Sr. Director - Advance to Selection Lead

Overview

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 put people first and aim to make life better for people around the world.

We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

The Senior Director, Candidate Advance to Candidate Selection Lead is responsible for the delivery of oncology drug candidates from Discovery to Development. They will manage workflows and best practices for the nomination and selection of oncology assets. This role ensures an efficient transition from Discovery to Development and partners with Development, Discovery leaders, the Project Team Lead, and Discovery Project Managers to align on Candidate Selection criteria and Deliverables.

The role includes managing 1-2 late-stage discovery projects.

• Candidate Selection:
  Lead candidate selection activities and coordinate cross functional review teams
• Lead coordination of candidate nomination documents and presentations for Candidate Selection Meetings, ensuring thorough review of deliverables
• Ensure alignment between candidate target product profiles and clinical development requirements by facilitating cross functional discussion between Discovery and Development at appropriate project inflection points
• Proactively ensure that all key stakeholders are informed and onboarded appropriately as projects transition from Discovery to Development
• Ensure efficient communication between Discovery, CMC, Clinical Development, and other key stakeholders
• Creates a culture of collaboration between Discovery research teams and clinical development stakeholders

• Serve as advisor and mentor to Project Managers and Project Team Leads as projects advance to Candidate Selection
• Support alignment between project teams and senior leadership on priorities
• Advise on risk assessment, alternative approaches, and decision criteria for program progression
• Facilitate strategic discussions on program priorities for the advanced Discovery Portfolio
• Track the late discovery portfolio to ensure that milestones are aligned with system dates and that Project managers are communicating milestone shifts with finance and other stakeholders for business planning purposes

• Lead comprehensive project management for 1-2 late discovery projects, including timeline development, milestone tracking, resource coordination, and deliverable management
• Facilitate project meetings, developing agendas, capturing minutes, and tracking action items through resolution
• Coordinate cross-functional activities across matrixed teams including biology, chemistry, translational sciences, CMC, toxicology, and external collaborators
• Manage project budgets and forecasts in collaboration with finance and development teams

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives for candidate advancement and selection frameworks
• Ensure timely preparation of materials for leadership and key decision making meetings
• Develop best practices for late-stage discovery that both maintain agility and support a decision-making framework
• Drives Discovery updates to Disease State Benchmarks, working closely with Development and other stakeholders to ensure alignment

Proactively manage project and portfolio communications, identifying and resolving gaps or ambiguities to maintain cross-functional alignment

• Develop integrated slide decks and presentations for leadership forums that synthesize portfolio status, trends, and actionable insights
• Foster collaborative dialogue across diverse scientific disciplines, encouraging knowledge sharing and creative problem-solving approaches
• Maintain consistent communication frameworks and reporting standards across portfolio teams