Eli Lilly and Company · 5 days ago
Associate Vice President, Automation, Discovery Oncology
US, New York NY
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$236K/yr - $345K/yr
15+ years expEli Lilly and Company is a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, dedicated to improving lives through innovative medicines. The Associate Vice President, Automation will establish and lead the automation capability within the Discovery Oncology team, focusing on developing integrated automation platforms to enhance research efficiency and data quality.
BiotechnologyHealth CareMedicalPharmaceutical
Responsibilities
Develop and execute a comprehensive laboratory automation strategy aligned with organizational research and development goals
Build strong partnerships with discovery scientists, team leaders, and functional heads to align automation investments with scientific priorities
Deliver multiple high-impact automation platforms from concept to production use, including integrated workcells
Reduce experimental cycle time and increase throughput through automation, miniaturization, and workflow standardization
Influence stakeholders across a large organization to drive adoption, standardization, and sustained use of automation platforms
Build and maintain partnerships with automation vendors and technology providers
Manage automation capital and operational budgets
Serve as the senior technical authority for automation architecture, integration design, and platform execution across Discovery Oncology
Lead by example through direct hands-on engagement in high-impact automation development and integration efforts, particularly during the early build-out period
Personally drive critical-path technical execution when necessary, including platform prototyping and workflow development, integration design and debugging, method optimization and stabilization, root-cause analysis of complex system failures, and performance tuning (throughput, reliability, data quality)
Oversee the operation, maintenance, and optimization of automated laboratory systems including liquid handlers, high-throughput screening platforms, and robotic systems
Establish and enforce engineering best practices including design reviews and technical gate reviews, structured troubleshooting standards, qualification/verification approaches and change control (as appropriate), and software/code standards (version control, release management, documentation)
Ensure automation solutions are scalable, safe, reliable, and scientifically fit-for-purpose
Ensure integration of automation systems with laboratory information management systems (LIMS), electronic laboratory notebooks (ELN), and data analysis platforms
Enable end-to-end digital connectivity for automated workflows (ELN/LIMS integration, scheduling, instrument data pipelines, analytics readiness)
Demonstrate measurable performance improvements including data quality, reproducibility, platform uptime, and user adoption
Lead and mentor a team of automation scientists, engineers, and technicians both directly and indirectly
Collaborate with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and translational research teams to understand automation needs; help train and oversee end users
Partner with IT, data science, and informatics teams to ensure seamless data integration
Drive data standardization, structured metadata capture, and automation telemetry to enable reproducibility, traceability, analytics readiness, and AI/ML enablement
Ensure high-quality data generation by embedding quality control expectations into automated workflows and platform validation practices
Facilitate training programs to build automation capabilities across the organization
Foster a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and scientific excellence
Lead automation projects from concept through implementation and validation
Develop project timelines, milestones, and success metrics
Coordinate resources across multiple concurrent automation initiatives
Track and report on project progress, risks, and outcomes to leadership
Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and safety standards
Qualification
Required
PhD in Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, or related scientific discipline
Minimum 15 years of experience in laboratory automation within academia, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or related industry
Demonstrated leadership experience managing technical teams
Strong understanding of laboratory equipment, robotics, and liquid handling systems
Proven track record delivering multiple complex automation platforms from concept through sustained production adoption
Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and drive change in matrixed organizations
Expertise with laboratory automation platforms (e.g., Tecan, Hamilton, Beckman, PerkinElmer)
Deep expertise in laboratory automation platforms and system integration (e.g., Hamilton, Tecan, Beckman Coulter, PerkinElmer and comparable robotics/HTS technologies)
Strong understanding of automation architecture including hardware/software integration, scheduling, workflow orchestration, and reliability engineering
Familiarity with lab informatics ecosystems including ELN, LIMS, and data management platforms
Ability to engage at a hands-on technical level as needed (method development, integration troubleshooting, technical root cause analysis)
Preferred
Experience supporting programs progressing molecules to IND or IND-enabling milestones
Experience supporting and executing discovery oncology (preclinical) workflows (high-throughput screening, assay development, and/or drug discovery workflows)
Proven experience with miniaturization strategies and high-throughput workflow design
Experience with automation enabling digitalization including APIs, data pipelines, metadata capture, and analytics readiness
Scripting or programming experience (Python, R, automation APIs, workflow orchestration tools)
Evidence of innovation such as patents, publications, or recognized contributions in laboratory automation
Vendor contract negotiation and external partnership leadership experience
Knowledge of AI/ML applications in lab automation and data generation (e.g., predictive maintenance, experimental design, closed-loop optimization)
Exceptional problem-solving and analytical abilities
Excellent communication skills with ability to present to diverse audiences
Proven ability to influence and drive change across organizations
Strategic thinking with attention to operational details
Collaborative approach with ability to build effective partnerships
Experience in discovery and preclinical development of large and small molecule-based therapeutics (i.e. antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), T cell engagers (TCE), small molecule/medicinal chemistry etc…)
Understanding of assay development, analytical methods, and quality control principles
Benefits
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
Well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities)
Company
Eli Lilly and Company
We're a medicine company turning science into healing to make life better for people around the world.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Eli Lilly and Company has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
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Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (514)
2024 (236)
2023 (167)
2022 (133)
2021 (57)
2020 (52)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$6.5M2024-02-12Post Ipo Debt· $6.5M
1978-01-13IPO
Leadership Team
David Ricks
Chair, CEO
Lucas Montarce
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Recent News
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