and data ‑ supported progression criteria.

Provides hands-on g uid ance for   a ssociates in   developing new technology and   mentor   them to deliver on skey scientific objectives .

Identify key technical / operational    challenges   and proactively   develops   mitigation strategies.

Strong communication ability to interface with bioinformatics and discovery teams   to facilitate iterative learnings from clinical data.

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Technology development

Expand   functional genomics capability, including pooled and arrayed CRISPR knockout, CRISPR base ‑ editing, multiplexed perturbation systems, barcoding technologies, and data ‑ integrated mechanistic workflows.

Champion the development and application of primary human and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)–derived   or organoid   model systems   and whole ‑ blood assays.

Lead the creation of and operationalize phenotypic discovery workflows to enable rapid target triage, mechanistic deconvolution, and clear go/no ‑ go determination.

Integrate these models with multimodal profiling (imaging, transcriptomics, cytokine and proteomics readouts) to strengthen human disease relevance and predictive validity. Ensure translational confidence by driving model selection, benchmarking, and alignment with patient ‑ derived data and clinical insights.

Basic Minimum Qualifications

Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics, Cell Biology, Immunology, or a related field.

5 + years of experience in   pharmaceutical   drug discovery biology   in autoimmune diseases

Additional Skills & Preferences

Strong technical knowledge and organizational skills in   laboratory.

Demonstrated leadership in   developing   high‑performing teams by coaching, mentoring, and empowering diverse talent to grow in capability, influence, and leadership impact.

Ability to make data-driven decisions and find innovative solutions to overcome scientific and operational obstacles   within matrix environment

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex scientific data to diverse audiences.

Strong interpersonal skills for effective collaboration with internal teams, external partners, and vendors.

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.

#WeAreLilly

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 (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location.  The anticipated wage for this position is

$126,000 - $204,600

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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