Principal Scientist - ADME

BioSpace; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 69,000 - 196,000; Full time

Job summary

Lilly is seeking a Principal Scientist - ADME in Indianapolis to lead bioanalytical and DDI studies with external partners. You will oversee CRO work, ensure timely, within-budget delivery, and apply AI/automation tools for efficient data handling while maintaining strict data privacy policies.

The role emphasizes scientific leadership, vendor governance, and cross-functional collaboration with quality, finance, and internal scientific teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific field required.
• 7+ years in lab, CRO, or pharma ops with vendor oversight.
• Experience reviewing bioanalytical, DMPK, or DDI data and communicating concerns.
• Authorized to work in the United States full-time; no visa sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Lead bioanalytical and DDI studies with external partners and track progress.
• Manage study requests and vendor deliverables from intake to quality review.
• Provide scientific oversight of CRO work and ensure data quality before acceptance.
• Conduct annual vendor reviews and drive corrective actions with quality teams.
• Ensure studies are delivered on time, within budget, and within scope.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Communication

Biopharma operations

Education

Bachelor's degree in scientific field

Advanced degree

7+ years experience in lab/CRO/pharma ops

Tools

Smartsheet

SciQuery

SAP Fiori

Analyst

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, self‑less 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.

The Role

As a Principal Scientist - ADME, you will help advance Lilly’s ADME discovery portfolio by leading critical bioanalytical, drug‑drug interaction (DDI), and project oversight activities with external research partners. Within SLOT (Scientific Logistics and Oversight Team), you will manage CRO partnerships, provide scientific oversight of vendor work, keep studies on time, on budget, and in scope, and apply approved AI and automation tools to improve efficiency and data quality.

What You’ll Do

Scientific Leadership of CRO Studies

• Lead bioanalytical and Drug‑Drug Interaction (DDI) studies with external research partners, tracking progress in Smartsheet and resolving issues as they arise.
• Manage study requests and vendor deliverables from intake through quality review.
• Provide scientific oversight of CRO work, reviewing assay performance, data packages, deviations, and study reports to confirm results meet scientific and quality standards before acceptance.
• Conduct annual scientific reviews of assigned vendors, escalating technical or data‑quality concerns, and partner with scientists and quality teams to drive corrective action.
• Ensure studies and contracts are delivered on time, within budget, and to scope: reconcile vendor invoices, confirm study completion before approval, and report on spend to stakeholders.
• Partner with quality, finance, project leadership, and internal scientific teams to support vendor oversight and compliance.

Project Management and Vendor Strategy

• Contribute to operational metrics, dashboards, and reporting to monitor performance and identify process improvements.
• Apply approved AI and automation tools to streamline data review and reporting, with human review and in line with Lilly's data privacy and responsible AI policies.
• Reconcile vendor commitments against actual utilization and support vendor governance, including performance reviews and contract renewals.
• Build strong vendor relationships and share clear operational summaries and presentations with internal stakeholders.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree, preferably in a scientific field (e.g., chemistry, biochemistry, biology, pharmaceutical sciences).
• 7+ years of experience in a laboratory, CRO, or pharmaceutical operations setting, including vendor oversight.
• Experience reviewing bioanalytical, DMPK, or DDI study data and reports, and communicating concerns to vendors and internal partners.
• 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a scientific field.
• Experience in ADME, bioanalysis, or drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK), including in vitro and in vivo study types.
• Familiarity with LC‑MS bioanalytical platforms and software (e.g., Analyst, Watson) and CRO data delivery workflows.
• Experience with CRO oversight and sponsor‑vendor interactions, including budget and invoice management, performance monitoring, and process improvement.
• Project management certification (i.e. PMP) and demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent projects/programs to meet deliverable timelines.
• Proficiency with data management tools such as SciQuery, SAP Fiori, and Smartsheet, and familiarity with RRL data loading and enterprise scientific data platforms.
• Familiarity with applying AI and automation tools (e.g., generative AI assistants, workflow automation) to improve data management, reporting, and vendor oversight.
• Ability to produce high‑quality written documentation including SOPs, job aids, reports, and executive‑level summaries.
• Excellent problem‑solving, organization, and follow‑through, with strong written and verbal communication and cross‑functional collaboration skills.

Travel

Up to 10%

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 $69,000 - $195,800

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