Sr. Director - Discovery Portfolio 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 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.

In this role, you will be responsible for overseeing key aspects of the Discovery Oncology Portfolio through the Candidate Seeking stage. This includes overseeing transitions from early to late discovery teams, preparing portfolio level reports for Senior Leadership, and optimizing project management workflows. You will act as an advisor to discovery project managers on early programs as well as manage several early stage projects.

• Portfolio Management

  • Manage early discovery project kickoffs ensuring that key stakeholders are engaged at the right time

  • Oversee portfolio transitions between Early and Late Discovery, ensuring smooth handoffs and alignment with program objectives

  • Identify cross-project dependencies, risks, and opportunities for synergy

  • Monitor portfolio health metrics including timelines, milestones, and decision points for progression

  • Analyze cross-project themes, learnings, and opportunities for process improvement to drive portfolio optimization

  • Collaborate with Candidate Selection Leads as projects approach the candidate seeking stage to ensure that projects are ready to move to the next stage

  • Develop and refine stage-gate processes that balance rigor with the flexibility required in discovery research

• Advisory and Leadership

  • Serve as primary advisor to Project Managers on early-stage programs, providing guidance on project strategy, decision frameworks, and best practices

  • 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 and portfolio optimization

• Project Management (Direct Oversight of 1-2 Discovery Projects)

  • Lead comprehensive project management for 1-2 early 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, and external collaborators

• Process Excellence & Continuous Improvement

  • Ensure consistency in project reporting standards and decision frameworks across teams

  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives for discovery project management processes and tools

  • Maintain portfolio-level calendars and ensure timely preparation of materials for key decision meetings

  • Develop best practices that both maintain agility and support a decision-making framework

  • Communication & Stakeholder Engagement

  • 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

• Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelors degree preferably in life sciences with 15+ years of relevant experience, or Masters preferably in life sciences with 12+ years of experience, or PhD in preferably in life sciences with 10+ years of experience

• Additional Skills/Preferences

  • Advanced degree is highly preferred

  • PMP preferred

  • Experience in advisory or mentorship roles

  • Must have an understanding of oncology drug discovery processes and decision criteria; small molecule and large…