Director, Medicinal Chemistry

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve.

This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us.

• Lilly's Early Molecule Discovery team drives small-molecule hit identification and hit-to-lead progression through structure-based, mechanism-informed, and data-driven design.

• We are seeking a hands-on medicinal chemistry leader with direct experience advancing molecular glue programs, from hit finding through candidate selection.

• The role requires close collaboration across pharmacology, structural biology, computational chemistry, and DMPK to translate mechanistic hypotheses into optimized molecules.

• Success requires both deep bench-level chemistryexpertiseandthe interpersona land cross-functional leadership skills to guide internal and external teams.

• Lead hit-to-lead optimization of screening hits, improving potency, selectivity, physicochemical properties, and ADMET.

• Apply structure-based and data-driven design, incorporating ternary complex structural datawhere relevant.

• Design and synthesize novel molecules to test mechanistic hypotheses, includingcooperativity-driven SAR for molecular glue chemo types.

• Design and implement screening cascades tailored to molecular glue pharmacology.

• Direct internal and external medicinal chemistry resources, including CRO relationships, to keep programs aligned with strategy and timelines.

• Oversee high-throughput synthesis, route scouting, and scale-up to enable efficient compound delivery.

• Maintain a strong safety culture and efficient lab operations.

• PhD in Organic Chemistry or related Chemistry field with 8+ years of relevant experience in small molecule drug discovery; MS with 10+ years; or BS with 12+ years.

• Extensive experience in medicinal chemistry, SAR analysis, and structure- and mechanism-based molecular design.

• Direct experience designing oroptimizingmolecular gluedegraders, including protein–protein interface engagement, E3 ligase biology, andneosubstrateidentification.

• Demonstrated leadership as a chemistry lead on programs of any mechanism—ideally including a molecular glue program that reached candidate selection.

• Track recordof scientific contributions through publications, patents, or external presentations.

• Experience managing or collaborating with external chemistry teams and CROs.

• Experience with novel modalities, such as targeted protein degradation and covalent chemistry, and biophysical techniques to mechanistically understand molecular glue SAR.

• Familiarity with computational drug design tools (e.g.,Live Design, MOE, Maestro) and AI-enabled chemistry tools.

• Self-driven, with a growth mindset and adaptability to fast-evolving science.

• Strong communication and collaboration skills in multidisciplinary, matrixed environments.

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