Full-Time

Senior Director

Medical Affairs Immunology

Posted on 11/1/2025

Lilly USA

Lilly USA

10,001+ employees

Global pharmaceutical company developing medicines

No salary listed

Toronto, ON, Canada

Hybrid

Category
Biology & Biotech (2)
,
Required Skills
Risk Management
Requirements
  • A minimum of a PhD or MD degree (or equivalent) is required
  • 8+ years of work experience in medical affairs within the pharmaceutical industry
  • Success leading in prior supervisory role(s) and achieving results through others in a manner that demonstrates strong interpersonal and teambuilding skills, ability to develop effective teams with diverse interpersonal styles and ability to deliver effective coaching and feedback
  • Demonstrated evidence of strong communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills
  • Demonstrated ability to influence at all levels in order to create and drive initiatives yielding value and competitive advantage
  • Strong business acumen and ability to leverage business principles within the team while maintaining a corporate view of the portfolio
  • Able to partner cross functionally and network across broad business partners at all levels of the organization
  • Strong problem-solving skills and ability to exercise sound judgement and defend tough positions; able to anticipate and recognize problems, diagnose root causes and take corrective action to prevent recurrence
  • Practical experience and demonstrated ability to think broadly, lead boldly, and manage significant organizational change
Responsibilities
  • Define and execute strategic integration and implementation of Therapeutic Area capabilities across brands within the assigned business unit
  • Partner with leadership to enable strategic and efficient delivery of business plans through coordination of appropriate resources, active management of cross-functional partnerships, and investment in TA and/or brand team health
  • Drive continuous evolution of medical capabilities and ensure ample opportunity for the team to hone leadership skills, deeper medical affairs expertise, and increase scientific depth and agility within and across Therapeutic Areas and/or brands
  • Create a culture of inclusion and innovation that encourages shared learning and the incorporation of best practices and integration across the business unit and its internal partners
  • Ultimately responsible for planning, implementation, and results of strategies and tactics in the Therapeutic Area
  • Actively involved in formulation of overall product strategy working closely with business unit colleagues and actively support activities of marketed products from the medical/scientific viewpoint
  • Act as medical lead to create harmony across all brands in the responsible Therapeutic Area to maximize scientific contribution/presence of Lilly in the area
  • Accountable as medical content owner for all local medical plan, life cycle plan, and portfolio discussion in the area
  • Provide review to external donation, sponsorship, and grant requests in collaboration with medical affairs leadership team
  • Participate in the performance management process for reporting staff members. Provide input into salary administration, talent assessment, and succession planning discussions for reporting staff members. Ensure rigorous development plan is in place for each employee that builds on strengths and grows their skills, including on-the-job opportunities, mentors, and broadening assignments
  • Model appropriate and expected leadership behaviors. Contribute to the development of others by being an active source of coaching and feedback to co-workers
  • Foster a diverse and inclusive leadership mindset where each team member is empowered to be authentic
  • Create an environment that encourages innovation and risk taking, and manage risk at the team and portfolio level
  • Ensure there is a team-based reward and recognition mechanism in place
  • Ensure that appropriate shared learning opportunities are established
  • Identify, attract, and evaluate talent through internal and external networks
  • Remove barriers to delivering exceptional business partner and customer experiences
  • Actively measure and balance team capacity to ensure that TA teams are optimally staffed to deliver launch and lifecycle medical objectives across the business unit
  • Partner with leadership to ensure MA teams have integrated capabilities that leverage individual talents and expertise to deliver on business unit medical objectives and strategic initiatives
  • Partner with the broader medical affairs operations organization (medical information, medical education, MSLs, MSL management, regulatory) to meet requests to support the delivery of holistic and comprehensive MA business objectives
  • Ensure all staff adheres to current policies and procedures and are qualified and trained to perform their responsibilities
  • Communicate with staff regarding expectations of required training courses and ensure that they understand their accountability
  • Support and provide guidance to staff in working through compliance and quality related issues by involvement of appropriate resources
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience in Therapeutic Area of Immunology (dermatology, gastroenterology, rheumatology)
  • Ability to travel away from office, both domestic and international to the degree appropriate to support the business of the team

Lilly is a global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and sells prescription medicines to improve health outcomes. It grows its portfolio through extensive research and development, then manufactures and distributes drugs worldwide to healthcare providers who prescribe them to patients. Lilly’s products span diabetes, cancer, immunology, pain management, and other serious conditions, including diabetes treatments tirzepatide and dulaglutide. The company emphasizes safety, efficacy, and ethical practices, and protects its products from counterfeiting while partnering with organizations such as Team USA. Its approach relies on rigorous R&D, strong manufacturing, and a global distribution network to bring medicines to patients. Lilly’s goal is to help people live better lives by delivering reliable medical solutions through a global, ethical, and quality-focused operation.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Indianapolis, Indiana

Founded

1876

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • International Mounjaro sales jumped to $4.4 billion in Q1 from China's reimbursement list.
  • $4.5 billion Lebanon API plant opens 2027, producing tirzepatide and retatrutide at largest scale.
  • Acquires Scorpion's PI3Kα inhibitor, bolstering oncology pipeline beyond Verzenio.

What critics are saying

  • Novo Nordisk's Wegovy scaling erodes Lilly's US GLP-1 share below 25% into 2027.
  • FDA scrutiny delays Foundayo launch after May 4 hepatic failure, losing $2-3B Q4 revenue.
  • Shareholder demands force independent board chair, dropping stock 10-15% in 12 months.

