Medical Director - Physician -Early Clinical Development, Immunology

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.

We are seeking an exceptional physician scientist to join our Immunology team as Medical Director, Early Clinical Development. This role is designed for a clinical translational leader who can bridge the critical gap between discovery science and clinical application, driving the development of transformational medicines for patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

The successful candidate will serve as a scientific catalyst, connecting discovery scientists, translational/biomarker experts, early clinical physicians, clinical pharmacologists, and late‑stage clinicians to craft compelling therapeutic hypotheses and efficiently test them in early clinical development with line of sight to full development and approval. This role requires exceptional matrix leadership skills to influence cross‑functional teams and advance both internal and external portfolio opportunities and bring transformational treatments to patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Strategic Portfolio Leadership

• Collaborate with discovery, translational medicine, and clinical teams to develop and refine therapeutic hypotheses for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
• Participate in prioritization of target and modality selection, integrating scientific rigor with clinical feasibility, unmet needs, and commercial potential, with particular attention to transformational potential of proposed programs
• Evaluate and diligence external discovery and early clinical opportunities for potential partnerships or acquisitions
• Provide scientific and clinical expertise to portfolio strategy to ensure a robust pipeline of transformational medicines in autoimmunity and inflammation

Clinical Development Excellence

• In collaboration with stakeholders, design early clinical studies that efficiently test therapeutic hypotheses
• Collaborate with clinical pharmacology, biostatistics, regulatory affairs, operations, and other stakeholders to optimize study design and execution
• Integrate translational endpoints and biomarker strategies to accelerate and maximize learning from early clinical studies and enable early decision‑making
• Contribute to regulatory interactions, including pre‑IND, IND submissions, interactions to ex‑US health authorities, as well as regulatory strategy development
• Monitor patient safety and ensure compliance with GCP, FDA, ICH guidelines, and company policies

Cross‑Functional Leadership & Influence

• Serve as scientific and medical expert across multiple therapeutic programs simultaneously
• Lead early clinical strategy in cross‑functional teams through matrix influence, aligning diverse stakeholders around common objectives
• Facilitate decision‑making processes across discovery, development, and commercial functions
• Mentor and develop junior team members while building scientific capabilities across the organization

External Partnerships & Scientific Exchange

• Establish and maintain relationships with key opinion leaders and scientific experts in autoimmunity and inflammation
• Represent Lilly at scientific conferences, advisory boards, and industry forums
• Support business development activities through clinical scientific due diligence
• As appropriate, identify, evaluate, and execute strategic partnerships with CROs, biotech companies, academic institutions, and research organizations to enable the discovery and early development portfolio and strategy

Regulatory & Medical Affairs Support

• Partner with regulatory colleagues on IND strategy, FDA interactions, and global development planning
• Contribute medical expertise to regulatory submissions and agency…