Solid State Development Lead-SMDD

BioSpace; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 129,000 - 211,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan

Pension

Healthcare benefits

Well-being programs

Job summary

Lilly in Indianapolis, IN is seeking a Solid-State Scientist to join the SMDD team. You will apply solid-state principles to deliver insights for preclinical through commercial drug products, including screening, characterization, and crystallization of small molecules and peptides.

Ideal candidates hold a PhD (or equivalent) with pharma solid-state experience, proficiency with XRPD, DSC, TGA, DVS, and HPLC, and a proven ability to collaborate across chemists, engineers, and formulation

Qualifications

• PhD in physical chemistry or pharmaceutics or related field, or MS with 5+ years in pharma.
• Experience with solid-state science and its impact on product performance.
• Knowledge of solid-state analytical tools and crystallization equipment.

Responsibilities

• Solid-form screening and characterization of drug substances and intermediates.
• Scale up crystallization for small molecules and peptide fragments.
• Collaborate with development teams to solve solid-state problems and optimize processes.
• Document results and maintain lab equipment and safety practices.

Skills

Problem-solving

Communication skills

Prioritization

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Education

PhD in physical science (chemistry/related)

MS with 5+ years experience

Tools

XRPD

DSC

TGA

DVS

HPLC

Easymax

Crystal 16

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 Synthetic Molecule Design and Development (SMDD) organization is responsible for the development of synthetic drug substances and drug products from the pre-clinical phase through commercialization. Our scientists and engineers develop innovative technical solutions to advance an exciting portfolio that includes small molecules, peptides, oligonucleotides, and other emerging therapeutic modalities. By encouraging a hardworking, culturally diverse workforce that exhibits deep technical expertise, SMDD delivers on these responsibilities and helps bring the next generation of life-changing medicines to patients!

SMDD has an exciting opportunity for a solid-state scientist to join our multidisciplinary team of chemists, engineers, and formulation scientists. Empowered by access to world-class capabilities and extensive pharmaceutical development experience, you will help deliver technical solutions that enable deeper understanding of processes and products across the portfolio. Ideal candidates will possess experience in solid-state characterization and form selection in support of pre-clinical studies, clinical studies, drug manufacturing, and drug product design for novel small molecules and new modalities.

Responsibilities

• Solid-form screening and characterization of novel small molecules, peptides, oligonucleotides and intermediates.
• Scale up crystallization of small molecules and peptide fragments.
• Partner with development groups solving complex technical problems related to solid form assessment and particle properties
• Leverage learning agility and problem-solving skills in applying solid-state principles to the delivery of new therapeutic modalities.
• Engage in development of workflows for solid-state integration with automated data analysis.
• Documentation of scientific results.
• Maintain laboratory area and instrumentation related to solid state and process crystallization.
• Demonstrate strong written and verbal communication skills.

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD degree in a physical science (e.g. chemistry), pharmaceutics, or related discipline or Masters degree with 5+ years' experience

Additional Skills/Preferences

• PhD with industry experience
• Understanding of pharmaceutical solid-state science and its impact on drug product performance and manufacturing.
• Familiarity with standard solid-state analytical tools (e.g. XRPD, DSC, TGA, DVS, HPLC) and crystallization equipment (e.g. Easymax, Crystal 16)
• Demonstrated experience with solid form screening including crystallization, salt, and/or cocrystal screening for pharmaceutical solids
• Experience with scale-up crystallization of small molecules or peptides.
• Ability to balance multiple activities, prioritize evolving project needs, and handle ambiguity.

Additional Information

• Possible exposure to chemicals, allergens, and loud noises
• Occasional travel (0 to 10%)
• Position Location: Indianapolis, IN; Lilly Technology Center-North (LTC-N)

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate's education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is $129,000 - $211,200. 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.

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).

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