Sr Scientist - Bioconjugation Lilly Medicine Foundry

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, and our employees worldwide work to discover and bring life‑changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We put people first and are looking for individuals who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

Organization and Position Overview

Lilly recently announced a $4.5 billion investment to create the Lilly Medicine Foundry, a new center for advanced manufacturing and drug development in Lebanon, Indiana. The First‑ever facility combines research and manufacturing in a single location, enabling Lilly to develop innovative solutions that optimize manufacturing processes, increase capacity for clinical trial medicines, and reduce costs and environmental impact.

The Process Translation and Execution (PTE) team translates API/DS process knowledge into clinical supply readiness, oversees technology transfer, implements phase‑appropriate control strategies, and ensures right‑first‑time clinical manufacturing for synthetic molecules, biologics, peptides, oligonucleotides, and bioconjugates (ADC, ARC, etc.). Through cross‑functional collaboration, PTE influences process design, revolutionizes clinical manufacturing, builds capabilities in emerging technologies, aligns with corporate and Lilly Research Labs goals, and drives scientific excellence to accelerate manufacturing advancements.

In the Foundry Construction and Project Delivery/Startup Phase (2025‑2028), roles will be fluid and dynamic as we build a new organization, design and implement the necessary systems and business processes to enable operational readiness, support project delivery, and build site culture. Success requires collaboration, creativity, and resilience as the Lilly Medicine Foundry transitions from design to startup to steady‑state operations and continuous improvement.

This period offers a unique opportunity for learning, growth, and lasting impact.

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 for bioconjugation to produce ADCs and similar modalities, under supervisory guidance, from development laboratories to pilot plant operations (including kilo‑scale and production environments).
• Perform bioconjugation chemistry to form ADCs, including antibody preparation, buffer exchanges, protein characterization (DAR analysis, aggregate assessment).
• Evaluate the safety of incoming procedures in collaboration with the safety group and process engineering.
• Work with highly potent molecules and containment in the lab and production environments, and with single‑use bioprocessing systems.
• Order and stage chemicals; obtain reference materials and set up analytical methods.
• Reprocess and analyze analytical data to make fact‑based decisions; summarize and present chemistry and challenges.
• Conduct familiarization reactions to ensure plant readiness of process steps (reduction, conjugation, oxidation, TFF operations).
• Perform use‑tests of key raw materials and document Definitive Lab Trials to confirm plant readiness.
• Maintain a well‑organized and detailed lab notebook with accurate descriptions of the chemistry, observations, and analytical data to support technical packages, technical transfers, and accurate replication.
• Author and review technical documents, including tech transfer plans, SOPs, batch records, campaign summary reports, and deviation reports.
• 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. Work with teams to perform root cause analysis and develop effective CAPAs.

• B.S. or M.S. with 3+ years of experience in manufacturing environments involving biochemistry, chemical biology, conjugation…