Clinical Research Lead

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.

Overview

Purpose: The Clinical Research Lead (CRL) is a strategic, field-based scientific leader responsible for driving the execution of Lilly clinical trials through exceptional investigator engagement and site performance management. This role ensures Lilly’s portfolio is prioritized at high-performing sites and that trials are delivered with quality, speed, and insight. CRLs combine deep therapeutic and scientific knowledge with strategic agility to influence investigators, elevate protocol understanding, and co-develop tailored enrollment strategies in existing and new therapeutic areas. They serve as trusted partners to investigators—building strong, enduring relationships that improve return on enrollment and position Lilly as the sponsor of choice. CRLs partner closely with internal Lilly teams to ensure that insights from the field shape development strategies and that development strategies are delivered with operational excellence and scientific clarity. Where applicable the CRL may also represent Investigator Engagement with Regulatory and External Bodies and help shape the country-level clinical trial landscape.

Primary Responsibilities

This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the job requirements at the time it was prepared. The job requirements of any position may change over time and may include additional responsibilities not specifically described in the job description. Consult with your supervision regarding your actual job responsibilities and any related duties that may be required for the position.

Clinical Investigator Management

• Accountable for the full spectrum of investigator engagement from identification and qualification through enrollment, and support database lock, and study closeout
• Serve as a clinical trial scientific ambassador, ensuring investigators deeply understand protocol intent, scientific rationale, and patient eligibility requirements
• Develop and sustain strategic, high-trust relationships with investigators that span trials and therapeutic areas
• Influence enrollment by co-creating tailored recruitment strategies aligned with site capabilities, patient population realities, and study objectives
• Proactively find opportunities to reach new patients, accelerate enrollment and increase impact at priority sites, including for example, novel site models, community-based research initiatives
• Capture and elevate critical insights from sites to optimize feasibility, protocol design, and study conduct

Clinical Trial Management

• Lead site-level strategy and risk planning to ensure strong and predictable enrollment and data delivery
• Leverage performance metrics to anticipate issues, intervene decisively, and maintain momentum toward clinical milestones
• Drive inspection readiness as a continuous discipline across sites
• Collaborate across functions and with vendor partners to resolve operational barriers, ensuring delivery with speed and quality
• Maintain advanced understanding of local treatment paradigms and standard of care to influence strategic country/site selection and protocol localization
• Provide oversight and quality assurance for vendor monitoring, escalating risks proactively
• Where applicable, lead end-to-end management of Post-Marketing Safety Studies in compliance with local regulations

Business Management and Engagement

• Cultivate a portfolio of strategically aligned, high-impact investigators who consistently prioritize Lilly trials
• Enable an exceptional investigator experience by being a responsive, knowledgeable, and valued scientific partner
• Collaborate cross-functionally (e.g., Medical, Clinical, Study Delivery) to align on trial and site priorities, troubleshooting challenges with urgency and creativity
• Conduct data-informed site prospecting and prioritization, contributing to trial competitiveness and regional strategic execution
• Maintain scientific fluency and therapeutic expertise to lead meaningful, solutions-focused discussions with site personnel
• Act as a key liaison between field teams, vendors, and investigators, ensuring alignment, shared purpose, and continuous knowledge transfer
• Partner closely with field team colleagues to elevate the investigator and site experience, ensuring seamless collaboration and improving enrollment outcomes and Investigator relationships

Country / Regulatory Engagement (where applicable)

• Represent Investigator Engagement with regulatory agencies, ethics committees, and national research organizations in countries/territory
• Influence the clinical trial ecosystem to improve regulatory agility and operational feasibility
• Ensure that local requirements are translated into compliant, efficient trial execution and that Lilly’s internal processes reflect evolving country landscapes
• Partner with leadership to identify and align regional initiatives and contribute to enterprise-wide clinical development success

Minimum Qualification Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent; strong preference for scientific, clinical, or health-related fields
• Minimum 5 years of experience in clinical research or pharmaceutical industry with experience directly interacting with or working with HCPs and clinical sites

Other Information/Additional Preferences

• Advanced degree in a scientific or clinical field (PharmD, PhD, MD, or MSc preferred)
• Excellent understanding of GCP, clinical development and operations, and trial lifecycle
• Demonstrated understanding of the therapeutic landscape and standards of care, with the ability to apply this knowledge to decision making
• Proven ability to build credibility and influence HCP community through scientific acumen and relationship strength
• Strategic approach with demonstrated success in delivering results in complex, fast-paced environments
• Data-driven decision-making skills; ability to interpret and act on performance and operational metrics
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and organizational skills
• Deep therapeutic area knowledge and familiarity with local clinical research ecosystems
• Experience directly influencing clinical site performance and driving enrollment success
• Track record of delivering or exceeding performance targets in a collaborative matrix environment
• Experience working with regulators or national bodies in support of clinical trial delivery
• English fluency and proficiency in local language(s) as needed

Travel Requirements

• Willingness to travel extensively (60-80%)

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 ( 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 $111,000 - $178,200. 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.

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