Lilly Posted August 17, 2026

Associate Director - Technical Services/Manufacturing Science (TSMS) - API External Manufacturing (Peptides)

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America FULL_TIME
Manufacturing & CMC Associate Director
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Lilly has closed or removed this posting -- see current similar openings below.

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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.

Eli Lilly and Company is seeking an experienced and highly motivated Associate Director to join our Technical Services/Manufacturing Science (TS/MS) team, specializing in Peptides. In this role, you will provide critical technical leadership and scientific expertise to ensure the robust and compliant manufacturing of peptide drug substances, from process development through commercialization and life cycle management.

Job Responsibilities

* Lead and manage a team of scientists, providing technical guidance, mentorship, and performance management to achieve departmental goals.

* Serve as the primary technical leader for peptide manufacturing processes, including synthesis and purification, resolving complex technical challenges and driving continuous improvement initiatives.

* Oversee the transfer of new peptide processes from development to manufacturing, ensuring successful scale-up, validation, and regulatory compliance.

* Design, execute, and interpret experiments to optimize existing peptide manufacturing processes, enhance yield, reduce cost, and improve product quality.

* Author and review technical reports, protocols, and regulatory submissions related to peptide manufacturing processes and product quality.

* Collaborate cross-functionally with R&D, Quality, Manufacturing, Regulatory Affairs, and Supply Chain teams to ensure seamless process execution and product delivery.

* Lead investigations into manufacturing deviations, non-conformances, and out-of-specification results, implementing effective corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs).

* Stay abreast of industry best practices, emerging technologies, and regulatory requirements related to peptide manufacturing and analytical methods.

* Present technical findings and recommendations to senior leadership and external stakeholders.

Basic Qualifications

B.S. in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline

8+ years of relevant experience in manufacturing within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry

Proven leadership experience, including direct supervision and mentorship of scientific and technical staff.

Additional Preferences

Strong understanding of cGMP regulations, ICH guidelines, and regulatory expectations for pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex manufacturing issues and implement robust solutions.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts clearly and concisely to diverse audiences.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a data-driven approach to decision-making.

Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic, and highly collaborative environment.

Experience with process validation, technology transfer, and regulatory filings (IND/NDA/BLA) is highly preferred.

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

$123,000 - $180,400

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
Associate Director
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 676 comparable Associate Director Manufacturing & CMC roles across 88 biopharma companies.

676Comparable roles tracked
604Currently active
88Companies hiring similar roles
38Countries represented

Salary context

184 of 676 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 $123,000/yr – $180,400/yr
Lowest disclosed · Sr Manufacturing Technician · Genz. Therap Product LP $2,400/yr – $3,200/yr
Highest disclosed · Regional Manager - Megasys · Merck KGaA $220,000/yr – $250,000/yr
Peer group range $2,800 – $235,000 (median $151,700)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 676 comparable roles

United States346
India94
Netherlands23
Ireland19
Switzerland19
China's Mainland18

+ 32 more countries

Seniority mix

676 of 676 peers have a known seniority level

Senior320
Manager267
Associate Director89

Therapeutic area mix

2 of 676 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Rare Disease2

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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.

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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.