Scientific Lead, Translational Sciences

BioSpace; New York (NY); On-site; USD 167,000 - 266,000; Full time

Job summary

Lilly's Translational Sciences group seeks a Scientific Lead to advance preclinical and translational biology for oncology candidates. The role emphasizes bench work, biomarker hypothesis development, and cross-functional collaboration with pharmacology, clinical, and regulatory teams.

This lab-based leadership position requires deep molecular biology expertise, strong communication, and the ability to drive strategic experiments from target identification to early clinical considerations.

Qualifications

• The candidate has a Ph.D. with postdoctoral/industry experience in molecular/cell biology.
• Experience in preclinical translational biology and biomarker strategy is preferred.
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Develop, optimize, and validate molecular and mammalian cellular assays.
• Design experiments to evaluate compound effects and resistance mechanisms.
• Translate preclinical findings into actionable biomarker hypotheses.
• Present data in project meetings and drive scientific discussions.
• Mentor junior scientists and contribute to team culture.
• Prepare internal reports and contribute to regulatory documents.

Skills

Molecular biology

Cell biology

Biochemistry

Oncogenic signaling

Immuno-oncology

Data analysis

qRT-PCR

Flow cytometry

Western blotting

Next-generation sequencing

Gene expression

Compound screening

Education

Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology, Biochemistry, or a closely related discipline

M.S. in a relevant discipline with 8+ years of hands-on experience

B.S. in a relevant discipline with 10+ years of hands-on experience

Tools

Vector engineering

Cloning and mutagenesis

MSD

Next-generation sequencing platforms

GraphPad Prism

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.

Position Title

Scientific Lead, Translational Sciences

Location

Alexandria Center for Life Science, New York, NY

Reports To

Senior Director, Translational Sciences

Summary

The Translational Sciences group is a central node in the Lilly Oncology drug discovery organization, with the mission to inform clinical biomarker strategy, clinical development strategy, regulatory filings, life cycle management and to reverse-translate clinical insights to next-generation drug development. Preclinical efforts aim to solidify understanding of therapeutic mechanism, indication and patient selection, dose and schedule, differentiation, resistance mechanisms, rational combination strategies, and adverse event mitigation. This is a lab-based position for an experienced molecular/cell biologist who enjoys working at the bench and applying state-of-the-art technology platforms for the development of small and large molecule therapeutics including ADCs and TCEs. As a Scientific Lead, you will operate with significant scientific independence, serving as a domain expert and key contributor to cross-functional program teams. You interpret experimental results in the context of the broader therapeutic area and target literature, and actively engages with computational, biomarker, clinical, pharmacology, legal, regulatory teams and other closely collaborating functions. Excellent communication skills and a solutions-oriented approach are essential in this dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Roles And Responsibilities

• Develop, optimize, and validate molecular and mammalian cellular assays to address mechanistic and functional questions in preclinical studies.
• Design and execute experiments to evaluate compound effects, identify rational combination partners, and investigate drug resistance mechanisms.
• Translate preclinical findings into actionable biomarker hypotheses and combination strategies including suitable patient segments to advance programs into and through clinical development.
• Represent Translational Sciences in project team meetings; present data, interpret results in a therapeutic context, and drive scientific discussion.
• Excellent people and communication skills, with a positive, “can-do” attitude in a dynamic, fast-paced team focused on rigorous and cutting-edge science to deliver innovative cancer drugs and provide forward-thinking approaches to advance the Oncology portfolio.
• Prepare high-quality internal reports and contribute to external-facing documents including regulatory submissions and scientific publications.
• Proactively evaluate emerging technologies and service providers to ensure work is conducted with scientific rigor and operational efficiency.
• Continuously advance expertise in the relevant molecular pathways and therapeutic area, maintaining awareness of developments from target identification through clinical trials.
• Mentor junior scientists and contribute to the scientific culture of the Translational Sciences team.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology, Biochemistry, or a closely related discipline with 2+ years of postdoctoral, research, or industry experience; OR
• M.S. in a relevant discipline with 8+ years of hands‑on experience in a biopharmaceutical setting; OR
• B.S. in a relevant discipline with 10+ years of hands‑on experience in a biopharmaceutical setting.

Technical Competencies

• Proven track record in developing, executing, and troubleshooting molecular and cellular assays; experience engineering cell models to modulate gene expression and interrogate cellular signal transduction pathways; experience with primary cell or immune co-culture systems is a plus
• Proficiency with core molecular biology techniques: vector engineering, cloning and mutagenesis, qRT-PCR, ELISA, MSD, Western blotting, next-generation sequencing platforms, and flow cytometry (FACS).
• Strong quantitative and statistical analysis skills; experience with curve-fitting and data analysis software (e.g., GraphPad Prism).
• Experience in oncogenic signaling, tumor cell metabolism and immuno-oncology is preferred; epigenetic platform analyses, inflammatory diseases are a plus.

Additional Preferences

• Highly organized with rigorous documentation practices and the ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; effective across all organizational levels including colleagues, scientific advisors, clinical teams, and external partners.
• Demonstrated commitment to staying current with scientific advances in targeted oncology — from target identification through human clinical trials.
• Collaborative, thoughtful listener who values diverse scientific perspectives and contributes to a positive team culture.
• Self-motivated, enthusiastic, and proactive in identifying process improvements and resolving scientific or operational challenges

Additional Information

• This is an On-site position in New York, NY
• 5 days a week; primarily laboratory based

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 $166,500 - $266,200. 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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