Associate Director, ExploR&D Contracts

Initial Therapeutics, Inc.; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 132,000 - 194,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan

Pension

Vacation benefits

Health, dental, vision benefits

Flexible benefits

Life insurance

Time off and leave benefits

Job summary

Lilly is seeking an Associate Director for ExploR&D Consultation Agreements in Indianapolis to lead high-volume contract negotiations with external biotech partners across preclinical and development stages. You will draft, redline, and move agreements to signature while balancing scientific scope with commercial terms.

The role requires advanced R&D fluency, strong communication, and collaboration across Legal, Finance, and R&D to ensure governance and timely execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in any field.
• 7+ years of experience in business development, contracting, or R&D consulting.
• Authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end negotiation of consultation agreements with biotech partners across preclinical and development matters.
• Move a high volume of agreements through negotiation to signature efficiently.
• Serve as the primary interface for biotech engagements, translating scientific scope into commercial terms.
• Structure consultations with ExploR&D leadership to align with Lilly's capabilities.
• Draft, redline, and finalize consultation agreements with Legal to capture deliverables and risk.
• Translate technical scope into bounded work plans with clear deliverables.

Skills

Negotiation

Contract drafting

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Project / deal management

R&D knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree in life sciences

Job description

Lilly is seeking an Associate Director for ExploR&D Consultation Agreements in Indianapolis to lead high-volume contract negotiations with external biotech partners across preclinical and development stages. You will draft, redline, and move agreements to signature while balancing scientific scope with commercial terms.

The role requires advanced R&D fluency, strong communication, and collaboration across Legal, Finance, and R&D to ensure governance and timely execution.