Associate Director - Media Relations & Influence

100 Eli Lilly and Company; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 132,000 - 194,000; Full time

Job summary

Eli Lilly and Company is seeking an Associate Director, Media & Influence to lead external communications and shape Lilly's corporate narrative across traditional and emerging media. The role centers on audience-first storytelling, strategic media planning, and proactive placement to build trust with patients, policymakers, investors, and the public.

You will coordinate across geographies, translate complex scientific and business achievements into compelling narratives, and guide executives in

Qualifications

• Basic Requirements: Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, or a related field.
• 6 years of experience in communications, media relations, or public relations.

Responsibilities

• Execute day-to-day media relations and influence activity across traditional and emerging platforms, managing pitches, inbound inquiries, and ongoing reporter relationships.
• Contribute to the enterprise media and influence strategy, taking an audience- and data-first approach to identify where Lilly's key audiences form trust.
• Create modern media strategies for milestones, product launches, and media events, reflecting an audience-first approach.
• Develop proactive stories that connect Lilly's pipeline, business performance, and corporate initiatives to patient impact and innovation leadership.
• Support planning and execution of product announcements and high-stakes media events, including drafting media plans and materials.

Skills

Media relations

Influence strategy

Audience data analytics

Crisis storytelling

Education

Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, or related field

Tools

Media analytics 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.

The Associate Director, Media & Influence will serve as a key member of the Media & Influence team supporting external communications across the Eli Lilly business. We are looking for a modern media practitioner with an audience- and data-first approach who can build credibility for Lilly across both established outlets and emerging platforms. Reporting to the Senior Director, Media & Influence within Enterprise Communications, the Associate Director, Media & Influence helps shape and steward Lilly's corporate narrative across the full external communications landscape. This role contributes to how Lilly earns attention, builds trust, and grows influence with the audiences that shape our reputation — patients, policymakers, investors, scientific communities, employees, and the public. The information landscape has fundamentally changed; this role is responsible not only for understanding it, but for helping build Lilly's influence across it. Working across therapeutic areas, functional teams, and geographies, the Associate Director translates complex business achievements, scientific innovations, and corporate initiatives into compelling narratives that resonate across traditional and emerging media platforms and ladder up to our corporate narrative.

Key Responsibilities

• Execute day-to-day media relations and influence activity across traditional and emerging platforms, managing pitches, inbound inquiries, and ongoing reporter relationships.
• Contribute to the enterprise media and influence strategy, taking an audience- and data-first approach to identify where Lilly's key audiences form trust, how they consume information, and which platforms, voices, and formats will move perception and business outcomes.
• Create modern media strategies for milestones, product launches, and media events, that reflect an audience-first approach.
• Map and build the modern media ecosystem — traditional journalists, independent creators, community moderators, podcasters, newsletter writers, substack and reddit authors, and influencers — and cultivate a deep, current rolodex of relationships across new verticals and platforms, not just legacy media. Become our in-house media guru.
• Develop and pitch proactive stories that connect Lilly's pipeline, business performance, and corporate initiatives to patient impact and innovation leadership, supporting senior team members on narrative, targeting, and pitch approach.
• Support planning and execution of product announcements and high-stakes media events, including drafting media plans and materials, coordinating spokesperson preparation, and managing post-event follow‑up.
• Help prepare executives and subject matter experts to represent Lilly across media platforms — legacy and emerging — by drafting briefing materials, talking points, and Q&A, and supporting strategic placements including interviews, bylines, podcasts, and speaking opportunities.
• Partner with global communications counterparts across therapeutic areas, business development, investor communications and other external communications functions to ensure upleveled storytelling that resonates with the stakeholders who shape Lilly's reputation.
• Track coverage, sentiment, share of voice, and message pull‑through across the full ecosystem, and use data and audience insights to demonstrate media's impact on perception and business outcomes.

Basic Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, or a related field.
• 6 years of experience in communications, media relations, or public relations.

Additional Preferences

Lilly may provide support for or sponsorship work authorization or visas for this role for internal applicants only.

• Demonstrated experience building and implementing media and influence strategies across both traditional outlets and emerging platforms (podcasts, newsletters, creator networks, social platforms).
• Previous experience in communications, media relations, or influence at a Fortune 500 company, large pharmaceutical or healthcare organization, or major newsroom (in‑house or agency side).
• Proven ability to build and energize a modern media rolodex — including independent creators, podcasters, newsletter writers, community moderators, and influencers — across new verticals and platforms, not just legacy outlets.
• Proficient in using audience data, social listening, and media analytics to shape strategy, measure impact, and demonstrate business value.
• Prior work translating complex topics — financial performance, scientific innovation, corporate strategy — into narratives that resonate with varied audiences.
• Experience in product communications within healthcare or medicine preferred, but not required.
• Proven ability – with examples – to proactively storytelling outside landmarks, product launches, etc.
• Experience navigating matrixed global organizations, building trust and influence across functional boundaries while maintaining strategic alignment.
• Deep understanding of the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare landscape, with the credibility to engage on regulatory, scientific, policy, and patient topics.
• Stays current with communications trends and tools, including AI-enabled platforms; brings fresh thinking beyond traditional pharmaceutical communications and demonstrates sound judgment in high‑stakes and crisis situations.
• Traits that will help you succeed: proactive, bias for action, test‑and‑learn mentality, curiosity.

Additional Information

• Travel: approximately 15–20% domestic, with occasional international travel to conferences, media events, and key business locations.

Position location: Indianapolis, New York, Chicago or D.C

Lilly may provide support for or sponsorship work authorization or visas for this role for internal applicants only.

Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions.

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).

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is $132,000 - $193,600 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 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 people around the world. How do we do this? 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! #WeAreLilly