Senior Biologist - Protein Engineering

Job ID: R-110104Company: LillyLocation: San Diego, California, United States of AmericaJob Type: Full TimeCategory: Research & DevelopmentPosted Date: 2026-09-04At 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. Company 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.The Biotechnology Discovery Research (BioTDR) division in San Diego is responsible for generating, characterizing, and optimizing biotherapeutics from discovery to candidate selection. We support cross-disciplinary efforts to engineer innovative biotherapeutics that treat metabolic, autoimmune, oncologic, and neurologic diseases. Join our team of scientists working to improve the lives of patients around the world.This is an opportunity for a self-motivated researcher to join the Protein Engineering group at the Lilly Biotechnology Center in San Diego. We are seeking an associate-level scientist with experience in molecular biology, biochemistry, and protein engineering. The successful candidate will characterize and optimize antibodies, therapeutic proteins, and alternative scaffolds, with a primary focus on antibody discovery and engineering. The ideal candidate is a dedicated teammate with outstanding technical skills who can work collaboratively with the antibody discovery, protein engineering, protein production, protein characterization, and automation groups in San Diego and Indianapolis. As they build expertise, there is an opportunity to take ownership of a project workstream with increasing autonomy.Responsibilities:Think creatively and assist in designing and performing experiments to identify and validate the next generation of large molecule therapeuticsContribute to building and improving next-generation technology platforms for future therapeuticsContribute to process improvement of molecular biology, screening protocols and molecule characterizationWork collaboratively and communicate with project teams to achieve critical research objectives and timelinesMaintain timely, detailed, and well-organized records, including electronic notebooks, laboratory information management systems, presentations, and reportsBasic Requirements:Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Protein Engineering, Biotechnology, Cell Biology, or a related STEM field with a minimum of 3 years of relevant laboratory experienceExperience in protein engineeringQualified 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, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1.Additional Skills / Preferences:Demonstrated hands-on experience with molecular biology and cloning techniques (PCR, Gibson assembly, restriction digest/ligation, site-directed mutagenesis, bacterial transformation)Experience in antibody engineering and optimization approaches as well as in protein biochemistryProficient in ELISA and binding assay techniques; experience with BLI (Octet) or SPR (Biacore) is desirableKnowledge of protein structure and structure-activity relationshipsConfortable using AI tools and agile learning new softwareKnowledge/experience in cell culture and cell-based functional assaysExperience working with automation platformsFamiliarity with sequence analysis tools and data visualization/statistics software (e.g., Prism, Excel, Spotfire) is a plusHighly effective interpersonal, written, and oral communication skillsExcellent analytical and organizational skills with high attention to detailAbility to work independently as well as in complex cross-functional team settingsLocation: San Diego, CA | Onsite laboratory positionEli Lilly and Company, Lilly USA, LLC and our wholly owned subsidiaries (collectively “Lilly”) are committed to help individuals with disabilities to participate in the workforce and ensure equal opportunity to compete for jobs. If you require an accommodation to submit a resume for positions at Lilly, please email Lilly Human Resources (View email address on click.appcast.io) for further assistance. Please note this email address is intended for use only to request an accommodation as part of the application process. Any other correspondence will not receive a response.Lilly is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.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 () 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 (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (View email address on click.appcast.io), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is$88,500 - $161,700Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.#WeAreLillySkillsprotein engineeringmolecular biologyantibody engineeringpcrgibson assemblyrestriction digest/ligationsite-directed mutagenesisbacterial transformationelisaprotein structure analysisbli (octet)spr (biacore)cell culturecell-based functional assayssequence analysis toolsprismdata visualization/statistics softwareprocess improvementlaboratory information management systemsproject managementcross-functional collaborationanalytical skillsorganizational skills