AI maturity
scaling
VP of Artificial Intelligence
VP of Applied AI / Head of AI Platform
Eli Lilly and Company · Pharmaceuticals / Biotechnology · 📍 San Francisco, CA
Eli Lilly is hiring a senior AI platform leader to own the end-to-end technical vision and execution for AI-driven drug discovery, transforming research from computationally supported to computationally driven.
Reports to
CTO
Company stage
public
Source
linkedin
Key responsibilities
- Build and lead multidisciplinary team across data science, ML engineering, and scientific software development
- Set technical vision and roadmap for AI/ML platforms serving discovery research aligned with enterprise priorities
- Own full platform lifecycle from capability integration to sunsetting legacy solutions
- Guide architecture decisions for end-to-end ML workflows including pipelines, model development, deployment, and monitoring
- Serve as executive champion articulating AI value to senior stakeholders and influencing resource allocation
- Establish and manage strategic partnerships with technology providers and research institutions
- Drive MLOps adoption for reproducible, automated, and compliant AI development at scale
- Partner with therapeutic area leaders to translate research requirements into platform capabilities
Requirements
- Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Computer Science, Data Science, or related computational field
- Executive-level experience leading multidisciplinary AI/ML teams
- Deep expertise in ML engineering, MLOps, and end-to-end AI platform development
- Experience operating in complex matrixed organizations and influencing senior stakeholders
- Ability to bridge scientific research priorities with technical platform execution
Signals
- ⚠ No salary or compensation range disclosed
- ⚠ Job description appears truncated — qualifications section cut off mid-sentence
- ⚠ AVP title may underrepresent scope and create positioning ambiguity for senior candidates
- ⚠ No previous postings available to assess pattern or turnover history
- ✓ Clear and specific transformation mandate — 'computationally supported' to 'computationally driven'
- ✓ Enterprise-scale company with substantial R&D budget and global research infrastructure
- ✓ Role owns full platform lifecycle and strategic roadmap — broad scope and authority
- ✓ San Francisco location signals proximity to top AI talent and academic partnerships
- ✓ Explicit MLOps, reproducibility, and compliance requirements indicate organizational seriousness
- ✓ Strategic partnerships component suggests external investment and ecosystem building