Lilly Posted July 20, 2026

Director - Statistics

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America FULL_TIME
Biostatistics & Data Science Director

Lilly is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

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.

Organization Overview:

At Lilly, we serve an extraordinary purpose. We make a difference for people around the globe by discovering, developing and delivering medicines that help them live longer, healthier, more active lives. Not only do we deliver breakthrough medications, but you also can count on us to develop creative solutions to support communities through philanthropy and volunteerism.

Purpose:

The Project Statistician at the Director level provides statistical leadership in multiple dimensions including:

Lead the development of clinical plans, innovative study designs, statistical analysis, and interpretation of results at the program level

Combine analytical thinking and therapeutic area knowledge to shape internal and external environment to improve the effectiveness of drug development

Use strong foundation of statistical experience to enrich decision making, identify efficiencies, and increase the probability of technical success of projects

Champion breakthrough approaches to implement innovative statistical methodology and applications

Influence team on the critical risks and plan for resolution.  Integrate information and make data-driven decisions

Primary Responsibilities:

Statistical Trial Design and Analysis

Provide input on study protocol, design studies and write protocols for the conduct of each study.

Be accountable for selecting statistical methods for data analysis, authoring the corresponding sections of the protocol and the statistical analysis plan, and conducting the actual analysis once a reporting database is created.

Collaborate with data sciences in the planning and implementation of data quality assurance plans.

Maintain currency with respect to statistical methodology, maintain proficiency in applying new and varied methods, and to be competent in justifying methods selected.

Perform peer-review of work products from other statistical colleagues.

Influence team members regarding appropriate research methods

Communication of Results and Inferences

Collaborate with team members to write reports and communicate results.

Assist with, or be responsible for, communicating study results via regulatory submissions, manuscripts, or oral presentations in group settings, as well as for communicating one-on-one with key customers and presenting at scientific meetings.

Respond to regulatory queries and interact with regulators.

Therapeutic Area Knowledge

Understand disease states, competitive landscapes, and regulatory environment in order to enhance the level of customer focus and collaboration and be seen as a strong scientific contributor.

Regulatory Compliance

Perform work in full compliance with assigned curriculum(s) and will be responsible for following applicable Corporate, Medical, local, and departmental policies, procedures, processes, and training.

Statistical leadership and Teamwork

Introduce and apply innovative methodology and tools to solve critical problems.

Merge scientific thinking and business knowledge to identify issues, evaluate options and implement solutions.

Lead projects independently and work effectively across functions. Apply technical expertise to influence business decisions.

Minimum Qualification/Requirements:

Ph.D. in Statistics OR Biostatistics

At least 7 years of experience in clinical research and development in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Other Information/Additional Preferences:

Significant experience with clinical trials, medical research, and/or real-world evidence

An established track record of developing and maintaining an area of statistical or collaborative research

Proficient in statistical programming languages/software such as SAS, R, Spotfire, etc

Interpersonal communication skills for effective customer consultation and collaboration

Teamwork and leadership skills; ability to provide statistical leadership and technical expertise to influence business decisions.

Self-management skills with a focus on results for timely and accurate completion of competing deliverables

Resource management skills

Creativity and innovation

Demonstrated problem solving ability and critical thinking

Business process expertise associated with critical activities (e.g., regulatory submissions)

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

$177,000 - $308,000

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

Job details

Seniority
Director
Function
Biostatistics & Data Science
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Biostatistics & Data Science role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 36 comparable Director Biostatistics & Data Science roles across 16 biopharma companies.

36Comparable roles tracked
32Currently active
16Companies hiring similar roles
8Countries represented

Salary context

12 of 36 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject $177,000/yr – $308,000/yr
Lowest disclosed · Principal Computational Statistician · Lilly $66,000/yr – $193,600/yr
Highest disclosed · Scientific Director, Clinical and Real World Evidence · AbbVie $211,000/yr – $400,500/yr
Peer group range $129,800 – $305,750 (median $194,618)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 36 comparable roles

United States24
Japan3
India3
United Kingdom2
Italy1
Denmark1

+ 2 more countries

Seniority mix

36 of 36 peers have a known seniority level

Principal25
Director10
Senior Director1

Therapeutic area mix

4 of 36 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology4

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Lilly Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Celgene - Summit (Corp) Princeton LVL, United States Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Celgene - Summit (Corp) Madison, United States Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Celgene - Summit (Corp) Madison, United States Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
RayzeBio, Inc San Diego, United States Director
Same function Same seniority Same country

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Director - Statistics
Lilly · Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Director, Statistical Programming
Celgene - Summit (Corp) · Madison, United States · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Director, Oncology Data Science
Merck · Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Director, Biostatistics
AstraZeneca · Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.