Position OverviewLilly's Legal Innovation Hub exists to build the legal department of the future and to set the standard for how a modern legal, policy, and compliance function operates. We are seeking a visionary technical leader to drive that transformation: a leader who is energized and tireless, who influences across organizational boundaries as a matter of course, and who can deploy AI and automation solutions rapidly and at scale. This role will reshape how our roughly 500-person Legal, Policy, & E&C function works, and will keep elevating and reinventing it as the technology landscape evolves.
The ideal candidate pairs deep technical fluency with the leadership instincts to turn possibility into adoption. They are as comfortable setting a multi-year vision as they are rolling up their sleeves to deliver it. They lead high-performing technical teams, partner relentlessly across the department and with Tech[redacted] and external partners, and translate fast-moving capability into real, measurable change in how legal work gets done.
Delivering on this vision today runs through an AI platform and supporting infrastructure that the Hub has built and continues to evolve. Owning that platform's architecture and roadmap is central to the role, but the platform is a means, not the mission. We are looking for a leader who can advance our current strategy while staying flexible enough to take the function in new directions as better approaches emerge.
Are you a visionary, hands-on technology leader who wants to redefine what a legal department can be?
In this role you will own the technical vision for the function, lead the teams who bring it to life, and influence across the organization to put AI and automation to work at scale - securely, compliantly, and in a way the people who depend on it trust.
What you'll do in the role- Set and drive the transformation vision: Own the vision and multi-year roadmap for technical transformation across Legal & E&C, anchored to the goal of building the legal department of the future and positioning Lilly Legal as an industry leader in how legal functions operate. Continuously elevate and reinvent how the function works as technology advances.
- Own the AI platform architecture and roadmap: Own the architecture and roadmap for the Hub's AI platform and supporting infrastructure, and deliver transformation at speed. Make sound build, buy, and sequencing decisions, and keep the platform adaptable as needs and technologies change.
- Embed with the practices: Embed with the legal, policy, and compliance teams to deeply understand their ways of working and their real needs, so that solutions capture not only data and technical plumbing but the knowledge, expertise, and institutional ways of working that make them genuinely useful to the people they serve.
- Build the data and knowledge foundation: Lead the work to connect core operational systems and curate the institutional knowledge that lets AI reason over Lilly's matters, contracts, and policies - not just public information - so that everything built on top is grounded and trustworthy.
- Deploy AI and automation at scale: Drive the rapid, large-scale deployment of AI tools, agents, and automation across the department, including enabling colleagues to build and run their own solutions, so that AI becomes a natural, daily extension of how every team works.
- Lead the technical organization: Lead, mentor, and grow the Hub's technical organization, spanning platform engineering and build, technical transformation enablement (hands-on adoption, coaching, and use-case development alongside the practices), and the teams responsible for the ongoing operation and maintenance of core legal systems. Set technical standards and a culture of fast, responsible delivery.
- Influence and partner across boundaries: Partner relentlessly across Legal, Policy, & E&C, with Tech[redacted], Cybersecurity, and Privacy, and with external partners and vendors, building the cross-functional alignment and trust required to move fast while fully meeting regulatory, privacy, and security requirements.
- Make the case and drive adoption: Translate complex capability into clear, compelling demonstrations and narratives for senior leadership and the broader department, building the confidence and momentum that drive adoption and sustain transformation.
- Measure and prove impact: Define and track the metrics that demonstrate value - hours saved, outside counsel spend reduction, risk reduction, capability expansion, and operational reliability - and report progress against the function's transformation goals to senior leadership.
- Manage delivery and risk: Own delivery, resourcing, and technical risk across the portfolio, proactively resolving issues and ensuring solutions scale and adapt as needs evolve.
- Exemplify executive presence: Bring executive-level presence and communication, and influence technical and business strategy through cross-functional leadership.
Required Qualifications- Experience: Bachelor's degree, preferably in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, or a related technical field. 10+ years of experience, with at least 5 years leading technical or technical-adjacent functions within a corporate environment.
- Visionary technical leadership: A demonstrated track record of setting technical vision and driving large-scale transformation, not simply operating an existing function.
- Applied AI fluency: Deep, current, hands-on expertise in applied AI and automation, with the ability to deploy solutions rapidly and at scale and the judgment to anticipate where the technology is heading.
- Hands-on AI and cloud experience: Hands-on experience with frontier AI models (e.g., Claude) and agentic developer tools (e.g., Claude Code), and with major cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure).
- Cross-organizational influence: Proven ability to influence and align stakeholders across organizational boundaries and to build the partnerships that turn technology into adoption.
- Team leadership: Proven ability to lead and grow high-performing technical teams across engineering, enablement, and operations, with a focus on mentoring, technical standards, and a culture of fast, responsible delivery.
- Delivery at speed: A strong track record taking complex, cross-functional technical initiatives from concept to real, measurable impact - quickly.
- Communication: Excellent communication skills, with the ability to make complex technical concepts concrete and compelling for both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior executives.
- Strategic and adaptable thinking: A strategic, adaptable mindset, with sound judgment about which technologies to adopt and the flexibility to change direction as the landscape evolves.
- Problem solving: Exceptional problem-solving skills, with the ability to anticipate risk, resolve issues, and keep initiatives moving.
Preferred Qualifications- Advanced degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field.
- Direct experience leading technical teams for a corporate legal department, and familiarity with the legal technology landscape, including matter management, document management, e-billing, and document review platforms.
- Familiarity with the regulatory, privacy, and security considerations of deploying AI within a corporate legal and compliance environment.
Actual compensation will depend on a candidate's education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is
$267,000 - $431,200
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.
#WeAreLilly
