Principal Scientist - Process Translation and Execution Lilly Medicine Foundry

We are seeking passionate and agile chemists to join the PTE team and help bring the Lilly Medicine Foundry’s vision to life.

• Facilitate the transfer of chemical processes from development laboratories to pilot plant operations (including kilo-scale or pilot-scale production), enabling successful transition to early-phase cGMP manufacturing of kilogram quantities of API required for clinical trial supply.
• Operate and troubleshoot kilo-scale equipment including multi‑purpose reactors, filtration systems, drying equipment (including AFD and tray dryer).
• Apply chemical engineering principles (heat/mass transfer, reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics) to scale‑up calculations and equipment sizing.
• Develop and apply appropriate cake filtration models to predict filtration rate, cake resistance, and deliquoring performance, and design and execute filtration wash studies.
• Apply appropriate modeling or semi‑empirical approaches to predict and control particle size distribution (PSD) during crystallization.
• Actively involved in receiving chemical process from early phase process research and development labs and evaluating the safety of the incoming procedures in collaboration with the chemist and safety group.
• Document: author, review technical documents, including SOPs, batch records, campaign summary reports, and deviation reports.
• Perform and document Definitive Lab Trials of crystallization step to confirm plant readiness.
• Perform familiarization reactions to ensure plant readiness of process steps with focus on crystallization and filtration at the Lilly Medicine Foundry.
• Order and stage process‑related GMP consumables and equipment parts for kilolab runs.
• Be efficient with summarizing and presenting experimental results and challenges.
• Analyze data to make fact‑based decisions.
• Maintain a well‑organized and detailed lab notebook to enable the preparation of technical packages/technical transfers and accurate replication in receiving labs.
• Process improvement: apply scientific knowledge to identify areas for improvement and implement new technologies or procedures.
• Contribute to process troubleshooting and investigations by supporting process deviations, quality events, and non‑conformances.
• Demonstrate engagement and employ a quality mindset in all endeavors by proactively identifying quality issues and communicating appropriately.

• BS or MS in Chemical Engineering or a closely related discipline.
• 8+ years of industry experience in pharmaceutical process development, pilot plant operations, or chemical manufacturing.
• Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full‑time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role.

• Deep technical interest and understanding in the field of Chemical Engineering.
• Direct hands‑on experience with operating kilo‑scale or pilot‑scale chemical processing equipment.
• Experience with Delta
  
  V, Dynochem, Aspen, and/or electronic lab notebooks.
• Experience with crystallization development including polymorph control, nucleation/growth kinetics, seeding strategies, and PSD control.
• Expertise in filtration modeling and ability to fit model parameters from lab data and apply to pilot equipment sizing and optimization.
• Highly motivated, able to learn rapidly, and demonstrates strong attention to detail.
• Good understanding of FDA guidelines and cGMP requirements.
• Ability to prioritize multiple activities and manage ambiguity.
• Demonstrated ability to drive projects and accept change.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for technical report writing, presentations, and effective collaboration across teams.
• Proven ability to analyze data, perform root cause analysis, and resolve complex technical challenges.
• Ability to work cross‑functionally across disciplines and levels with process chemists, analytical chemists, chemical technicians, safety and quality representatives.

• Initial location at Parkwood West, Indianapolis.
• Permanent location at the new Lilly Medicines Foundry in Lebanon, Indiana.
• Limited domestic and international…