Associate Vice President - Transactions and M&A - Neuroscience - Corporate Business Development

Job ID: R-105740Company: LillyLocation: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of AmericaJob Type: Full TimeCategory: Research & DevelopmentPosted Date: 2026-07-27At 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. Purpose of the Role:The Associate Vice President, Head of Transactions and M&A for Lilly Neuroscience is responsible for all business development transactions within Lilly’s Neuroscience business unit including but not limited to M&A, in-licensing, out-licensing/divestitures, and equity investments. This role involves partnering closely with executives within Lilly’s Neuroscience commercial business unit and development leaders within Lilly Research Labs to identify and pursue new business opportunities, developing and executing transactions, strategic partnerships, and driving growth initiatives to bring external innovation to the company.Key Responsibilities:Responsible for overseeing all neuroscience transactions across all stages of development (discovery, preclinical, clinical, commercial, etc.), including negotiations for business deals, licensing agreements, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic collaborations.Lead deal teams and collaborate with cross-functional teams (Legal, Corporate Investment & Financial Banking, Accounting & Finance Planning, Alliance Management, etc.) to maximize transaction success and drive continued efficiency, productivity, and profitability.Coaches and oversees Senior Directors on the Transactions team leading and executing neuroscience transactions.Achieves results through individual performance and the performance of their transaction teams.Partners with the neuroscience Search & Evaluation team to identify and evaluate external opportunities to grow company portfolio and drive continuous business growth.Influences senior leadership, internal stakeholders and external partners on key decisions, including identifying opportunities for accessing new portfolios, technologies, processes, products/molecules, or services.Lead large-scale company business development initiatives, projects, and programs with significant risk, financial/resource requirements, and complexity to achieve our external innovation objectives.Makes decisions guided by transactional expertise/business acumen and anticipates changes in the external environment.Creates and fosters strategic relationships with key external players to identify and anticipate opportunities for growth.Solves unique and complex problems with broad impact on the business.Identifies long and short-term partner, competitive, and environmental trends.Basic Qualifications:Minimum10 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry in the following types of roles: business development (affiliate, business unit or corporate), research and development, finance, sales or marketing, new product planning, or project management.Minimum Bachelor’s Degree, Graduate degree (MBA, PhD, MD) preferred.Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to be employed in the United States. Lilly does not anticipate providing sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B or TN status) for this employment positionAdditional Skills/Preferences:Business development transaction experience in licensing, M&A, and equity investments in the biotech / pharmaceutical industry.Life sciences banking and/or consulting experience preferred.Strong understanding of clinical development and commercial landscape, including technical understanding of key products, mechanisms, indications, etc.Proven and strong collaboration and influence skills with colleagues at all levels, including executives.Strong knowledge and experience working across R&D and commercialization.Effective problem-solving and analytical skills to evaluate and resolve highly complex or unusual business and organizational problems.Excellent written and verbal communication skills.High learning agility and adaptability.Strong ability to handle high ambiguity and complexity.Demonstrated success in roles involving persuasion, influence, and negotiation.Excellent self-management and organizational skills.Self-starter with bias to action.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$243,000 - $356,400Full-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.#WeAreLillySkillsbusiness developmentmergers and acquisitionsequity investmentslicensing agreementsstrategic partnershipscommercializationclinical developmentlife sciences consultingfinancial analysisproject managementcross-functional collaborationstakeholder managementnegotiationinfluencingproblem solvinganalytical skillsportfolio managementrisk managementbusiness growth strategypartner relationship managementprocess improvementproduct developmentr&d collaboration