Remote Director, Medicinal Chemistry – CNS Lead

Eli Lilly and Company; Indianapolis (IN); Remote; USD 153,000 - 290,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan

Pension

Vacation benefits

Medical benefits

Flexible benefits

Life insurance

Time off

Well-being programs

Job summary

Eli Lilly and Company is seeking a Director of Medicinal Chemistry to lead a globally distributed CNS drug-discovery program. The role combines hands‑on science with strategic leadership, coordinating internal chemists, CRO partners, and external consultants to advance small‑molecule and other modalities toward IND readiness.

The position requires a track record of guiding multi‑discipline teams, strong problem-solving, and an emphasis on IP strategy, pharmacology, and ADME, with a remote US

Qualifications

• 10+ years designing small molecules as a medicinal chemistry team leader within a biotech and/or pharmaceutical company.
• Experience of working on CNS targets, and across all stages of discovery (hit‑to‑lead & lead optimisation into IND‑ready candidates).
• Proven ability to lead and motivate teams - including remote and virtual teams - toward aggressive timelines, balancing independent scientific judgment with strong interpersonal and leadership skills.
• Experience of managing outsourced chemistry teams.
• Adaptive problem solver - turn issues into opportunities and translates ideas into solutions, even when the path isn’t clear.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage internal chemistry resources - including staff based at remote sites - alongside dedicated synthetic chemistry teams within CROs, setting priorities, resolving synthetic challenges, and directing the groups toward IND‑ready candidate molecules.
• Serve as the chemistry leader within the broader multi‑disciplinary project team, building strong working relationships and effective communication with colleagues, partners, consultants, and CROs to jointly identify the best path forward.
• Use all available resources to creatively design new molecules which address the target product profile, establish new intellectual property, and progress the project toward time‑based goals
• Make substantial contributions to the development of a chemistry strategy that secures a robust intellectual property position for the company in each area of work
• Analyse SAR within weekly pharmacology & ADME data to identify opportunities for improved molecules, and translate these into tractable designs for molecules with drug‑like properties
• Maintain awareness of competitor activities and current medicinal chemistry developments, and use this effectively to advance internal programs
• Communicate regularly with synthetic team, maintain awareness of all ongoing chemistry and look for opportunities to maximise throughput of test compounds
• Effectively utilise in‑house structure‑based drug design knowledge
• Use compound property computational predictive tools to refine designs
• Present data and clearly articulate ideas for next steps at both chemistry‑focused and cross‑functional TCs, and at ad hoc F2F meetings
• Use evidence from SAR and literature precedent to defend proposed designs, and also be receptive to alternative suggestions
• Express ideas clearly and professionally in written and verbal interactions within the context of project teams and senior management

Skills

Medicinal chemistry

Synthetic chemistry

Pharmacology

ADME

IP protection

Candidate selection

Leadership

Remote team leadership

Education

BS/MS in Chemistry

PhD preferred

Job description

Eli Lilly and Company is seeking a Director of Medicinal Chemistry to lead a globally distributed CNS drug-discovery program. The role combines hands‑on science with strategic leadership, coordinating internal chemists, CRO partners, and external consultants to advance small‑molecule and other modalities toward IND readiness.

The position requires a track record of guiding multi‑discipline teams, strong problem-solving, and an emphasis on IP strategy, pharmacology, and ADME, with a remote US