Senior Advisor, Regulatory Starting Material

BioSpace; Indiana; On-site; USD 153,000 - 268,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Pension

Vacation

Medical benefits

Flexible benefits

Life insurance

Well-being benefits

Job summary

Centessa is seeking a Senior Advisor, Regulatory Starting Material to lead strategy, justification, and regulatory positioning for Regulatory Starting Materials in drug substance manufacturing for late-stage clinical and commercial programs. Reporting to the Vice President, CMC, this role serves as SME on RSM selection across routes, ensuring GMP starting points are defensible and aligned with readiness.

You will collaborate with Process Chemistry, Analytical Development, Regulatory Affairs,

Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of ICH Q11 and regional guidance for starting materials.
• Experience authoring and defending CMC regulatory submissions and interacting with authorities.
• Strong background in synthetic/process chemistry with material-scale perspective.

Responsibilities

• Lead identification, justification, and regulatory strategy for Regulatory Starting Materials across routes.
• Manage starting material resupply and scale-up, including forecasting and scheduling.
• Author and review CMC content related to RSM for INDs/NDAs/MAAs.
• Lead health authority interactions and prepare briefing packages.
• Collaborate with Process Chemistry and Analytical Development to evaluate routes and impurity strategies.
• Define GMP/non-GMP boundaries for drug substance processes and oversee tech transfer.
• Manage CMOs and raw material suppliers with oversight and continuidad programs.
• Monitor regulatory guidance updates and translate to internal strategies.

Skills

CMC regulatory strategy

Regulatory submissions

Health authority meetings

Leadership & mentoring

ICH Q11 knowledge

Process Chemistry collaboration

Regulatory starting materials

GMP knowledge

Communication skills

Education

PhD strongly preferred

Advanced degree in chemistry or related field

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.

Position Summary

Centessa is currently seeking a Senior Advisor, Regulatory Starting Material. The individual in this Associate Director level role will lead the strategy, justification, and regulatory positioning of Regulatory Starting Materials for drug substance manufacturing processes supporting late-stage clinical and commercial programs. Reporting to the Vice President, CMC, this role will serve as the internal and external subject matter expert on RSM selection in accordance with ICH Q11 and applicable regional guidance, ensuring synthetic routes, GMP starting points, and supply strategies are scientifically sound, regulatorily defensible, and aligned with commercial manufacturing readiness. This individual will partner closely with Process Chemistry, Analytical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, and external manufacturing partners to build and defend RSM strategy through health authority interactions and regulatory submissions.

• Lead the identification, justification, and regulatory strategy for Regulatory Starting Materials across drug substance synthetic routes, in accordance with ICH Q11 and relevant regional guidance/reflection papers.
• Actively manage the starting material resupply campaigns and scale-up efforts, including on-going inventory, production forecast, manufacturing timing, production suite slot reservations, and contracting.
• Author and review CMC regulatory submission content related to RSM selection and justification (e.g., Module 3 sections, briefing documents, agency responses) in support of INDs/NDAs /MAAs.
• Prepare and lead health authority interactions (e.g., Type C meetings, scientific advice procedures) related to starting material strategy; develop briefing packages and represent the company in agency discussions.
• Partner with Process Chemistry and Analytical Development to evaluate synthetic routes, assess structural relevance of candidate starting materials, and support impurity fate-and-purge and risk assessments that inform RSM designation.
• Define and document the boundary between non-GMP and GMP manufacturing steps for drug substance processes, ensuring alignment with CMOs and internal quality standards.
• Lead technology transfer and process changes affecting RSM designation as programs advance from late-stage clinical development toward commercial manufacturing.
• Manage relationships with drug substance/API CMOs and RSM suppliers, including technical oversight, site visits, and support for supplier qualification and dual-sourcing strategies.
• Monitor evolving global regulatory guidance and agency precedent on starting material selection; translate changes into updated internal strategy, templates, and risk assessments.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Regulatory Affairs, Quality, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing to ensure RSM strategy supports program timelines, submission readiness, and commercial supply continuity.
• Support due diligence activities (e.g., licensing, partnering) requiring assessment of drug substance manufacturing routes and starting material risk.
• Provide subject matter expertise during regulatory inspections and audits related to drug substance manufacturing and starting material justification.
• Build, lead, and mentor a team supporting RSM and drug substance CMC strategy activities (scope dependent on level).
• Domestic and international travel required (approximately 10-20%).

Minimum Qualifications

• Advanced degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, or a related field; PhD strongly preferred.
• 7+ years of relevant experience in CMC, process chemistry or drug substance/API development and manufacturing, including demonstrated leadership of starting material or CMC regulatory strategy programs.
• Demonstrated experience supporting late-stage clinical and/or commercial drug substance programs.
• Deep working knowledge of ICH Q11 and applicable regional guidance/expectations governing the selection and justification of Regulatory Starting Materials.
• Demonstrated experience authoring and defending CMC regulatory submission content, including direct experience in health authority interactions related to starting material or drug substance manufacturing strategy.
• Strong background in synthetic/process chemistry, with the ability to critically evaluate route scouting, impurity control strategy, and structural relevance arguments for candidate starting materials.
• Experience managing relationships with drug substance/API CMOs and raw material suppliers, including batch record reviews and overarching manufacturing oversight.
• Working knowledge of cGMP requirements as they apply to drug substance manufacturing and the GMP/non-GMP boundary.
• Experience supporting technology transfer of drug substance processes from clinical to commercial scale preferred.
• Strong leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and scientific writing/communication skills; exercises judgment within broadly defined practices and policies in determining solutions and actions.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and address starting material-related risks that could jeopardize regulatory timelines, supply, or overall program success.

Work Location

The Senior Advisor, Regulatory Starting Material role is based in the US, with occasional travel. 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.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement

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.

Employee Resource Groups

Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees.

• 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)
• Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL)

Compensation and Benefits

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is $153,000 - $268,400. 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
• 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.