Associate Director, ExploR&D Partnerships & Consultation

Eli Lilly and Company; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 132,000 - 194,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus

401(k)

Medical, dental, vision benefits

Vacation benefits

Job summary

Lilly is seeking an Associate Director for ExploR&D Consultation Agreements to lead the drafting, negotiation, and execution of consultation agreements with external biotechs across preclinical and development matters. The role requires heavy collaboration with Legal, Finance, and R&D to translate scientific scope into commercial terms.

The position emphasizes fast-moving contracting, rigorous workflow, and high-volume deal management, with expected travel up to 10%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in any field.
• 7+ years of relevant 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, from initial term discussions through executed contract.
• Move a high volume of agreements through negotiation to signature efficiently, balancing speed with rigor.
• Serve as the primary interface for biotechs engaging ExploR&D through the consultation pathway, translating scientific scope into commercial terms.
• Partner with ExploR&D leadership and subject-matter experts to structure consultations that align with Lilly's R&D capabilities.
• Draft, redline, and finalize consultation agreements in collaboration with Legal, ensuring commercial terms, scope, and deliverables are clearly captured, and that contractual provisions reflect the risk of the scientific engagement.
• Partner with Lilly scientists to translate technical scope into precise, bounded work plans, defining deliverables and responsibilities clearly.
• Negotiate change orders and amendments to existing consultation agreements as scope, timelines, or deliverables evolve.
• Communicate with biotech counterparts regarding contract structure, timelines, and Lilly's engagement model with clarity and credibility.
• Maintain rigorous deal tracking, pipeline visibility, and cycle-time discipline across the active consultation portfolio.
• Identify and drive process improvements to reduce friction, standardize terms where appropriate, and shorten time-to-signature.
• Partner with Finance, Legal, and Compliance to ensure all consultations meet Lilly's governance, risk, and approval standards.
• Potential to extend scope into alliance management responsibilities over time

Skills

Negotiation

Contracting

R&D consulting

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Attention to detail

Ambiguity tolerance

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree in life sciences

Job description

Lilly is seeking an Associate Director for ExploR&D Consultation Agreements to lead the drafting, negotiation, and execution of consultation agreements with external biotechs across preclinical and development matters. The role requires heavy collaboration with Legal, Finance, and R&D to translate scientific scope into commercial terms.

The position emphasizes fast-moving contracting, rigorous workflow, and high-volume deal management, with expected travel up to 10%.