ExploR&D Pharma Project Manager (EPPM)

BioSpace; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel up to 10%

Company bonus

Job summary

Lilly ExploR&D in San Diego is seeking an experienced Pharma Project Manager to coordinate external collaboration programs from discovery through clinical proof-of-concept. You will manage timelines, risk grids, and data across cross-functional teams, ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery.

The role emphasizes alliance management with external partners and internal Leadrs, with opportunities to drive process improvements across ExploR&D and collaborates with ERD-APAC.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in biology/health-related field required.
• 5+ years in pharma with drug discovery and development experience.
• Authorized to work in the United States full-time.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate cross-functional program timelines, risk grids and decisions.
• Maintain program tracking and ensure data quality across portfolio.
• Lead alliance management with external partners and internal leads.
• Deliver process improvements to enable on-time program delivery.

Skills

Project management

External partnership management

Cross-functional collaboration

Drug discovery experience

Data management

Stakeholder communication

Strategic thinking

Education

Advanced degree in biology/health-related field

Tools

PM 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.

Organization Overview

Lilly Catalyze360 is a comprehensive approach to enabling the early-stage biotech ecosystem by democratizing access to infrastructure, expertise, and resources. Through its interconnected pillars—Lilly Ventures, Lilly Gateway Labs, Lilly ExploR&D, and Lilly TuneLab—Catalyze360 strategically removes barriers that traditionally block bold science from becoming life-changing medicines, providing biotechs with flexible combinations of capital, physical lab space, R&D capabilities, AI/ML tools, and decades of enterprise learning.

Lilly ExploR&D is a team of drug discovery and development experts who partner with biotechs from discovery through clinical proof-of-concept, putting Lilly's industry-leading capabilities behind their missions. We provide flexible support—from strategic consulting to full program execution—making it faster, easier, and more capital-efficient for innovators to transform bold science into life-changing medicines.

Job Summary

The ExploR&D Pharma Project Manager (EPPM) serves as the key operational resource for external collaboration projects spanning molecule discovery through clinical proof-of-concept within Lilly's ExploR&D organization. The role requires the EPPM to coordinate cross-functional, multi-workstream timelines, risk grids, and decision and action tracking, ensure complete and accurate programmatic and portfolio-level data collected across the portfolio, enabling cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality results on time and on budget. The EPPM keeps deliverables on track and ensures accountable cross-functional SMEs deliver on upcoming deadlines, escalating risks and operational issues to organizational and alliance leadership. The EPPM plays a key role in delivering operational and process improvements that enable and optimize program delivery across ExploR&D. Based in San Diego, the EPPM partners closely with Lilly-BioTDR on Molecule Discovery projects and with the ExploR&D-China team on the ERD-APAC portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

Project and Alliance Management

• Manage collaborations including: Initiate and maintain program tracking including project timelines, security access controls, internal and external communications including meeting minutes, risk grids and decision logs to support programs and enable communication with leadership.
• Create and lead internal project team meetings in partnership with Program Leads and internal ExploR&D scientific leads and provide oversight for project progression and serve as a resource to the team to break down barriers.
• Manage timeline and budgets set by management for projects and operations, and lead large project(s) with greater risk, resource, and financial complexity.
• Serve as alliance management point of contact along with partnered ExploR&D Program Lead to the external collaboration partner ensuring mutual contractual obligations are being met between parties, and work to resolve issues as they arise, working with Catalyze360 leadership and legal as needed.
• Drive communication of key decisions/results to stakeholders including creating and providing program updates (i.e. timeline, budget, relationship health) as necessary to External Innovation leadership.

External R&D Solutions Enablement

• Work with External Innovation peers across Catalyze360 teams to identify new potential solutions that directly address the needs/pain points of internal teams and biotech companies and enhance current partnerships.
• Participate in deal team processes by providing input on available capabilities, scope of work, workplan creation, resource estimations, and functional area capacity for inclusion into collaboration agreements.
• Identify internal and external customer requirements and develop solutions to meet partner needs, building and maintaining relationships with internal and external customers and partners.
• Partner closely with Lilly-BioTDR on Molecule Discovery projects, providing project and alliance management support across discovery-stage collaborations.
• Partner with the ExploR&D-China team on the ERD-APAC portfolio, supporting alignment of program strategy, timelines, and resourcing across geographies.

People Leadership and Partnership Mindset

• Create a performance culture and an environment of cooperation and mutual respect in line with Team Lilly expectations.
• Actively build and manage relationships with Lilly internal business partners (including but not limited to Lilly Ventures, Gateway Labs, Functional Area S&E, Therapeutic Areas, etc.) to ensure a positive and productive working environment.
• Build and maintain short- and long-term trusting relationships with external partners. Effectively represent Lilly overall and external R&D strategies to external organizations.

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced degree (MS, MA, PhD, or PharmD) in a biology or health-related field.
• 5+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including significant experience in drug discovery and research & development.
• 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 Skills/Preferences

• Experience with standard Lilly-IT systems and PM tools and working knowledge of LRL operational models and solutions (i.e. eNotebooks, laboratory instrumentation, data management, etc.).
• Demonstrated experience and expertise in drug discovery and early development with established credibility and trust across LRL functions and therapeutic areas.
• Experience in project and/or operations management in drug discovery and development programs.
• Experience in business development or external innovation managing and/or working with external partners in a collaborative setting.
• Strong business acumen, learning agility, and strategic thinking.
• Outstanding EQ, problem-solving, analytical, project management skills.
• Highly self-motivated and organized; able to multitask with concurrent processing and implementation of many active programs at various stages of evaluation and business discussions.
• Demonstrated communication/interpersonal skills.
• Strong teamwork and open towards cultural diversity, including different work styles.
• Willingness and ability to professionally navigate and resolve conflict.
• Knowledge of the external environment, including VC and biotech landscape.
• Experience or familiarity working across APAC/China biotech ecosystems and cross-regional collaboration models a plus.

Additional Information

Up to 10% travel (domestic and international).

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

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.

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