Principal Scientist, Upstream Process Development

About the role

Lilly is a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. We unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are seeking a hands-on, lab-based Bioproduct Process Development Engineer to join our team.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute experiments to evaluate, optimize, characterize, and troubleshoot processes and equipment with minimal guidance.
• Operate suspension cell culture in shake flasks and small-scale bioreactors (e.g., Ambr250, 5 L benchtop bioreactor).
• Analyze and interpret data independently.
• Author technical reports, protocols, and regulatory-supporting documentation.
• Present clear, actionable, scientific insights to project teams and leadership.
• Support equipment qualification, scale-up/scale-down, and technology transfer of mammalian-based bioprocesses to clinical and commercial manufacturing.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and equipment to advance platform capabilities.
• Develop novel hypotheses, connect insights across fields, and propose experiments beyond the project plan.
• Build internal and external networks to leverage capabilities and accelerate progress.
• Implement automation to streamline analysis, improve visualization, and maintain data integrity.
• Occasional weekend work may be required for sampling or equipment preparation.

Requirements

• B.S. degree with 6-9 years, or M.S. degree with 3-6 years, of relevant industry experience; degree in chemical engineering, biological engineering, or related discipline.
• Experience in operating cell culture in shake flasks and small-scale bioreactors.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to communicate with operations staff and management.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• High learning agility.

Basic Requirements

• Ability to work independently and mentor junior scientists in a collaborative, cross-functional environment.
• Comfort using AI tools (e.g., Claude, Copilot) for analysis and design.
• Working knowledge of molecular biology, omics, metabolic flux analysis, and PAT.
• Creativity to identify improvement opportunities and the initiative to implement them.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Experience managing external collaborations with CDMOs.

Additional Skills/Preferences

• Ability to work independently and mentor junior scientists in a collaborative, cross-functional environment.
• Comfort using AI tools (e.g., Claude, Copilot) for analysis and design.
• Working knowledge of molecular biology, omics, metabolic flux analysis, and PAT.
• Creativity to identify improvement opportunities and the initiative to implement them.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Experience managing external collaborations with CDMOs.

Physical Demands/Travel

The physical demands of this job are consistent with a lab environment. The physical demands here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Work Environment

This position's work environment is in a laboratory environment. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.