Director/Senior Director, Analytical Methods – Methods4Insight

Jobtailor; California (MO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor seeks a senior computational scientist to advance analytical methods in drug discovery. You will develop and deploy cutting-edge approaches, translating scientific questions into tractable problems and driving design recommendations across discovery teams.

Collaborate with Data Foundry and Frontier AI, publish peer-reviewed research, mentor junior scientists, and ensure analytics are integrated into the discovery ecosystem with measurable impact.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to develop and apply analytical methods in drug discovery.
• Strong programming skills in Python, R, or similar languages.
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals demonstrating domain contributions.
• Experience mentoring junior scientists and interns/postdocs.
• Ability to explain complex analytical concepts to non-computational scientists.
• Track record deploying methods that influenced scientific decisions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deploy cutting-edge analytical methods tailored to drug discovery challenges.
• Translate complex questions into tractable analytical problems to inform compound prioritization and design.
• Collaborate with teams to deploy methods as tools with well-defined APIs for autonomous AI decisions.

Skills

Programming in Python/R

Scientific communication

Analytical deployment

Mentoring

Publication track record

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Education

MS/PhD in Cheminformatics/Computational Biology/Quantitative field

Job description

• Serve as the subject matter expert in your analytical domain, staying current on innovative methods and making informed recommendations about adoption, adaptation, or development of novel approaches
• Develop and deploy cutting-edge analytical methods tailored to Lilly's discovery challenges, building workflows that integrate multiple approaches (e.g., physics-based and data-driven) to harness complementary strengths
• Work alongside discovery project teams to translate complex scientific questions into tractable analytical problems, driving analyses that directly inform compound prioritization, design recommendations, and mechanism of action hypotheses
• Collaborate with Architecture4Insight to deploy analytical methods as accessible tools and agent-ready capabilities with well-defined APIs for autonomous AI decision-making
• Identify strategic data gaps in your domain and partner with Scale4Insight to design targeted experiments that generate data in high-value areas
• Establish best practices for method validation, including prospective testing against experimental outcomes, and demonstrate impact through tracked metrics: decisions influenced, hypotheses generated, and timelines accelerated
• Collaborate across all Data Foundry pillars and with Frontier AI to ensure analytical capabilities are fully integrated into the broader discovery ecosystem
• Publish peer-reviewed research, present at scientific conferences, and build analytical literacy across the organization
• Mentor junior computational scientists and contribute to a culture of scientific rigor, reproducibility, and continuous improvement

Requirements

• MS/Ph.D. in Cheminformatics, Computational Biology, Biophysics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related quantitative field
• 6+ years of experience developing and applying analytical methods in drug discovery or related life sciences fields
• Deep expertise in at least one analytical domain with demonstrated impact on scientific outcomes
• Strong programming skills in Python, R, or similar scientific computing languages
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals demonstrating contributions to your analytical domain
• Ability to explain complex analytical concepts clearly to non-computational scientists
• Track record of deploying analytical methods that influenced real scientific decisions or discoveries
• Breadth across multiple analytical approaches, with experience both developing novel methods and adopting external approaches
• Familiarity with software engineering practices and deploying research code in production environments
• Experience mentoring junior scientists or managing interns/postdocs
• Ability to communicate effectively across scientific, technical, and executive audiences
• Passion for mentoring and empowering others.

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in developing and deploying analytical methods in drug discovery, with strong programming skills in Python and R. Proven ability to mentor junior scientists and communicate complex concepts effectively across diverse audiences.