Advisor, Physicochemical Properties and Compound Quality

100 Eli Lilly and Company; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 126,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) and pension

Vacation benefits

Medical, dental, vision benefits

Job summary

Lilly LSMD seeks an experienced analytical chemist to design and execute experiments measuring key physicochemical properties of new drug candidates. You will develop LC‑MS methods and analyze data to guide SAR, bioavailability, and formulation decisions, collaborating with chemists and ADME/DMPK teams.

The role emphasizes rapid, reliable analytical work, meticulous documentation, and ongoing learning of LC‑MS techniques to accelerate the discovery pipeline in a global team.

Qualifications

• PhD in Analytical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or closely related discipline with 5+ years post‑education hands‑on LC‑MS/ SFC‑MS experience.
• Masters with 10+ years post‑education hands‑on experience acceptable for senior role.
• Experience with passive/active data interpretation and reporting for cross‑functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute experiments to measure key physicochemical properties (solubility, pKa, logD/P, stability, PSA) of NCEs and drug candidates.
• Develop and optimize LC‑MS methods for purity, identity, and stability analysis across compounds.
• Process and interpret complex chromatographic data and present results to cross‑functional teams.
• Maintain detailed notebooks and reports per internal standards.
• Stay current with analytical chemistry and LC‑MS advances to speed up discovery.

Skills

LC‑MS

SFC‑MS

LC‑MS/MS

Physicochemical analysis

Data interpretation

Analytical problem solving

Communication to stakeholders

Independent collaboration

Education

PhD in Analytical Chemistry

Masters with 10+ years’ experience

Tools

MassLynx

ChemStation

Mestrelabs

KNIME

AI data/workflow tools

Job description

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.

Job Overview

The Lilly Small Molecule Discovery (LSMD) group is an organization purpose‑built to create molecules that make life better for people. We focus on using innovative science to unlock novel approaches that can treat people suffering from diseases with poor treatment options. We continually challenge ourselves to deliver molecules that can provide breakthrough efficacy with the highest possible safety margins. We are dedicated to optimizing our mindset, technology, and processes for faster, more nimble execution. Our success is built on a culture that empowers innovative problem‑solving through open collaboration and individual accountability.

Key Responsibilities

• Physicochemical Property Characterization: Design and execute experiments to measure key physicochemical properties (e.g., solubility, pKa, logD/P, stability, Polar Surface Area) of new chemical entities (NCEs) and drug candidates in the early stages of discovery. These are either measured directly or via surrogate chromatographic methodology, such as SFC‑MS or LC‑MS. Holistic assessment of these properties in conjunction with other characterization data will guide decisions on SAR, bioavailability, future formulation, and drug delivery.
• LC‑MS Method Development & Application Assessing Critical Quality Attributes: Develop and optimize LC‑MS methods for purity, identity, and stability analysis for a variety of pharmaceutical compounds, impurities, and potential drug candidates. Ensure method sensitivity, reproducibility, robustness, and speed of analytical methods to support the discovery timelines.
• Data Analysis & Reporting: Process and interpret complex chromatographic and spectrometric data to generate contextualized and actionable results. Present results and conclusions to cross‑functional project teams and key stakeholders to enable rapid and reliable decision making.
• Documentation & Compliance: Maintain accurate and detailed laboratory notebooks and reports in accordance with internal company standards. Ensure proper documentation of experimental protocols, results, and any deviations or issues.
• Innovation & Continuous Learning: Stay current with advancements in analytical chemistry, LC‑MS techniques, and drug discovery trends. Continuously identify opportunities to enhance laboratory efficiency, improve analytical techniques, and contribute to the scientific knowledge base. Demonstrate scientific rigor to develop new and novel experiments and techniques to enable and speed up the discovery pipeline.
• Cross‑Functional: Effectively partner with chemists, pharmaceutical formulation scientists, ADME/DMPK scientists, computational scientists, and data scientists.

Qualifications

Minimum

• PhD in Analytical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a closely related discipline with 5+ or Masters with 10+ years of post‑education hands‑on experience with LC‑MS, SFC‑MS, LC‑MS/MS, and physicochemical techniques in a small molecule pharmaceutical discovery environment.

Preferred

• In-depth proven track record determining physicochemical properties and driving cross‑functional impact on drug design and development.
• Experience working closely with ADME/DMPK and providing contextualized results taken from analytical data in early drug discovery.
• Well versed in analytical data/results management.
• Extensive hand‑on experience with nominal mass and high resolution LC‑MS and SFC‑MS instrumentation, including method development, optimization, and troubleshooting (Agilent, Waters, Shimadzu.).
• Expert in the broad range physicochemical properties and their relationship to critical success factors for medicinal chemistry projects.
• Deep understanding of chromatography and mass spectrometry theory and proven track record for creatively applying these to the laboratory environment.
• Well versed in ADME/DMPK testing strategies and the role of physicochemical properties in early‑stage drug discovery.
• Proficiency with data analysis software such as MassLynx, ChemStation, Mestrelabs or similar.
• Demonstrated ability to apply data/information/results workflow enablers such as KNIME and state of the art AI tools.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities.
• Excellent communication skills to effectively present data to both scientific and non‑scientific stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary teams.
• High attention to detail and organizational skills to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• High learning ability and adaptability.
• Ability to challenge status quo and to influence across organizations.

EEO & Diversity

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 (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), 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).

Salary & Benefits

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location.

The anticipated wage for this position is $126,000 - $204,600. Full‑time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance).

Benefits

• 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
• Well‑being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities)

#WeAreLilly At Lilly we strive to ensure our employees are part of a team that cares about them and our shared purpose of making life better for those around the world. We continue to look for ways to include, innovate, accelerate and deliver while maintaining integrity, excellence and respect for people. We hope that you seek to join us on our journey as we create medicine and deliver improved outcomes for patients across the globe!