Associate / Sr. Associate – Molecular Biology– Lilly Gene Therapy

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.

Join the rapidly expanding Lilly Gene Therapy team at Eli Lilly. We invent, characterize, and advance novel gene therapy reagents for a wide range of clinical applications, working cross-functionally across disease areas and platforms. Our goal is to deliver on the promise of gene therapy for patients worldwide.

Responsibilities

• Perform hands-on molecular biology experiments to design, build, and test novel CAR constructs by combining modular protein domains.
• Apply advanced cloning and mutagenesis techniques (e.g., Golden Gate, Gibson Assembly) to generate and optimize CAR constructs for discovery-stage cell therapy programs.
• Operate and maintain automation platforms (e.g., liquid handlers, colony pickers) to enable high-throughput cloning and construct assembly.
• Implement protein engineering strategies such as codon optimization, linker design, and modular domain assembly.
• Execute PCR/qPCR/ddPCR, sequencing, and other molecular assays to validate construct integrity and performance.
• Support library-scale construct generation and screening campaigns using automated workflows.
• Maintain detailed experimental records, analyze data, and contribute to troubleshooting and process optimization.
• Collaborate with internal teams to support downstream functional testing of engineered constructs.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 3+ years, or Master’s degree with 1+ years of relevant laboratory experience in molecular biology or related field.

Preferred Skills

• Excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills in molecular biology and automation workflows.
• Strong communication and ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment.
• Strong proficiency in molecular biology techniques, including cloning, mutagenesis, PCR/qPCR/ddPCR, and sequencing.
• Hands-on experience with automation platforms for molecular biology workflows (e.g., liquid handling systems).
• Familiarity with library-scale cloning or mutagenesis approaches (Golden Gate, Gibson, or similar).
• Experience with protein engineering approaches such as codon optimization, linker design, and modular domain assembly.
• Knowledge of computational protein design tools is a plus.
• Experience with primary cell engineering or in vivo models is a plus.

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 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

$71,250 - $187,000

Full-time equivalent employees also will