Position SummaryAt Lilly, the molecules that become medicines start as ideas - and behind every breakthrough is a team that ensured the right compound reached the right assay at the right time. The work of Global Sample Management is foundational to drug discovery, and the people who do it well make science move faster.
The Scientific Lead is responsible for operational leadership of Eli Lilly's Indianapolis sample management site within the Global Sample Management (GSM) organization. This role leads a blended team of full-time employees and contractors across a wide remit of sample activities in service of large-scale, high throughput sample production and data stewardship, ensuring consistent, high-quality delivery to discovery teams across modalities. As GSM accelerates its adoption of intelligent automation and agentic workflows, the Scientific Lead will be at the center of that transformation - sustaining operational excellence today while actively shaping what sample management looks like tomorrow.
This lab-based role serves as the primary point of escalation for site-level issues, a liaison between the bench and leadership, and a driver of process, capacity planning, and staff development. The ideal candidate brings strong scientific and operational credibility, people leadership experience, and a genuine appetite for building the next generation of high-throughput sample management capability. The level of appointment will be determined by the experience and qualifications of the selected candidate.
Responsibilities- Oversee daily operations across all sample management functions, including compound registration, plate preparation, neat/weigh operations, liquid handling, and sample delivery to internal and external stakeholders.
- Serve as the primary operational point of contact for Indianapolis-based discovery scientists, triaging requests, managing priorities, and ensuring turnaround commitments are met.
- Own site throughput, queue status, and processing time metrics, escalating capacity constraints and service disruptions to leadership with clear data and recommended actions.
- Maintain readiness across instrumentation and automation platforms, coordinating maintenance, troubleshooting, and vendor engagement as needed.
- Provide direct day-to-day leadership for the site team, including scheduling, task assignment, performance feedback, onboarding, and development planning to build capability across core GSM competencies.
- Foster a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Partner with leadership on workforce planning, capacity forecasting, and succession considerations for key roles.
- Ensure data integrity, quality, and compliance across LIMS and related systems by maintaining accurate material records, supporting compliance expectations, and strengthening traceability through standardized workflows.
- Drive process improvement by identifying bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and risk points, and implementing workflow, automation, or robotics enhancements in collaboration with global sample management and cross-functional partners.
- Document and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) for critical LCC processes and ensure the team is trained to current standards.
- Engage with medicinal chemistry, biology, and computational teams to understand evolving sample management needs and proactively align GSM capabilities.
- Collaborate across the sample management network to share best practices, enable sample transfers, support network-level capacity balancing, and represent Indianapolis operations in project discussions with clarity and confidence.
- Contribute to strategy and execution of the expansion of operations into new modalities.
Basic Requirements- PhD in chemical, biological, or engineering sciences, or a STEM field AND 2+ years of hands-on laboratory experience in compound management, sample management, or a closely related discipline;
- or BS/MS in chemical, biological, or engineering sciences, or a STEM field AND 5+ years of hands-on laboratory experience in compound management, sample management, or a closely related discipline.
Additional Skills and Preferences- Proficiency with LIMS or comparable sample tracking and inventory management systems.
- Hands-on experience with laboratory automation and instrumentation relevant to sample management (e.g., liquid handlers, acoustic dispensers, automated storage systems).
- Demonstrated experience leading or supervising a laboratory team, with direct accountability for people, priorities, and performance outcomes.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously in a high-throughput environment.
- Deep knowledge of high-throughput screening workflows and plate-based assay preparation at scale.
- Demonstrated aptitude for agility in sustaining throughput commitments during staffing gaps, demand spikes, and system transitions.
- Exceptional communication skills-written and verbal-with the ability to translate operational data into clear summaries for scientific and leadership audiences.
- Demonstrated ability to work across multidisciplinary teams and build effective working relationships at all levels of the organization.
- Experience generating assay-ready plates for high-throughput screening across geographies.
- Experience with automation platforms common to compound management (Beckman Echo, Tecan, High Res Biosystems, Hamilton, Azenta) and associated control software (Cellario, Fluent Control or equivalent).
- Experience supporting or managing CRO logistics for sample shipment and external compound delivery.
- Exposure to multi-modality sample types (small molecules, peptides, biologics, oligonucleotides, or ADCs) and associated handling and tracking requirements.
- Working knowledge of programming, data tools, or modern AI tools (Python, Excel, Claude, for example) used in a laboratory operations context.
- Exposure to high-throughput screening or biochemical assay operations, with an understanding of how sample quality and format impact assay outcomes.
- Prior experience in a regulated or GxP-adjacent environment with awareness of data integrity and compliance expectations.
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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