Director/Senior Director-Prefilled Syringe Platform Lead

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us.
Organization Overview:
At Lilly, we believe in the talent of our workforce. One of the best ways to utilize and develop that talent is to use our existing workforce to fill new and/or open positions. If you are looking for a new position within Lilly, you can view and apply to open roles posted in the internal job posting system. You must meet the minimum qualifications outlined in the job description and have/obtain work authorization in the country the position is located in order to be considered. When applying internally for a position, your current supervisor will receive notification that you have applied to the position. We encourage employees to discuss the opportunity with their supervisor prior to applying.
The Delivery, Device and Connected Solutions (DDCS) organization within Eli Lilly and Company supports the design, development, and commercialization of drug products and pharmaceutical delivery systems including medical devices and container closure systems.
Position Overview:
We are seeking a prefilled syringe platform lead to be a key contributor within our parenteral packaging team, part of DDCS Packaging Organization, offering advanced technical expertise in the field of parenteral packaging and Lilly’s combination product. This is a pivotal role in our parenteral packaging team, requiring to work collaboratively with CMC, drug product development, device design, manufacturing and quality teams to ensure successful development and commercialization of Lilly drug products.
As a vital contributor to CMC success, the candidate must be knowledgeable, highly energetic, and self-motivated. The person must distinguish him- or herself through capability, efficiency, safety and continuous advancement in parenteral packaging and associated area.
Key Responsibilities:
Serve as the Syringe Platform Lead, driving strategic alignment across cross-functional teams and defining the long-term vision for the prefilled syringe (PFS) platform to meet Lilly's pipeline, emerging modalities, and combination product needs.
Build and maintain a platform knowledge and data foundation, tracking emerging technologies and partnering with SMEs to continuously evolve the platform.
Lead selection, development, assessment, and qualification of PFS container closure systems across the drug product development lifecycle, from early development through commercialization, applying sound scientific and problem-solving approaches to ensure safety, compatibility, and functionality.
Collaborate with formulation and analytical chemistry teams on mechanistic studies of packaging material properties and drug product interactions; partner with SMEs to develop and implement novel test methods and control strategies for container closure qualification.
Support clinical trial manufacturing and commercialization readiness with filling/manufacturing SMEs; prepare technical documentation (protocols, study reports, assessments); and author/review regulatory submission content (CTD sections P.2.4, P.2.5, P.7, and S.6).
Collaborate with external suppliers to establish specifications and technical requirements for packaging components and container closure systems.
This role also drives scientific research and fundamental understanding of parenteral packaging materials and their suitability across drug product modalities, applying that knowledge to innovate new parenteral packaging materials, designs, and technologies. Associated responsibilities include:
Drive container closure innovation initiatives including identifying, evaluating, and advancing emerging technologies, materials, and platform solutions, and champion original scientific research through cross-functional and external collaboration to build capabilities for emerging modalities and next-generation delivery systems.
Strengthen Lilly's scientific leadership through external engagement, including publications, conference presentations, intellectual property generation, industry consortia, and academic/regulatory/technology partnerships.
Serve as a catalyst for transformational thinking, identifying emerging trends and disruptive technologies, and applying a holistic, systems-based approach across materials science, product design, manufacturing, sustainability, and patient experience to deliver differentiated, best-in-class solutions.
Translate industry trends and technology disruptions into innovation strategies, technology roadmaps, and capability plans; foster partnerships to accelerate adoption of emerging technologies; and identify opportunities to modernize legacy technologies and processes in support of Lilly's Accelerate, Reach, and Scale (ARS) objectives.
Bring diverse, interdisciplinary expertise and non-traditional perspectives that strengthen the team's adaptability and creativity in addressing evolving business and healthcare needs.
Basic Requirements:
Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical, Mechanical, Biomedical or Packaging Engineering, or a related discipline, with 10+ years of relevant experience.
Experience in healthcare, pharmaceutical, medical device, or biotechnology industries, including packaging systems, container closure systems, drug delivery device or combination products.
Strong interdisciplinary technical foundation spanning organic/analytical chemistry, materials/polymer science, manufacturing process technologies, product design, process engineering, device development, or data science, with the ability to integrate across disciplines to solve complex technical challenges.
3+ years of technical knowledge and past experience with prefilled syringe container closure systems and primary packaging
Demonstrated track record of scientific excellence and innovation, evidenced through publications, conference presentations, intellectual property generation, technical leadership, and collaboration with academic, industry, and regulatory partners.
3+ years of proven experience developing innovative products, technologies, materials, or processes with sustainability considerations, including environmental impact reduction, circular economy principles, resource efficiency, material stewardship, or sustainable manufacturing practices.
Experience utilizing AI, advanced analytics, or digital tools to improve decision-making and accelerate innovation.
Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives in collaborative, matrixed cross-functional environments.
Additional Preferences:
Earned Master's degree as listed above with 8+ years of experience, OR PhD with 5+ years of experience as listed above
Previous experience with various container closure system including vials, cartridges, parenteral packaging, combination products and/or drug delivery system in medical device or pharmaceutical industry
Experience working at the interface of multiple disciplines, industries, or technology platforms, applying systems-level problem-solving across product design, materials, manufacturing, sustainability, and business objectives.
Experience establishing and leveraging external networks — academic collaborations, industry consortia, start-ups, and technology incubators — to accelerate innovation and capability development.
Familiarity with Quality by Design (QbD) and ICH guidelines
Other Information:
Travel is part of the job, may be up to 10%; must be able to travel within US and sometimes internationally.
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.