Sr. Scientist – Protein Expression Full-time

Lilly Small Molecule Discovery

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.

Discovery Technology and Platforms is a newly established function within this organization. Its mission is to accelerate molecule discovery by building highly optimized foundational platforms, streamlining lab operations through advanced technologies and data connectivity, and intentionally investing in novel technologies and capabilities.

Position Summary:

The position plays an important role within Molecular Biology and Protein Expression in the Foundational Platforms function of Discovery Technology and Platforms to perform construct design and biomass generation to support protein production and structural biology workflows. This role will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies that improve the efficiency, scalability, and fidelity of molecular biology processes, ensuring that downstream teams receive high-quality protein and biologics for discovery purposes.

The ideal candidate will be a technically strong, collaborative, and innovation-driven advisor with deep expertise in protein biochemistry, bioinformatics, biophysics and structure determination. The individual must be experienced in operating in a dynamic, fast-paced research environment, and be passionate about building scalable platforms, leveraging advanced production technologies to boost productivity, and empowering their team to deliver reproducible, high-quality results aligned with broader discovery goals.

Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the expression team (>80% bench time) to support molecular biology workflows; design and produce drug discovery targets and research reagents using prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression systems. This includes cloning, DNA preparation, small scale screening, expression optimization and large-scale fermentation.
• Innovate to develop core technologies and utilize state-of-art technologies to achieve success in delivering needed molecular biology reagents to support drug discovery efforts.
• Develop and implement high-throughput molecular biology strategies that improve turnaround time, reliability, and scalability.
• Partnering closely with other structural biologists, biophysicists, protein biochemists and in vitro pharmacologists to develop integrative approaches and address specific project needs and challenges.
• Drive improvements in data capture, traceability, and quality control through integration with informatics platforms.
• Ensure high standards of data integrity, reproducibility, and documentation across all workflows.
• Mentor and develop team members, fostering a culture of scientific excellence, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

Basic Requirements:

• B.S. or M.S. in Molecular Biology, Synthetic Biology, Biochemistry, or a related field.
• 2+ years of industry experience in molecular biology, protein science, and structural biology, with a strong track record of publications and/or project contributions.
• Strong technical expertise in protein expression systems (bacterial, insect, mammalian) and protein purification.
• Proven experience in high-throughput screening, expression optimization, and large-scale fermentation of recombinant soluble and membrane proteins, including GPCRs.

Additional Preferences:

• Experience with protein characterization and functional assays.
• Strong troubleshooting skills related to protein expression, solubility, and stability.
• Demonstrated leadership of scientific or cross-functional project teams in a discovery research setting.
• Familiarity with LIMS and Benchling systems for workflow tracking and data integration.
• Excellent problem-solving abilities, scientific judgment, and adaptability.
• Strong collaboration, communication, and presentation skills across multidisciplinary teams.
• Passion for platform development, continuous optimization, and operational excellence, with a strong focus on data quality and reproducibility.
• Adaptability and resilience in a fast-paced, evolving research environment.
• Proven ability to lead through empowerment, fostering team ownership and engagement.

Additional Information:

Physical Demands/Travel:

The physical demands of this job are consistent with an office and lab environment. Candidate should be able to lift up to 20 pounds.

This position's work environment is in an office and Laboratory.

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 for further assistance.

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 $84,000 – $179,300. 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).