Associate Director, Legal Knowledge & Data Management

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.

Associate Director, Legal Knowledge & Data Management

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Legal Knowledge Management (KM) professional to lead data and knowledge initiatives in our global Corporate Legal Department, supporting both Litigation and Intellectual Property teams. This role will design and implement forward-thinking knowledge management systems to collect, organize, and share legal information across international jurisdictions. The ideal candidate has a consistent record of building scalable knowledge repositories, drafting and implementing policies and procedures, and driving organizational change to foster adoption. You will use both your legal domain expertise and technical skills (including Python) to transform an extensive and fragmented library of legal documents into a dynamic, searchable knowledge base. Ultimately, this position will enhance efficiency, ensure compliance, and reduce risk by making critical knowledge readily accessible to internal teams and outside counsel.

Key Responsibilities

• Knowledge Management Strategy: Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to collect, curate, and disseminate the department’s collective knowledge. Implement modern knowledge-sharing platforms (e.g., SharePoint-based portals) for easy internal access and secure collaboration with outside counsel.
• System Implementation & Optimization: Build or optimize a centralized knowledge repository (e.g., intranet portal or document management system) for all litigation and IP resources. Apply enterprise platforms to ensure documents and work product are accessible and searchable by global teams.
• Data & Process Mapping: Analyze the department’s vast document repositories and develop data/process maps to understand current workflows and information architecture. Use programming (Python and other tools) to audit and categorize knowledge assets, visualize legal processes, and identify gaps or inefficiencies.
• Policy Development & Governance: Draft and implement policies and procedures for knowledge management and legal data governance. Establish standard processes for document tagging, taxonomy, version control, retention, confidentiality, and privilege. Implement compliance with global data privacy regulations and internal security standards.
• Change Management & Training: Lead organizational change management efforts to drive adoption of new systems and practices. Develop training programs, user guides, and support resources to encourage active use of knowledge tools. Champion a culture of knowledge-sharing through regular communications and by securing leadership agreement.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Legal Operations, IT, Ethics & Compliance, Privacy, and outside counsel to align the knowledge management system with business needs. Coordinate with IT on technical integrations, and collaborate with attorneys and support staff to gather feedback and continuously improve the platform.
• Continuous Improvement & Impact: Monitor usage metrics and key performance indicators (e.g., search query success rates, user adoption levels). See opportunities to enhance efficiency and consistency in legal work product. Maintain a forward-looking vision for scaling the knowledge infrastructure as the department grows.

Basic Requirements

• Experience: 5 years of experience in legal knowledge management, information management, or legal operations, with a focus on implementing KM systems.
• Bachelor’s degree in Information Science, Library Science, Computer Science, Law, or related field required. Advanced degree (J.D. or Master’s in Information Management) is a plus. Relevant certifications (e.g., PMP, KM certifications, or CIPP) preferred.
• 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 and/or visas for this role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Domain Knowledge: Solid understanding of legal processes in both Litigation and Intellectual Property contexts. Familiarity with the types of documents, workflows, and terminology in litigation and IP across multiple jurisdictions.
• Technical Proficiency: Demonstrated ability to use technology for knowledge management. Hands-on proficiency with enterprise collaboration tools (e.g., SharePoint, document management systems) and scripting/programming skills (Python preferred) for data analysis and automation.
• Policy & Compliance Knowledge: In-depth knowledge of information governance, data privacy, and compliance standards globally. Experience developing and implementing policies and procedures around data handling, document retention, and user access control.
• Leadership & Communication: Excellent project leadership skills with experience in motivating change management initiatives. Superior communication and interpersonal skills to train users and liaise between legal staff, IT professionals, and external partners. Demonstrable ability to influence team members and champion new ideas.
• Industry Expertise: Prior experience leading knowledge management projects in a corporate legal department with international operations or at a large law firm. Familiarity with legal tech solutions and a demonstrated interest in emerging technologies to enhance knowledge sharing.
• Change Management Credentials: Formal training or certification in change management or process improvement (e.g., PROSCI, Six Sigma, Lean).
• Cross-Jurisdictional Insight: Experience handling legal information across multiple jurisdictions and time zones, coordinating with regional legal teams or external counsel in different countries.
• Strategic Vision: A forward-looking approach with the ability to forecast future knowledge needs and scalability requirements. Experience building solutions that have measurably improved efficiency or reduced risk over the long term.

Long-Term Impact

Success in this role will be measured by the creation of a scalable, efficient, and secure knowledge-sharing environment for the legal department. The knowledge management framework you implement will enable attorneys and staff to quickly find accurate information, streamline legal workflows, and foster collaboration both internally and with outside counsel. Over time, a mature KM program will reduce operational risks by preserving critical institutional knowledge and ensuring compliance with retention and privacy standards. The ideal candidate will address immediate needs while laying a foundation for continuous improvement and innovation in the legal function for years to come

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

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