Director, Oligonucleotide Scale-Up & RNAi Chemistry

BioSpace; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 153,000 - 264,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus eligibility

Comprehensive benefits

401(k) and pension

Job summary

Lilly is seeking a Director of Oligonucleotide Chemistry in Indianapolis. You will lead a multidisciplinary scale-up team advancing RNAi oligonucleotide synthesis from discovery to development.

The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, strategic collaboration with CMC/Development, and driving new instrumentation, workflows, and methods. A PhD with 5+ years in oligonucleotide synthesis is required; a strong track record in mentoring and cross-functional leadership is essential.

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemistry or Biochemistry with 5+ years oligonucleotide synthesis experience.
• Solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead scale-up of oligosynthesis for RNAi programs from discovery to development.
• Mentor and coach team members; drive capability growth and mentoring.
• Collaborate with RNAi discovery chemistry to optimize synthesis at scale.
• Coordinate with CMC and Development for material planning and resourcing.
• Advance methods and technologies; address oligonucleotide synthesis challenges.
• Communicate progress and results to leadership and cross-functional teams.
• Prioritize work to meet critical milestones and timelines.
• Guide teams through ambiguity; adapt to changes and drive delivery.
• Incorporate new instrumentation and workflows to improve output.
• Plan CAPEX budgets for instrumentation to ensure ongoing operations.

Skills

Supervising a team

Coaching/mentoring

Troubleshooting synthesis

Downstream processing

Organic chemistry expertise

Conjugation strategies

Analytical instrumentation

Chromatographic method development

Ligand conjugation to oligonucleotides

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Education

PhD in Chemistry or Biochemistry

Tools

AKTA

Agilent LC-MS

UPLC

Vanquish LTQ

Waters QDA

IEX/RP-HPLC

SPE

LC-MS

Job description

Lilly is seeking a Director of Oligonucleotide Chemistry in Indianapolis. You will lead a multidisciplinary scale-up team advancing RNAi oligonucleotide synthesis from discovery to development.

The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, strategic collaboration with CMC/Development, and driving new instrumentation, workflows, and methods. A PhD with 5+ years in oligonucleotide synthesis is required; a strong track record in mentoring and cross-functional leadership is essential.