Associate Vice President, Medicinal Chemistry

Location: Louisville
Posted on: June 23, 2025

Job Description:

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world. Overview: The Lilly Small Molecule Discovery group is an organization purpose-built to create molecules that make life better for people. We focus on using cutting edge science to unlock new approaches that can treat people suffering from diseases with poor treatment options. We continually challenge ourselves to deliver molecules that can provide breakthrough efficacy with the highest possible safety margins. We are dedicated to optimizing our mindset, technology, and processes for faster, more nimble execution. Our success is built on a culture that empowers innovative problem solving through open collaboration and individual accountability. Position Summary: The Advanced Molecule Design team’s mission is to optimize lead molecules to strong drug candidates that become breakthrough medicines. We are searching for a deeply experienced and engaged Medicinal Chemistry leader to lead all aspects of our global medicinal chemistry team focused on discovering new medicines in oncology, immunology, pain, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and obesity. This is a position for a seasoned drug hunter with a track record of success in leading teams to discovering and advancing clinical candidates and approved drugs. To be successful, this leader will need to cultivate a strong team of med chem leaders and scientists into an organization that excels at solving tough med chem challenges in novel and/or hard-to-drug chemical spaces. We are looking for an innovative leader with a strong growth mindset who can continue to evolve the skill of the Medicinal Chemistry team to embrace new challenges. Being able to foster a highly collaborative culture that rewards teamwork and individual growth and accountability is essential. Key Responsibilities: Lead with a high degree of integrity and professionalism Build a highly effective team of medicinal chemistry leaders and scientists that can succeed against a broad portfolio of targets across a range of modalities and therapeutic areas. Work closely with other molecule discovery and therapeutic area leaders to advance a portfolio of molecules from leads to quality drug candidates with a strong potential to become breakthrough drugs. Direct mentorship of medicinal chemistry directors and their associated med chem leaders. Engage with project teams to ensure critical success factors have been identified and resource the teams to succeed in meeting those objectives. Contribute to a work environment that fosters support, collaboration, professionalism, mutual respect, and focus on creating value for patients Continue to make the organization “Better and Better” Directly mentor leaders, teams and scientists in your organization to embrace and implement AI, automation and new technology that allow the team to broaden their breath of science to deliver on new medicines and the speed with which they deliver results Cultivate a growth mindset within the team and amplify project learnings on key issues improving performance primarily within discovery Directly mentor your lead team to foster a culture of mentorship and accountability where the impact of scientists on project continues to grow Address weak performance or failure to adhere to Lilly cultural standards promptly and effectively Successfully manage external, internal resources and talent recruitment to maximize team’s success Requirements: PhD with minimum of 10 years academic/research/industry exp (may include post-doc experience), MS with 15 years industry/academic/research exp, or BS with 20 years industry/academic/research experience within the pharmaceutical sector. A proved track record of success in leading successful medicinal chemistry teams to advance strong drug candidates to the clinic. Extensive experience in structure-based-design, ADME PK optimization and achieving challenging target product profiles. Additional Information: This is an onsite position located in one of the established Lilly med chem sites in Indianapolis, IN or Louisville, CO or San Diego, CA site. Additional Preferences: Experience across a range of different mechanisms, modalities and therapeutic areas. Broad Organization leadership experience. Physical Demands/Travel: The physical demands of this job are consistent with a lab environment. The physical demands here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the role and responsibilities satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. 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 Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups. Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is $234,000 - $343,200 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. WeAreLilly

Keywords: , Castle Rock , Associate Vice President, Medicinal Chemistry, Science, Research & Development , Louisville, Colorado