Senior Director - Ecosystem Growth & Contributor Partnerships

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.

Position Description

The Senior Director, Ecosystem Growth & Contributor Partnerships will lead the user- and contributor-facing external strategy for engaging the broader AI/ML and biomedical community. This includes AI-native startups, academic labs, philanthropic funders, and emerging model developers. The role is responsible for shaping collaboration structures, onboarding new contributors, and designing incentives that grow and retain the platform's participant base. You will serve as the primary interface for user activation, contributor onboarding, and early-stage partnerships that bring models and data into the platform.

This role is essential to expanding the platform’s reach, ensuring frictionless participation, and developing an ecosystem of contributors and users who accelerate AI-powered drug discovery.

Key Responsibilities

• User Growth and Platform Activation

  • Develop and execute strategy to attract, onboard, and activate AI/ML model users and contributors

  • Build mechanisms to support frictionless onboarding, including self-service tools, community forums, and scalable support in collaboration with the Product Lead

  • Design and implement user activation programs, such as training sessions, demo days, and working groups

• Contributor Collaboration Strategy

  • Build repeatable collaboration models for biotech startups, academic groups, and mission-driven organizations

  • Shape structures for model contributions (e.g., pilot projects, joint initiatives, non-confidential collaborations) that encourage participation and reward alignment with platform goals

  • Collaborate with product and tech teams to ensure that contribution processes are technically feasible and well-supported

• Philanthropic and Academic Partnerships

  • Engage foundations and academic consortia to promote shared-use research and AI development aligned with public good

  • Create tailored agreements and incentives to support non-commercial collaborations with long-term scientific value

• Inbound Innovation and Deal Execution

  • Serve as the first point of contact for inbound interest from startups, labs, or researchers interested in joining the platform

  • Qualify and prioritize leads based on platform strategy and scientific fit

  • Collaborate with legal, product, and technical teams to formalize engagements and support execution

• Community Building and Visibility

  • Represent the platform at scientific meetings, AI/ML community gatherings, and academic events

  • Build visibility through storytelling, case studies, and public programming that showcase contributor success

  • Cultivate a sense of identity and shared purpose among ecosystem participants

Functional and Technical Expertise

• Experience developing partnerships with academic institutions, biotech startups, or philanthropic organizations

• Familiarity with AI/ML innovation in life sciences, particularly early-stage contributors and research environments

• Understanding of contributor incentives, open innovation frameworks, and community engagement strategies

• Experience managing high-touch partnerships and structuring non-traditional collaborations

Influence and Leadership

• Strong relationship-builder with credibility across scientific, academic, and venture ecosystems

• Skilled at turning nascent interest into structured collaborations

• Capable of translating scientific and technical value into collaborative opportunities

• Confident public speaker and platform evangelist with a collaborative, user-first approach

Basic Qualifications

• Graduate degree (MBA, MS, PhD, or similar) with 5+ years of experience in business development, scientific partnerships, or ecosystem development

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in AI/ML platforms, open science initiatives, or early-stage biotech preferred

• F