Associate Director - Radioligand Therapies Operations Lead

100 Eli Lilly and Company; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 123,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) matching

Pension plan

Vacation benefits

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Flexible benefits

Life insurance

Time off and leave

Job summary

Lilly is seeking a senior operations leader to develop and optimize processes across radiopharmaceutical programs. You will lead day-to-day operations, partner with R&D, Regulatory, Quality, and Manufacturing to meet milestones, and drive cost and risk improvements while mentoring junior staff.

Ideal candidates have 7+ years in pharmaceutical operations with at least 2 years in radiopharmaceuticals, strong project management, and extensive regulatory familiarity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific, engineering, or other relevant field.
• 7+ years of experience in pharmaceutical operations, with at least 2 years focused on radiopharmaceuticals or nuclear medicine.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize processes across research, development, manufacturing (internal/external), and supply chain.
• Lead day-to-day operations for radioligand therapy programs, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements and timelines.
• Partner with R&D, Clinical, TS/MS, Regulatory, Quality, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain for seamless execution and milestones.
• Select, qualify, and manage vendors for manufacturing and logistics, including SLAs and metrics.
• Drive continuous improvement in efficiency, cost, and risk management across the portfolio.
• Manage budgets and resource allocation, ensuring financial stewardship.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder influence

Problem solving

Communication skills

Regulatory familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree in science/engineering

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 Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize processes across research, development, manufacturing (internal/external), and supply chain.
• Lead day-to-day operations for radioligand therapy programs, ensuring alignment with corporate strategy, regulatory requirements, and timelines.
• Partner with R&D, Clinical, TS/MS, Regulatory, Quality, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain to ensure seamless execution and on-time milestones.
• Select, qualify, and manage vendors for manufacturing and logistics, including SLAs and performance metrics.
• Drive continuous improvement in efficiency, cost, and risk management across the portfolio.
• Manage budgets and resource allocation, ensuring financial stewardship.
• Track the evolving radiopharmaceutical landscape — regulatory shifts, technology, and competitive intelligence.
• Champion safety, quality, and compliance across all operations.
• Represent operations in cross-functional and leadership forums.
• Mentor junior staff to build a high-performing team.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific, engineering, or other relevant industry field.
• 7+ years of experience in pharmaceutical operations, with at least 2 years specifically focused on radiopharmaceuticals or nuclear medicine.

Additional Preferences:

• Strong grasp of radiopharmaceutical manufacturing, supply chain (cold chain, hazardous materials), and quality control.
• Track record leading complex operations in GMP/GDP/GCP environments.
• Familiarity with global regulatory guidelines (FDA, EMA, Health Canada).
• Skilled at building relationships and influencing stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong project management, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation/negotiation skills.
• Experience with vendor management and contract negotiation.
• Willing and able to travel domestically and internationally.

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 $123,000 - $180,400 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,

• 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)

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 those 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