What makes Lilly USA unique

  • Mounjaro generated $8.66 billion in Q1 2026 sales, surpassing Keytruda as world's best-selling drug.
  • Launched first genetic medicine facility in Lebanon on May 6, 2026, for Alzheimer's and ALS.
  • Partnered with Profluent Bio for up to $2.25 billion AI-driven DNA editing tools on May 5.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Paid Vacation

Flexible Work Hours

Wellness Program

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

-4%

2 year growth

-4%
The Lebanon Reporter
May 7th, 2026
Lilly invests additional $4.5B in LEAP district, opens first genetic medicine facility

Eli Lilly has announced an additional $4.5 billion investment in its Lebanon, Indiana facilities, bringing its total investment in the LEAP Innovation and Research district to $21 billion. The company opened its first Advanced Therapies site on Wednesday, marking the first operational facility in the 9,000-acre LEAP district. The new funding will support Lilly's Advanced Therapies laboratory and an active pharmaceutical ingredient facility expected to open in 2027. The Advanced Therapies site is Lilly's first dedicated genetic medicine manufacturing facility, focusing on molecular-level research for diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS. Lilly is developing three facilities across 800 acres in LEAP, including a Medicine Foundry. The Advanced Therapies facility aims to accelerate delivery of breakthrough genetic medicines to patients.

AI Software Services
May 5th, 2026
Unlocking AI innovation in finance medicine and music.

Unlocking AI innovation in finance medicine and music. Published on May 05, 2026 GENETIC MEDICINE REVOLUTION: AI AND BIOTECH JOIN FORCES. In a groundbreaking partnership, Lilly and AI-driven Profluent Bio are teaming up in a deal worth up to $2.25 billion to develop advanced DNA editing tools. Their goal? To create precise treatments for genetic conditions that currently lack effective solutions, using innovative AI models to design enzymes that can target multiple mutations in the genome. This collaboration aims to unlock the "holy grail" of genetic medicine through kilobase-scale DNA editing. This matters because it could transform how AI Software Services treat genetic diseases, offering hope to millions who suffer from conditions deemed untreatable. The tools being developed are likely to be accessible, lowering barriers to entry in a field that has traditionally been expensive and exclusive. Imagine a startup that provides a platform for creators and developers to access these AI-driven genetic editing tools, enabling them to innovate and create personalized therapies. This could attract investors eager to support the next wave of medical breakthroughs!

The Economic Times
May 4th, 2026
French fines over anti-obesity adverts for Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly.

French fines over anti-obesity adverts for Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly. The ANSM fined Novo Nordisk 783,838 euros regarding adverts for Wegovy and also fined Lilly France 108,766 euros for a campaign promoting its anti-obesity drug Mounjaro, seeing the adverts as "likely to constitute indirect promotion of medicines subject to mandatory medical prescription." * Updated On May 4, 2026 at 05:54 PM IST Paris: France's medicine safety agency ANSM said Monday it had imposed fines on pharmaceutical firms Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly over their advertising campaigns on obesity. The agency fined on Novo Nordisk France 1.78 million euros ($2.08 million) - a million relating to adverts promoting its Saxenda drug and 783,838 euros regarding adverts for Wegovy weight management medication for treating obesity. The ANSM also fined Lilly France 108,766 euros for a campaign promoting its anti-obesity drug Mounjaro, seeing the adverts as "likely to constitute indirect promotion of medicines subject to mandatory medical prescription." French laws prohibit any advertising to the general public of the treatments. The national medicines regulator said that the fines aimed to "prevent any communication likely to promote the use of drug treatment as the principal response to obesity, to encourage the public to request this treatment from a healthcare professional or seek to obtain it themselves." Event. * Fri, 24 Jul 2026 * Le Meridien, Hyderabad The ANSM said the advertising campaigns were "likely to mislead the public in a context marked by extensive media coverage" as well as what it termed growing inappropriate use of medications which activate certain hormones in order notably to reduce appetite,and aid weight loss. In a statement to AFP, Novo Nordisk France said it "strongly contests" the ANSM's finding, adding it is "exploring all possible appeal avenues against this decision". Lilly France said it noted ANSM's decision, while stating it believes its awareness campaign entitled "Obesity is a sick person's problem" from a year ago was "in line with the framework applicable to communications relating to human health". According to a French study published in 2024, around 18 percent of the French population - equivalent to some ten million people - are obese.

NBC News
Apr 14th, 2026
FDA requests more safety data from Lilly on weight loss pill Foundayo

The FDA is requesting additional safety data from Eli Lilly for its weight loss pill Foundayo, including information on potential heart and liver problems, according to the approval letter published Tuesday. The agency wants more data on risks including heart attacks, strokes, drug-induced liver injuries and delayed stomach emptying. Foundayo, approved this month under a fast-track pilot programme, is the second oral GLP-1 to reach market after Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill. The FDA is also asking Lilly to collect thyroid cancer risk data for at least 15 years. The requests are considered routine for newly approved drugs, particularly for orforglipron, Foundayo's active ingredient, which has less safety data than older GLP-1s. Lilly must also establish registries tracking children with obesity and pregnancy outcomes.

PR Newswire
Apr 14th, 2026
Vasa Therapeutics partners with Lilly TuneLab to accelerate AI-driven CAMKII inhibitor development

Vasa Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has partnered with Eli Lilly to use Lilly TuneLab, an AI-enabled drug discovery platform that provides access to models trained on Lilly's proprietary research data. Vasa will use the platform to accelerate development of its CAMKII delta inhibitor, which is planned for Phase 1 clinical trials in 2027. The company's VS-041 is currently in a proof-of-mechanism trial for heart failure, whilst VS-214 is on track for first-in-human trials in 2026. The platform uses federated learning, allowing companies to access Lilly's AI models whilst maintaining data privacy. Vasa will contribute its own experimental datasets to support the platform's improvement. The company focuses on developing therapies for cardiovascular, neuromuscular and age-related disorders.

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