Senior Director - Neuroscience Communications

About the role

The Sr. Director, Neuroscience Communications is accountable for building and delivering integrated communications strategies across the neuroscience portfolio and pipeline— with the US as the primary market and meaningful global reach. This person works at the intersection of science, business, and storytelling, moving fluidly between setting the long-range narrative architecture and producing polished, deadline-driven work as the business requires.

This role serves as the day-to-day Center of Excellence (COE) partner for the Neuroscience team— briefing, aligning, and holding COE functions accountable to the global strategy. Key relationships span the broader Global Communications function, Medical, Marketing, Corporate Affairs, and IBU affiliate teams.

Responsibilities

• Establish Story & Thought Leadership
• Build and maintain the overarching neuroscience communications narrative, connecting Lilly's therapeutic focus areas into a coherent, credible platform story across media, patients, HCPs, and the public
• Ensure brand narrative credibility for Lilly's approved Alzheimer's treatment and future pipeline assets, keeping the story grounded in science and consistent across audiences
• Work alongside the Scientific Communications & Innovation team to shape the scientific narrative architecture underpinning all external neuroscience communications
• Shape the external environment ahead of clinical data releases and regulatory events, building stakeholder understanding before the moment arrives
• Support the visibility and thought leadership of senior Neuroscience leaders, building Lilly's standing as a credible and trusted voice in brain health and neurological disease
• Amplify Business Impact
• Build and deliver integrated global communications strategies for the neuroscience portfolio and pipeline, with the US as the primary market
• Support brand and treatment communications in close coordination with marketing and cross-functional teams, ensuring programs are coherent and well-amplified
• Bring deep expertise in clinical data releases and regulatory communications, working alongside Medical, Scientific Communications, and COE functions to shape rigorous external narratives
• Translate neuroscience communications strategy into clear briefs for COE functions— Earned Media, Content, Digital, and Consumer— ensuring integration and accountability across channels
• Serve as a trusted communications adviser to senior NBU leadership, supporting their visibility, credibility, and effectiveness in high-stakes situations

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, public relations, or a related field
• 6 or more years of professional experience in pharmaceutical, biotech or healthcare communications in a corporate, agency, or journalism setting

Additional Skills & Preferences

• Demonstrated experience supporting external communications around clinical data releases, regulatory submissions, or product approvals
• Proven track record building and delivering multi-channel, multi-audience communications plans with measurable outcomes
• Depth working alongside medical, scientific, and regulatory teams to develop rigorous external narratives around clinical data releases and regulatory events
• Demonstrated ability to advise senior leaders, produce executive content, and operate with credibility in high-stakes situations including data releases, regulatory events, and executive forums
• Experience building proactive frameworks and coordinating active crisis response across Legal, Regulatory, and Government Affairs
• Experience shaping communications strategy across multiple markets with a genuine understanding of how US and international execution interconnect
• Exceptional writing and storytelling ability across press materials, executive messaging, briefing documents, speeches, digital content, and narrative frameworks— producing polished, publication-ready work on deadline; this is a non-negotiable for the role
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and shifting priorities without losing quality or coherence; able to change course quickly without needing a fully defined plan to move forward
• Demonstrated ability to work across both long-range narrative development and hands-on execution— often at the same time— without sacrificing quality in either