Head of Lead ID

Company: Eli Lilly and Company
Location: Indianapolis
Posted on: March 18, 2026

Job Description:

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. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world. We are seeking a Director for our RNA Team. The successful candidate for this newly created leadership role within the RNA team will scale how we identify and select lead oligonucleotide therapeutics and create datasets that will fuel our AI/ML modelling efforts. This leader will build and scale enterprise discovery platforms within the RNA therapeutics team that integrate computational biology, high-throughput screening, multi-omic analytics, and machine learning to accelerate target-to-candidate timelines while improving probability of technical and regulatory success. They will be responsible for leading teams that are establishing quantitative, high-throughput discovery systems that enable earlier go/no-go decisions and generate differentiated molecular candidates across 20 active RNA programs. Job Responsibilities Lead an established team of BSc to PhD-level scientists and engineers to deliver enterprise-scale lead discovery capabilities Lead team adaptation and execution of high-throughput transcriptome-wide selectivity profiling methods (e.g., concentration-response digital gene expression) to quantify hybridization-dependent and hybridization-independent off-targets with improved sensitivity Partner with teams developing predictive ML models for in vivo activity, pharmacodynamics, and tolerability from sequence, structure, and chemical modification features Partner with automation leadership to deploy high-throughput screening at scale, targeting thousands of molecules per program Work closely with data Science/AI/ML teams to integrate lead discovery data into unified siRNA modeling platforms that merge molecular design with oligonucleotide chemistry Collaborate with chemistry teams on structure-activity relationship studies, including novel chemistries Collaborate with Biology leads across therapeutic areas to ensure fit-for-purpose evidence packages for progression decisions Mentor engineering efforts to build robust pipelines processing large-scale transcriptome datasets, centralizing curated data assets for reusable analytics Establish data governance frameworks ensuring molecule discovery data is database-ready and integrated with enterprise systems Manage NGS core operations or equivalent high-throughput assay infrastructure; scale throughput to meet portfolio demand Basic Qualifications Ph.D. in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Molecular Biology, or related field 12 years of experience in drug discovery, with significant depth in RNA-targeted therapeutics (ASO, siRNA, splice-switching oligonucleotides) 5 years of leadership experience managing PhD-level scientists and/or engineers in both “wet” and “dry” science teams Additional Skills & Preferences Demonstrated track record of building and scaling discovery platforms that have advanced multiple candidates into clinical development Deep knowledge of oligonucleotide chemistry, including modified nucleotides, backbone modifications, and conjugate strategies and screening processes Deep expertise in transcriptomics, including bulk and single-cell RNA-seq design, analysis, and interpretation Experience with mechanism-of-action and pharmacodynamic studies using multi-omic approaches Proficiency in machine learning methods (XGBoost, Random Forest, neural networks) applied to biological sequence data Experience with high-throughput NGS assay development and core operations Familiarity with ETL pipelines, cloud-scale computation, and reproducible analytics workflows Ability to operate across subject areas and translate complex technical concepts into strategic recommendations Track record of cross-functional collaboration with chemistry, biology, and clinical teams Experience presenting at industry conferences and contributing to peer-reviewed publications Demonstrated ability to make data-driven decisions under uncertainty and manage risk effectively 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 ( https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation ) 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 Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups. Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is $148,500 - $257,400 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

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