Manager - Oncology Discovery Contracting

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us. 

Do you have procurement focused contracting expertise within the life sciences field? If so, consider joining the Lilly Oncology Business Unit (OBU). This is an exciting time to be part of the OBU, as we boast an expansive pipeline, robust scientific expertise, and a proven team dedicated to making a difference. In this role, you will support the discovery and development of new drugs that are critical to oncology patients, contributing to groundbreaking advancements in cancer treatment. Be a part of our mission to improve patient outcomes and make a lasting impact in the field of oncology. 

Position Summary: 

The Manager - Oncology Discovery Contracting in the Business Operations team is a skilled individual contributor within the Early Phase Oncology organization, responsible for executing the full lifecycle of procurement-facing agreements across an assigned portfolio.

This individual will support research teams to understand the scope of scientific engagements and structure contracts that enable the work while adhering to established frameworks, policies, and playbooks. This role requires solid contracting fundamentals, attention to detail, and an ability to work within defined processes to deliver consistent, compliant outcomes. The Manager operates with a strong sense of ownership within their portfolio, escalates complex issues to team leadership with well-formed options, and contributes to the team’s overall effectiveness by executing reliably and communicating proactively . 

Key Objectives/Deliverables:

• Manage an assigned portfolio of scientific contracting engagements across early phase biology, chemistry, and scientific technology business areas, collaborating with Project Management, Scientific, Legal, and Business Operations teams to understand scope, and draft, negotiate, and manage contracts that enable the work in compliance with established internal policies and risk mitigation strategies 

• Manage a high volume of concurrent contract assignments with rigor and reliability, maintaining momentum across the portfolio while demonstrating flexibility to reprioritize and pivot to support other scientific teams or workstreams as directed  

• Provide contracting guidance to internal business partners on assigned agreements, including compliance with applicable policies and escalating complex compliance or contractual issues to team leadership with clearly framed options for resolution 

• Participate in regular engagements with PM teams to stay current on upcoming third-party contracting needs within assigned areas, including scope, deliverables, timelines, and prioritization 

• Engage with third-party suppliers professionally and constructively to advance contracting discussions, applying established frameworks to identify and mitigate routine risks and partnering with the third-party risk management team and leadership when issues fall outside standard parameters 

• Draft and negotiate assigned contracts with accuracy and consistency, coordinating Legal and SME input as needed, making sound decisions within established frameworks and playbooks, and escalating non-routine issues to team leadership with well-formed options 

• Support business partners in the procure-to-pay process, including purchase requisition submission, invoice reconciliation, and ensuring internal compliance and escalating discrepancies as appropriate 

• Adhere to established team contracting policies, systems, templates, and business practices, including timely and accurate use of Lilly’s contract lifecycle management (CLM) system as the primary tool for contract intake, drafting, tracking, and reporting 

Basic Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree required; degree in biology or a related scientific discipline preferred, along with scientific literacy and/or background in a relevant biological discipline and the ability to engage credibly with research scientists in areas such as exploratory research, translational science, and large molecule biology 

• 3+ years of contract management experience, including procurement-facing contracting to support discovery and development efforts in a biotechnology or pharmaceutical setting, with a demonstrated ability to manage an assigned portfolio of agreements accurately and on time 

• Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with project management, finance, procurement, and contract lifecycle management software 

• Familiarity with software licensing agreements, including SaaS and data platform agreements in a life sciences or research context 

• Fluency with AI tools and a demonstrated willingness to embrace and apply emerging AI and technology solutions to improve the efficiency and quality of contracting work 

• Ability to make consistent, sound decisions within established contracting frameworks and playbooks, and to escalate non-routine issues to leadership with clearly framed options and a recommended path forward 

• Strong contract drafting, review and analysis skills across a variety of contract types 

• Working knowledge of key legal and commercial provisions common to procurement-focused life sciences contracts, including intellectual property, indemnification, limitation of liability, confidentiality, and payment terms 

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage a high volume of concurrent assignments with rigor and a sense of urgency; approaches work with an owner’s mindset, takes initiative to anticipate issues, meets strict deadlines, and drives tasks to completion while maintaining quality 

• Commitment to becoming proficient in Lilly’s contract lifecycle management (CLM) system and other designated business tools, using them consistently and accurately as the system of record for all assigned contracting activity 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to proactively communicate status, flag risks, and keep relevant parties informed to drive assigned work forward and resolve issues in a timely manner 

• Excellent attention to detail and critical thinking skills 

• MS Office skills (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) 

Additional Information:

• USA Remote

• Travel: <10%

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 (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location.  The anticipated wage for this position is

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