Sr. Director - Discovery Portfolio Lead

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.
Key Responsibilities:

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 molecule experience preferred
Ability to think strategically and use judgement
Excellent communication and stakeholder management across scientific and operational teams
Experience with portfolio management tools (e.g. MS Office suite, MS Project, SharePoint, and/or SmartSheet)
Ability to be adaptive, flexible, and creative in a dynamic discovery environment
Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.
Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.
Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups.
Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is
$172,500 - $253,000
Benefits and Compensation

Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance).
Company-sponsored 401(k) eligibility.
Pension.
Vacation benefits.
Medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug benefits.
Flexible benefits such as healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts.
Life insurance and death benefits.
Certain time off and leave of absence benefits.
Well-being benefits such as employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities.
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