Senior Advisor, Clinical Science (remote)

100 Eli Lilly and Company; United States; Remote; USD 168,000 - 284,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan

Health benefits

Vacation benefits

Flexible benefits

Job summary

Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, seeks a Senior Advisor, Clinical Science to provide scientific leadership for early-stage (Phase 1/2) trials in orexin-targeted programs related to neurodegeneration and neuropsychiatric indications.

You will lead cross-functional teams, design studies, review safety/PK/ biomarker data, and mentor junior scientists while collaborating with Regulatory, Biostatistics, and Translational Science to deliver high-quality

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in science/clinical field with PhD or PharmD preferred.
• 8–10 years in clinical research or development in biotech/pharma.
• Strong neuroscience/neurology foundation; experience in neurodegeneration/neuropsychiatric indications desired.
• Experience leading development and authorship of clinical and regulatory documents.

Responsibilities

• Serve as clinical scientist lead on one or more early-stage trials (Phase 1/2) for Orexin-targeted programs.
• Contribute to clinical development plan strategy, study design, dose-escalation strategies, and data interpretation.
• Lead development and review of key documents (protocols, IBs, CSRs, regulatory briefs).
• Lead study medical/scientific activities from start-up to CSR completion and data interpretation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure high-quality, timely trial delivery.

Skills

Clinical trial design

Neurodegeneration expertise

Data interpretation

Cross-functional leadership

Scientific writing

Orexin biology knowledge

Education

PhD or PharmD

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.

Overview

Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, is a clinical-stage company developing orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonists as a new class of medicines for the treatment of narcolepsy and potentially other sleep-wake disorders. Centessa’s lead investigational candidate – cleminorexton (formerly ORX750) – is being developed for narcolepsy type 1, narcolepsy type 2, and idiopathic hypersomnia. Centessa's OX2R agonist portfolio includes additional clinical and preclinical-stage assets with potential utility across a broader range of neurological, neurodegenerative, and neuropsychiatric conditions. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Centessa was recognized as a Great Place to Work® in 2026. Centessa is seeking an Senior Advisor, Clinical Science to provide scientific and clinical leadership for the design, execution, and interpretation of early-stage (Phase 1/2) clinical trials for our Orexin-targeted programs in neurodegeneration and neuropsychiatric indications. This individual will serve as a scientific leader and key cross-functional partner to Clinical Development, Clinical Operations, Translational Science, Regulatory Affairs, Biostatistics, and Safety/Pharmacovigilance, with significant responsibility for study-level scientific strategy and execution.

Responsibilities

• Serve as clinical scientist lead on one or more early-stage (Phase 1/2) clinical trials for Orexin-targeted programs in neurodegeneration and/or neuropsychiatric indications.
• Contribute to clinical development plan strategy, including study design, dose-escalation/titration strategy, and data interpretation.
• Lead the development, authorship, and review of key clinical and cross-functional documents, including protocols, amendments, investigator brochures, eCRFs, completion guidelines, SAP/TLF shells, and regulatory briefing materials.
• Serve as study medical/scientific lead from study start-up through clinical study report completion, including CRF design, enrollment monitoring, and patient profile review.
• Drive dose-escalation and study conduct discussions through real-time review and interpretation of emerging safety, PK/PD, and biomarker data.
• Provide scientific leadership and recommendations in data review meetings, safety review committees, governance forums, and cross-functional team discussions.
• Serve as a core scientific leader on cross-functional program/study teams, partnering closely with Clinical Operations, Translational Science, Regulatory Affairs, Biostatistics, and Safety/Pharmacovigilance.
• Drive alignment and execution across functions to support high-quality, timely study delivery.
• Collaborate with Translational and Preclinical teams to integrate biomarker and mechanistic hypotheses into clinical studies and broader development strategy.
• Proactively identify and address scientific, operational, and strategic risks and gaps.
• Lead ongoing review and interpretation of clinical data, including safety, efficacy, PK/PD, and exploratory biomarkers.
• Develop clear scientific insights and recommendations to inform clinical development strategy and decision-making.
• Contribute to regulatory submissions, health authority responses, internal governance materials, and external scientific communications.
• Support preparation of abstracts, posters, manuscripts, and presentations for scientific meetings and publications.
• Provide scientific leadership in interactions with investigators, CROs, vendors, and external experts to support high-quality trial execution.
• Lead or support investigator meetings and scientific training sessions.
• Represent clinical science in interactions with key opinion leaders and scientific advisory boards in neurodegeneration and neuropsychiatric disease areas.
• Ensure strong organization, follow-through, and proactive management of deliverables across assigned studies and workstreams.
• Mentor and support the development of junior clinical scientists (scope dependent on level).

Basic Qualifications

• Advanced scientific/clinical degree (PhD or PharmD strongly preferred)
• 8-10 years of experience in clinical research or clinical development within the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.
• Strong scientific foundation in neuroscience/neurology required; experience in neurodegeneration and/or neuropsychiatric indications strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with Orexin biology or related sleep/wake and neurocircuitry mechanisms a plus.
• Deep understanding of clinical trial design, clinical data analysis, and drug development principles, with direct experience leading or supporting early-phase (Phase 1/2) clinical trials.
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead complex scientific workstreams and influence cross-functional teams in a fast-paced biotech environment.
• Proven experience leading the development and authorship of clinical and regulatory documents (e.g., protocols, IBs, CSRs, briefing documents).
• Strong analytical and scientific interpretation skills, including the ability to synthesize emerging clinical, safety, and biomarker data into actionable insights.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly communicate complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences.

Work Location

The Senior Advisor, Clinical Science role is a remote role based in the US, with occasional travel.

Compensation & Benefits

The anticipated wage for this position is $168,000 - $283,800 Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance).

• 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.

At Lilly we strive to ensure our employees are part of a team that cares about them and our shared purpose of making life better for those around the world. How do we do this? We continue to look for ways to include, innovate, accelerate and deliver while maintaining integrity, excellence and respect for people. We hope that you seek to join us on our journey as we create medicine and deliver improved outcomes for patients across the globe!

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