Sr Director, ExploR&D Clinical Operations West Coast

Company: Eli Lilly and Company
Location: San Francisco
Posted on: January 26, 2026

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 Lilly Catalyze360 is Lilly's comprehensive approach to enabling the early-stage biotech ecosystem by democratizing access to infrastructure, expertise, and resources. Through its interconnected pillars—Lilly Ventures, Lilly Gateway Labs, Lilly ExploR&D, and Lilly TuneLabs—Catalyze360 strategically removes barriers that traditionally block bold science from becoming life-changing medicines, providing biotechs with flexible combinations of capital, physical lab space, R&D capabilities, AI/ML tools, and decades of enterprise learning. Lilly ExploR&D is a team of drug discovery and development experts who partner with biotechs from discovery through clinical proof-of-concept, putting Lilly's industry-leading capabilities behind their missions. We provide flexible support—from strategic consulting to full program execution—making it faster, easier, and more capital-efficient for innovators to transform bold science into life-changing medicines. Job Summary The Senior Director, ExploR&D Clinical Operations West Coast role serves as the clinical technical lead and strategic partner for cross-functional teams, biotech collaborators, and Lilly stakeholders in advancing breakthrough biotechnology initiatives. This role focuses on high-level consulting to enhance efficiency, innovation, and strategic execution of clinical plans and trial designs across the ExploR&D external pipeline. The Senior Director develops optimized clinical strategies by conducting comprehensive feasibility assessments using proprietary tools and databases. Additionally, this role provides expert guidance to clinical directors and project teams from trial conception through start-up, advising on optimal clinical approaches, risk mitigation strategies, and operational best-practices that drive competitive advantage and accelerate development timelines. A critical component of this role is serving as the primary clinical operations bridge between the US West Coast office and China ExploR&D office, providing expert guidance and hands-on problem-solving support for China-based studies requiring specialized intervention or strategic course correction. Key Responsibilities Act as technical clinical operations leader on due diligence assessments for external assets, evaluating potential fit for Lilly clinical partnership. Develop and execute integrated clinical operations plans and strategies designed through feasibility assessments for early phase assets, from first in human studies through clinical proof of concept. Drive operational excellence and innovation in partnered asset plans by influencing key decisions on study design, geographic strategies, site selection, CRO partnerships, and PSM rates to optimize efficiency and delivery. Provide clinical technical expertise to the clinical operations team to assess clinical study progress, develop mitigation action plans, and resolve barriers to meeting committed milestone dates. Serve as the escalation point and expert resource for the China ExploR&D team and China biotech sponsors, providing hands-on clinical operations support to resolve sophisticated challenges, rescue underperforming studies, and implement corrective action plans for trials not meeting enrollment, quality, or timeline expectations in China and Asia-PAC regions. Lead development and implementation of ExploR&D Clinical SOPs and corresponding checklists, ensuring appropriate linkages to Lilly Standards. Champion adoption of new Lilly and ExploR&D clinical capabilities to enhance portfolio delivery and operational efficiency. Recruit, manage, develop, and mentor clinical operations personnel, fostering a high-performance culture and building organizational capability. Basic Qualifications/Requirements Education : Bachelor's degree (preference in a science field) from an accredited college or university. 8 years work experience directly managing clinical studies with emphasis on early phase and outsourced trials. 2 years of experience implementing clinical trials in China. Fluent in Mandarin (Written and Speaking). Additional Skills/Preferences Advanced degrees and/or additional degrees in finance, accounting, legal, or MBA preferred. Strong leadership abilities, strategic thinking, and entrepreneurial mindset. Demonstrated success in clinical planning development and clinical feasibility assessments. Proven track record troubleshooting and recovering challenged clinical trials, with ability to quickly assess root causes and implement effective corrective actions. Strong cross-cultural communication and influence skills with experience navigating complex stakeholder environments across geographies. Additional Information Frequent international travel to China/Asia-PAC and domestic travel required to support partner trials and provide on-the-ground operational expertise. Remote will be considered only if candidate is located in Pacific time zone 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 $156,000 - $228,800 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

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