Business Insights & Analytics Data Engineering Intern

100 Eli Lilly and Company; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 66,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Lilly is seeking a Data Engineering Intern to join the BI&A team in Indianapolis. You will learn Lilly’s data platforms, build production pipelines, and contribute to governance practices that ensure data reliability and AI-readiness.

The role involves writing SQL/Python, validating data quality, and collaborating with senior engineers to support data-driven decision-making across marketing, sales, and finance.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a Bachelor's degree in a technical field related to data engineering.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Interest in AI-enabled data platforms and governance.

Responsibilities

• Develop understanding of BI&A data platforms and pipeline architecture.
• Build and support Databricks/Delta Lake data pipelines under guidance.
• Write SQL and Python for data extraction, cleaning, and transformation.
• Contribute to data quality and testing practices; validate pipeline outputs.

Skills

Python

SQL

Data analysis

Communication skills

Git

AI tools familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, Information Management, Statistics, Mathematics

Tools

Databricks

Delta Lake

Unity Catalog

AWS/Azure

Job description

About Lilly

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.

Organization Overview

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

Functional Overview & Responsibilities

You will join a growing and dynamic team of data engineering professionals within Business Insights & Analytics whose main goal is to build the governed data pipelines and platforms that power marketing, sales, finance, and leadership decision-making across Lilly — increasingly through agentic AI systems, not just static dashboards. BI&A is building toward a future where AI agents query governed data products directly to answer business questions and, in some cases, trigger action — which means data engineering is feeding decisions made in real time. As a Data Engineering Intern, you will develop understanding of Lilly’s data platforms (Databricks, Unity Catalog), build and support production data pipelines, and contribute to the automation and governance practices that make data products reliable, fresh, and AI-ready. Project scope will be provided by your Lilly Intern supervisor and aligned to your interests and background.

Responsibilities

• Develop understanding of BI&A’s data platforms, pipeline architecture, and the data sources feeding brand/business unit analytics
• Build and support data pipeline components under the guidance of senior engineers — ingestion, transformation, and validation logic on Databricks/Delta Lake
• Write and maintain SQL and Python for data extraction, cleaning, and transformation tasks (project scope aligned to intern’s interests and background)
• Contribute to data quality and testing practices — writing test cases, validating pipeline outputs against expected results
• Assist with documentation of data pipelines, schemas, and data lineage — the metadata that lets both people and AI agents trust what they’re querying
• Support work to make data products “AI-ready”: tracking freshness SLAs, lineage, and quality metrics so downstream agentic systems (e.g., BI&A’s NL2SQL agent platform) can safely consume the data they need to answer questions or act on them
• Gain exposure to how pipeline design choices — batch vs. streaming, refresh cadence, latency — determine whether a data product can support real-time decision-making versus next-day reporting
• Proactively partner across BI&A engineering teams for shared learning and to elevate engineering practice
• Ensure compliance with all privacy, governance, and contractual obligations related to the use of data

Basic Qualifications

• Enrolled as a full‑time Undergraduate student
• Rising Senior (currently a Junior) with an expected graduation date between December 2027 – August 2028
• Pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, Information Management, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related field
• Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full‑time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1.

Additional Functional Job Skills & Preferences

• Prior experience using AI tools (e.g., generative AI platforms, automation tools, or AI‑assisted research/analytics tools) in an academic, project, or work setting.
• Competence in at least one programming language (Python, Java, Scala, etc.)
• Working knowledge of SQL and relational data querying
• Familiarity with cloud‑based data platforms (Databricks, AWS, or Azure)
• Exposure to data pipeline concepts (ETL/ELT, batch vs. streaming, latency/freshness tradeoffs)
• Curiosity about how data platforms feed AI/agentic systems (e.g., NL2SQL, retrieval‑augmented agents) — no prior AI/ML coursework required, just interest
• Familiarity with version control (Git) and collaborative development workflows
• Broad awareness of data modeling and database design fundamentals
• Strong analytical skills coupled with an ability to think strategically and independently in an ambiguous environment
• Proficiency in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• Excellent communication (written & verbal), interpersonal, and prioritization skills with attention to detail
• High level of motivation and a strong desire to find creative solutions to challenging situations

Additional Information

As part of Lilly’s commitment to innovation, interns will have the opportunity to build fluency with AI tools used across the business. We expect interns to approach these tools with curiosity, apply critical thinking to AI‑assisted work, and always prioritize accuracy, confidentiality, and ethical standards in how they use them. Lilly arranges various intern activities including sporting events, dinners, lunch and learns, volunteer activities, etc. to provide opportunities for socializing, professional development, and learning more about Lilly. Interns will receive 1 week of paid time off during the Lilly summer shut-down, 1:1 mentoring from an experienced professional in the function. Interns will receive a competitive salary and free parking at their work site, as well as access to Lilly’s LIFE fitness center, bike garage, and many other discounts. If the intern’s job position requires a move from another location, Lilly will provide subsidized housing. 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).

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is $65,600 (Bachelors) - $85,000 (Masters) annually. 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 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