Senior Director, Analytical Development CMC

About the role

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.  Overview: Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, is a clinical-stage company developing orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonists as a new class of medicines for the treatment of narcolepsy and potentially other sleep-wake disorders. Centessa’s lead investigational candidate – cleminorexton (formerly ORX750) – is being developed for narcolepsy type 1, narcolepsy type 2, and idiopathic hypersomnia. Centessa's OX2R agonist portfolio includes additional clinical and preclinical-stage assets with potential utility across a broader range of neurological, neurodegenerative, and neuropsychiatric conditions.   Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Centessa was recognized as a Great Place to Work ® in 2026. Position Summary: Centessa’s  CMC group is seeking a Senior Director of Analytical Development within the CMC group. The successful candidate will have hands-on experience in the development and validation of raw material, in-process, small molecule drug substance, and solid oral dose drug product methods at all stages of development.    Reporting to the Executive Director, this role  will drive analytical method gap assessments, method development, and strategy at various CDMOs and liaise cross-functionally with drug substance and drug product teams across programs.  Comprehensive working knowledge of cGMP and Regulatory guidance as they relate to regulatory starting material, drug substance and drug product development, characterization, release, and stability testing of small molecules is paramount.      This position will be accountable for all analytical CMC data from external CDMOs to meet company deliverables and timelines.  Travel to vendors both domestically and internationally will be required.    Responsibilities   Lead analytical strategy related to phase-appropriate method development, validation, and product characterization for multiple programs   Collaboratively work in a team environment to lead drug substance and drug product analytical development activities primarily at third-party vendors including method implementation, qualification/validation, and transfer in support of pre-IND through Registrational programs   Review method validation protocol and reports, and test data for release, stability, and characterization   Save and store documentation, generate stability result tables, file stability data for expiry and shelf-life assignments   Lead specification settings based upon batch history and supporting analytical data   Act as the CMC team analytical representative member in program development teams     Act as role model and subject matter expert for junior analytical scientists   Significantly contribute to CMC analytical aspects of regulatory filings including regulatory starting material justifications, justification of specifications, discriminatory and quality control dissolution method development, and structural elucidations   Review and drafting of internal technical reports and information for analytical sections in global submission documents and modules ( e.g. IND, IMPD, NDA, MAA, etc ) as well as responses to Regulatory requests for information   Work cross-functionally with Quality as a technical expert to aid in analytical OOE/OOT/OOS investigations, deviations, and other troubleshooting   Active participation in batch record review    Minimum Qualifications: Advanced degree in chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, or related field (PhD strongly preferred)    1 0 + years of small molecule pharmaceutical industry experience   Extensive experience in early phase analytical development of small molecule oral solid dosage forms   Deep expertise in cGMP and ex-US regulatory requirements for pharmaceutical products   Strong technical background in chemical and physical characterization, including polymorphism, particle size, residual solvents, process impurities (e.g., genotoxic, nitrosamines), and forced degradation mechanisms   Significant experience in analytical method development and GMP qualification/validation, including assay, related substances, and dissolution   Proven ability to manage and direct outsourced analytical activities, including assay development, stability, and quality control at CDMOs   Hands-on experience designing, managing, and interpreting stability programs (real-time, accelerated, and forced degradation)   Strong understanding of product quality attributes and control strategies for small molecule synthetic processes   Demonstrated leadership in coordinating analytical and broader CMC activities supporting development and commercialization   Excellent project management, organizational, and prioritization skills in fast-paced, multi-project environments   Strong analytical planning, resource management, and budget oversight skills across global CDMO networks   Effective decision-maker and communicator, able to work independently while collaborating across functions and organizational levels    Work Location:   The Senior Director, Analytical Development role is based in the US, with occasional travel. 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 (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 $153,000 - $290,400 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