Senior Director, Global Data Storytelling Communications

Eli Lilly and Company; Indianapolis (IN); Hybrid; USD 154,500 - 226,600; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus

Comprehensive benefit program

401(k) and pension

Job summary

Eli Lilly and Company is seeking a Senior Director, Global Data Storytelling Communications, to lead communications across the scientific lifecycle. This role is crucial for crafting the narrative around Lilly's R&D pipeline and requires extensive experience in strategic communications and media relations.

The ideal candidate will work closely with senior leadership and manage a data communications team. This position is based in Indianapolis, IN, offering a hybrid work schedule, with expected travel of 20-30%.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of communications experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, or healthcare environments.
• Experience leading large, matrixed communications teams.
• Strong judgment in high-pressure situations.

Responsibilities

• Own the overarching data narrative for Lilly’s R&D pipeline.
• Serve as a trusted strategic partner to LRL and TA teams.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team.

Skills

Strategic communications

Media relations

Team leadership

Scientific expertise

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in communications, science, public relations, 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.

The Senior Director, Global Data Storytelling Communications, is the senior communications leader accountable for driving consistency, quality, and strategic impact across the full scientific lifecycle, from pre‑clinical research through Phase 3 readouts.

This role is embedded with Lilly Research Laboratories (LRL) counterparts and maintains dotted‑line relationships with Therapeutic Area (TA) business leads, serving as a strategic partner to the Executive Committee and TA Presidents. Reporting to the AVP, Scientific Innovation Communications, the Senior Director leads a data communications team across Lilly’s TAs, from early proof‑of‑concept through pivotal trial results, connected to a single, enterprise‑level science narrative.

The role requires a communicator who can operate at the intersection of scientific depth, executive influence, and narrative strategy, translating sophisticated pipeline achievements into stories that build reputation, strengthen pipeline confidence, and advance business objectives. This leader will set the standard for how Lilly communicates science to the world: proactively, with strategic rigor, and in a way that is unmistakably Lilly.

Key Objectives / Deliverables

• Strategic Leadership and Narrative Architecture: Own the overarching data narrative for Lilly’s R&D pipeline across Lilly therapeutic areas, ensuring every data readout, congress disclosure, and publication reinforces the enterprise science story. Establish and maintain a consistent data release playbook across TAs so that quality, ambition, and voice are uniform regardless of therapeutic area.
• Executive Partnership and Influence: Serve as a trusted strategic partner to LRL and our TA teams, providing communications counsel that shapes how Lilly’s science is understood by investors, media, policymakers, and the scientific community. Prepare senior leaders for high‑stakes engagements including major data landmarks, major congresses, and media interactions.
• Data, Congress and Publications Strategy: Help build the enterprise congress strategy, ensuring Lilly’s scientific presence at major medical meetings is coordinated, high‑impact, and reflects a unified Lilly point of view. Support our TA publications strategies in partnership with medical affairs and TA leads, ensuring relevant peer‑reviewed data supports the broader corporate narrative.
• Team Leadership and Talent Development: Lead, mentor, and develop a team. Set the operating standards, cultural tone, and performance expectations for the pillar. Recruit and retain communicators who combine scientific proficiency with strategic ambition and creative instinct.
• Cross‑Pillar and Enterprise Integration: Coordinate closely with the Global Consumer Science Communications and Emerging + Portfolio Scientific Communications pillars to ensure data narratives flow into consumer‑facing storytelling, executive presentations, and enterprise reputation strategy. Partner with Issues Management, Investor Relations, Business Development Communications, and Public Affairs to align messaging across collaborator audiences.
• Media Strategy and Storytelling: Develop and implement proactive media strategy for pipeline landmarks, ensuring Lilly’s scientific leadership is reflected in priority media coverage. Build relationships with key science and health journalists. Ensure data communications drive narrative penetration, share of scientific voice, and positive‑to‑neutral sentiment.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, science, public relations, or related field
• 12+ Years of communications experience, with significant depth 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 experience leading large, matrixed communications teams across multiple therapeutic areas or business functions
• Consistent record of strategic counsel to C‑suite or senior executive audiences
• Experience developing and implementing communications strategies around clinical data, regulatory landmarks, and scientific congresses. Scientific expertise and prowess required.
• Deep understanding of the drug development lifecycle from pre‑clinical through regulatory approval and the communications implications at each stage
• Fluency across multiple therapeutic areas with the ability to synthesize cross‑TA narratives into enterprise‑level stories
• Exceptional media relations skills, including experience with top‑tier business, science, and health journalists
• Proven record of building and scaling high‑performing teams, including recruiting for rare‑profile roles that combine scientific and communications expertise
• Strong judgment in high‑pressure, ambiguous situations with incomplete information
• Proactive, anticipatory mindset with the ability to see around corners and shape narratives before competitors define them
• Experience with congress strategy, publications planning, and investor communications
• Able to operate at the intersection of science, business, and reputation with the ability to translate across all three

Additional Information

• Location: Indianapolis, IN. Hybrid work schedule for Indianapolis‑based candidates. Domestic and international travel expected (20‑30%).

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.

#WeAreLilly