Scientific/Sr Scientific Lead, Bioconjugation

Company: Eli Lilly and Company
Location: Louisville
Posted on: January 25, 2026

Job Description:

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. JOB DESCRIPTION Position: Scientific/Sr Scientific Lead, Bioconjugation, Large Molecule Discovery Location: Louisville , CO, USA 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. Position Summary: Lilly Oncology’s Large Molecule Discovery team is looking for a Scientific Lead or Senior Scientific Lead in Chemistry/Biochemistry to support our growing biologics and ADC portfolio. This role will provide scientific leadership in developing bioconjugation technologies, downstream biochemical assays to improve ADC linker-payload design and enhance ADC biological and pharmacologic performance. The successful candidate will bring deep technical expertise in ADC design and execution, demonstrate strong experimental rigor, and act as a collaborative scientific partner across discovery teams. This position requires a hands-on scientist who can independently execute complex studies while contributing to broader platform strategy, intellectual property, and innovation. The individual will thrive in a highly interactive, fast-paced research environment and will be expected to influence project direction through high-quality data, clear scientific reasoning, and effective communication. Responsibilities: Prepare, purify, and characterize the high-quality antibody-conjugates (ADCs, ARCs, DACs etc.) with a high degree of independence in support of discovery and development of programs. Work with the linker-technology and medicinal chemistry teams to design and optimize the linker-payload and its bioconjugation chemistry. Apply organic and bioconjugation chemistry principles to guide linker-payload SAR and improve stability, potency, and developability. Implement state of the art bioconjugation technologies (cysteine, lysine, site-specific and other) and utilizing novel chemistries to generate bioconjugates. Develop purification strategies (up to 200 mg) with affinity, ion-exchange, hydrophobic interaction, size exclusion, and tangential flow filtration. Perform comprehensive ADC characterization using UV-Vis, SEC, HIC, RP-HPLC, IEX, cIEF, and LC-MS. Engage with multidisciplinary teams across chemistry, biology, pharmacology, and CMC to design and interpret experiments. Maintain thorough documentation of experimental procedures in electronic notebook or database, writing of reports and technical documents. Maintain scientific and technical expertise through familiarity with scientific literature and attending conferences. Demonstrated record of scientific accomplishments and publications. Present periodic updates and reports to management team. Contribute to the long-term strategies for innovative solutions and intellectual property for securing FTO for Lilly. Maintain a safe, pleasant, and efficient working environment. Basic Requirements : PhD in chemistry, biochemistry, or other related scientific discipline. Minimum 2-4 years of independent, hands-on laboratory experience in an industrial or equivalent research setting (including post doc experience). Additional Preferences: Experience with protein purification systems is preferred with hands-on experience and proficiency working with AKTA FPLCs. Deep expertise in bioconjugation technologies and experience working with high-potency payloads. Proven ability to collaborate effectively with small-molecule and biologics project teams to drive rapid scientific progress. Track record of scientific accomplishment, including publications, patents, or significant internal contributions. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex scientific concepts. Attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment. Self-motivated, enthusiastic, and continuously focused on improving scientific rigor, efficiency, and impact. Additional Information: Physical Demands/Travel: The physical demands of this job are consistent with a laboratory/bench environment. Some light lifting, and maneuvering may be required. The physical demands here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 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 $138,000 - $224,400 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

Keywords: Eli Lilly and Company, Littleton , Scientific/Sr Scientific Lead, Bioconjugation, Science, Research & Development , Louisville, Colorado