Associate - Oncology Material Licensing

Do you have expertise negotiating and managing material licenses and transfer agreements in a life sciences research setting? 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 material licensing and transfer needs of our early phase oncology research teams, enabling scientists to access the tools, models, and biological materials that are critical to discovering the next generation of cancer treatments. Be a part of our mission to improve patient outcomes and make a lasting impact in the field of oncology. 

Position Summary: 

The Associate, Oncology Material Licensing in the Business Operations team is a skilled individual contributor within the Early Phase Oncology organization, responsible for executing the full lifecycle of material licensing and transfer agreements that enable scientific research.

This individual will assess incoming material requests, negotiate material transfer agreements and license agreements for cells, plasmids, animal models, and other proprietary biological materials, and maintain accurate records of licensed materials and associated use restrictions. The role requires a working understanding of the biological materials landscape, solid contracting fundamentals, and a systematic approach to compliance. The Associate 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 material licensing and transfer agreements in support of early phase oncology research, collaborating with Project Management, Scientific, Legal, and Business Operations teams to assess material requests, understand research scope, and structure agreements that enable the work in compliance with established internal policies and risk mitigation strategies 

• Assess incoming material procurement and in-license requests, determine the appropriate path forward, and manage a high volume of concurrent requests with rigor and reliability, maintaining momentum across the portfolio while demonstrating flexibility to reprioritize as directed  

• Negotiate and execute material license agreements with accuracy and consistency, including in-licenses for cell lines and genetically modified animal models, coordinating Legal and SME input as needed, making sound decisions within established frameworks, and escalating non-routine issues to team leadership with suggested paths forward  

• Review outbound material transfer requests against existing agreements, obligations, and applicable regulations to confirm whether requested transfers are permissible and compliant, applying scientific literacy to assess the validity of the request, evaluate the accuracy of information provided, and identify inconsistencies or gaps that require resolution before a transfer can proceed; apply awareness of material provenance and chain of custody to identify situations where upstream source restrictions may affect transfer permissibility, escalating those findings to team leadership for resolution 

• Assess whether licensed materials have been modified by internal research teams and independently evaluate the potential implications of those modifications on transferability, applicable use restrictions, and Lilly’s intellectual property position, escalating identified issues to team leadership and Legal through established processes 

• Participate in regular engagements with research and PM teams to stay current on upcoming material needs within assigned areas, including the nature of materials sought, scientific use cases, timelines, and prioritization; participate in applicable team projects as assigned, contributing reliably to project ta