Senior Director, Emerging + Portfolio Scientific Communications

Eli Lilly and Company; Indianapolis (IN); Hybrid; USD 155,000 - 227,000; Full time

Job summary

Lilly in Indianapolis seeks a Senior Director, Emerging + Portfolio Scientific Communications to lead platform-level narratives for genetic medicines and new modalities, and to shape executive speeches and storytelling for senior R&D and corporate leaders. This role partners with the CSO and BU Leaders to develop compelling narratives that travel across the enterprise.

Reporting to the AVP, Scientific Innovation Communications, the role integrates with Global Communications, manages agency

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in communications, science, public relations, or related field.
• 10+ years of communications experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, or healthcare environments.
• Authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Responsibilities

• Develop platform narratives for Lilly's emerging science portfolio and establish category-level storytelling.
• Create executive speeches, presentations, and storytelling modules for senior leaders.
• Build reusable storytelling modules for enterprise-wide use and ensure alignment with data-driven narratives.

Skills

Emerging science

Genetic medicines

Executive storytelling

Strategic counsel

Editorial judgment

Media relations

Reusable storytelling

Executive presence

Education

Bachelor's degree

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.

The Senior Director, Emerging + Portfolio Scientific Communications leads two connected areas of work: building the communications strategy for Lilly's next-generation science platforms and helping to tell the stories that define how Lilly's science is understood at the highest levels. On the emerging science side, this role owns the narrative for Lilly's genetic medicines (siRNA, gene therapies, in vivo genome editing), novel modalities, platforms, new focus areas and white-space scientific exploration. This is category-creation work: architecting how the world understands Lilly's emerging science capabilities, not as a pipeline segment, but as a defining feature of the company's identity. On the portfolio storytelling side, this role partners with the AVP, Scientific Innovations Communications, Chief Scientific Officer, BU Leaders, and LRL Leadership Team to develop the speeches, presentations, and storytelling modules that travel across the enterprise and shape how Lilly's early and current scientific portfolios are perceived externally. This is not a design execution role. Design and creative production resources will come through partnership with the Global Comms Strategy, Innovation and Operations team. This is a strategic communications leader who is passionate about science and thrives in shaping how it is presented to the world, ensuring that every high-stakes external engagement reflects both scientific rigor and narrative clarity. Reporting to the AVP, Scientific Innovation Communications, this leader serves as a critical integrator across the Scientific Innovation Communications function. The role requires a rare communicator who combines deep scientific fluency with the strategic instinct to build platform-level narratives and the editorial judgment to shape how Lilly’s senior leaders present the science externally.

Key Objectives / Deliverables

• PLATFORM NARRATIVE STRATEGY: Help to develop the overarching communications strategy for Lilly's emerging science portfolio. Build platform-level narratives (e.g., 'genetic medicines,' platform/new modalities,' infectious disease,’ etc.) that establish Lilly's scientific leadership independent of any single asset.
• EXECUTIVE STORYTELLING AND PRESENTATIONS: Support the development of executive speeches, presentations, and storytelling modules for the Chief Scientific Officer, BU Leaders, and LRL Leadership Team. Partner with the Global Comms Strategy, Innovation and Operations team for design and creative production.
• ENTERPRISE SCIENTIFIC NARRATIVE: Develop reusable storytelling modules that travel across the enterprise, equipping leaders and communicators across Global Communications with the building blocks to tell Lilly's science story consistently and compellingly. Support storytelling for LRL and R&D achievements, building narrative modules that can be adapted for media, scientific, and other external audiences.
• SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY AND CONGRESS ENGAGEMENT: Drive communications strategy for emerging science at key scientific forums. Develop early-stage narrative to build awareness and credibility.
• COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE AND PROACTIVE POSITIONING: Monitor the competitive landscape across new areas of our scientific interest and focus. Develop proactive positioning and messaging frameworks that define the category on Lilly's terms.
• MEDIA RELATIONS: Develop media strategy for emerging science landmarks and platform stories. Build relationships with journalists covering genetic medicines, biotech innovation, and the future of drug development.
• CROSS-PILLAR PARTNERSHIP: Work closely with the Global Data Storytelling Communications and Global Consumer Science Communications pillars to ensure emerging science narratives and executive storytelling are grounded in the latest data and aligned with consumer-facing narrative strategy.
• TEAM LEADERSHIP: Lead and develop the Associate Director, Emerging + Portfolio Science, the cross-pillar Scientific Innovations Manager (P1-P3) and Associate Director, LRL Internal Communications. Manage agency partners and external resources. Supply to the talent pipeline for the broader Scientific Innovation Communications team.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in communications, science, public relations, or related field
• 10+ years of communications experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, or healthcare environments
• 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.

Additional Skills / Preferences

• Demonstrated expertise in emerging science, genetic medicines, new modalities, and other related communications
• Experience developing executive presentations, speeches, and narrative frameworks for senior R&D or C-suite leaders
• Proven experience navigating high-stakes communications in emerging or novel therapeutic spaces
• Experience providing strategic counsel to senior R&D executives
• Deep understanding of the scientific landscape
• Exceptional ability to translate highly complex scientific concepts into compelling narratives for diverse audiences
• Proven record of building platform-level or category-creation narratives, not just asset-specific messaging
• Strong editorial judgment and the ability to shape how science is presented at the executive level, from narrative arc to final content
• Experience developing reusable storytelling frameworks and modules for enterprise-wide use
• Familiarity with the evolving regulatory, investor, and payer perspectives on genetic and regenerative medicines, infectious diseases, oncology and other interesting scientific topics
• Strong media relations skills, particularly with science and biotech journalists
• Proactive, anticipatory attitude capable of building narratives years ahead of late-stage readouts
• Content with ambiguity and the rigor to communicate emerging science responsibly without overcommitting on timelines
• Strong executive presence and credibility across R&D, commercial, and corporate collaborator audiences

Additional Information

• Location: Indianapolis, IN preferred. Remote candidates will be considered for the right experience. Hybrid work schedule for Indianapolis-based candidates. Domestic travel expected (15-25%).

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

$154,500 - $226,600

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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