Senior Director, Clinical Science

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.

Clinical Development Scientist - Director - R7

Summary

As a Clinical Development Scientist - Director at R7, you lead enterprise-level scientific strategy across drug development programs by integrating deep therapeutic area expertise with clinical, diagnostic, and data science insights. You interpret complex clinical data to generate evidence that informs program direction and regulatory strategy, shaping how Lilly’s medicines are positioned and advanced. Collaborating across functions, you align laboratory, diagnostic, biostatistical, and clinical data sciences to accelerate decision-making and de-risk programs at the enterprise level. You actively mentor diverse colleagues, foster inclusive cross-functional partnerships, and champion novel approaches to translational science and data-driven delivery. This role delivers strategic scientific leadership that accelerates life-changing medicines and enhances organizational impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Integrate therapeutic area expertise tailored to ongoing drug development programs to guide strategy.
• Interpret clinical data to generate evidence supporting drug programs and decision-making.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to integrate laboratory, diagnostic, biostatistical, and clinical data sciences.
• Influence clinical development decisions at site, network, and corporate levels through expert scientific analysis.
• Produce scientific rationale and strategy to support clinical development decision-making.
• Continuously evaluate and implement innovative tools and approaches to enhance clinical development efficiency and scientific quality.
• Coordinate with external stakeholders including investigators, regulatory authorities, and collaborators to ensure smooth clinical study conduct.
• Design clinical study protocols and plans aligned with drug development program objectives.

Core Capabilities

• Actively shapes enterprise strategy by aligning programs with long-term objectives and external trends.
• Leads data-driven evaluation to inform decisions and identify opportunities across the portfolio.
• Guides cross-functional decisions with deep domain knowledge spanning development and manufacturing contexts.
• Diagnoses complex scientific issues and devises innovative, peer-informed solutions with enterprise impact.
• Overseses robust data governance and integration to enable reliable, auditable decision-making across programs.

Preferred Capabilities

• Familiar with translating complex data into clear scientific narratives for cross-functional partners.
• Experience building diverse internal and external networks to advance enterprise-scale projects.
• Exposure to guiding and enabling performance improvements across teams in fast-paced environments.

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 joinrs.com), 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 $177,000 - $338,800 Full-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. #WeAreLilly