Director Senior Director - Target Validation

About This Role

This role is for a Director or Senior Director of New Target Validation within Discovery Immunology, focusing on autoimmune diseases. The successful candidate will guide biological strategy and translational readiness for projects, steering target identification through mechanistic validation. It suits a seasoned drug developer with deep scientific judgment in functional genomics, phenotypic and mechanistic discovery, and physiologically relevant primary human model systems.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the end-to-end strategy for new target validation, spanning genetic perturbation, pathway deconvolution, cellular pharmacology, and translational model design
• Drive innovation through the development of novel human systems for target validation (Organs-on-chip, ex vivo human model systems, IPSC, HSC engineering)
• Integrate multimodal profiling (imaging, transcriptomics, cytokine and proteomics readouts) generated across internal and external partners to strengthen human disease relevance and predictive validity
• Communicate workplans that drive scientific decision-making across multidisciplinary project teams to ensure robust biological rationale, mechanism-of-action understanding, and data-supported progression criteria
• Train discovery biologists in molecular biology designs and building functional assays
• Guide cross-functional project teams through influence across a matrixed organization

Requirements

• Molecular Genetics and Immunology
• 8-10 years of drug development experience, with a strong focus including research on asthma, atopic dermatitis, and rheumatologic diseases

Nice to have:

• Demonstrated leadership in developing high-performing teams by coaching, mentoring, and empowering diverse talent to grow in capability, influence, and leadership impact
• Proven track record of generating data packages that increase mechanism-of-action confidence, target engagement requirements for advancing validated targets into lead generation/candidate selection
• Strong interpersonal skills and a demonstrated ability to make data-driven decisions and find innovative solutions to overcome scientific and operational obstacles within matrix environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate upward to senior leadership and governance and to present complex information

About the Company

Lilly is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with over 50,000 employees globally. The company focuses on discovering and delivering life-changing medicines, strengthening health understanding and management, and supporting communities.