Lilly
Direct Workday career site

Senior Biologist - Protein Engineering

Pay
$88,500 – $161,700 per year
Location
US, San Diego CA
Listed
Today

Responsibilities

  • Think creatively and assist in designing and performing experiments to identify and validate the next generation of large molecule therapeutics
  • Contribute to building and improving next-generation technology platforms for future therapeutics
  • Contribute to process improvement of molecular biology, screening protocols and molecule characterization
  • Work collaboratively and communicate with project teams to achieve critical research objectives and timelines
  • Maintain timely, detailed, and well-organized records, including electronic notebooks, laboratory information management systems, presentations, and reports

Basic Requirements

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Protein Engineering, Biotechnology, Cell Biology, or a related STEM field with a minimum of 3 years of relevant laboratory experience
  • Experience in protein engineering
  • Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1.

Additional Skills / Preferences

  • Demonstrated hands-on experience with molecular biology and cloning techniques (PCR, Gibson assembly, restriction digest/ligation, site-directed mutagenesis, bacterial transformation)
  • Experience in antibody engineering and optimization approaches as well as in protein biochemistry
  • Proficient in ELISA and binding assay techniques; experience with BLI (Octet) or SPR (Biacore) is desirable
  • Knowledge of protein structure and structure-activity relationships
  • Confortable using AI tools and agile learning new software
  • Knowledge/experience in cell culture and cell-based functional assays
  • Experience working with automation platforms
  • Familiarity with sequence analysis tools and data visualization/statistics software (e.g., Prism, Excel, Spotfire) is a plus
  • Highly effective interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills
  • Excellent analytical and organizational skills with high attention to detail
  • Ability to work independently as well as in complex cross-functional team settings

Location: San Diego, CA | Onsite laboratory position

  • If you require an accommodation to submit a resume for positions at Lilly, please email Lilly Human Resources () for further assistance.
  • Please note this email address is intended for use only to request an accommodation as part of the application process.
  • Any other correspondence will not receive a response.

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 $88,500 - $161,700
  • 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

About Lilly

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.

Company Overview

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.

The Biotechnology Discovery Research (BioTDR) division in San Diego is responsible for generating, characterizing, and optimizing biotherapeutics from discovery to candidate selection. We support cross-disciplinary efforts to engineer innovative biotherapeutics that treat metabolic, autoimmune, oncologic, and neurologic diseases. Join our team of scientists working to improve the lives of patients around the world.

This is an opportunity for a self-motivated researcher to join the Protein Engineering group at the Lilly Biotechnology Center in San Diego. We are seeking an associate-level scientist with experience in molecular biology, biochemistry, and protein engineering.

The successful candidate will characterize and optimize antibodies, therapeutic proteins, and alternative scaffolds, with a primary focus on antibody discovery and engineering. The ideal candidate is a dedicated teammate with outstanding technical skills who can work collaboratively with the antibody discovery, protein engineering, protein production, protein characterization, and automation groups in San Diego and Indianapolis.

As they build expertise, there is an opportunity to take ownership of a project workstream with increasing autonomy.

Read the original posting

From Lilly's careers page, first listed on Rolev.ai on November 11, 2026. Rolev.ai is not the employer.

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Common questions

What is the salary for the Senior Biologist - Protein Engineering role at Lilly?

The Senior Biologist - Protein Engineering posting at Lilly states compensation of $88,500 – $161,700 per year. Final pay may depend on location, experience, and interview evaluation on Lilly's official career site.

Where is the Senior Biologist - Protein Engineering job at Lilly located?

This Senior Biologist - Protein Engineering position at Lilly is located in US, San Diego CA. Always check Lilly's application page for specific state eligibility or relocation policies.

How do I apply for the Senior Biologist - Protein Engineering position at Lilly?

This listing links directly to Lilly's Workday application page. You can apply directly on Lilly's site, or use Rolev.ai to check your resume fit, generate a zero-hallucination tailored resume and cover letter for this posting, and autofill the Workday application form in 1 click with the Rolev.ai Chrome extension. You always review the form and press Submit yourself.