Associate Director, Supply Chain

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. 

Overview:

Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, is a clinical-stage company developing orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonists as a new class of medicines for the treatment of narcolepsy and potentially other sleep-wake disorders. Centessa’s lead investigational candidate – cleminorexton (formerly ORX750) – is being developed for narcolepsy type 1, narcolepsy type 2, and idiopathic hypersomnia. Centessa's OX2R agonist portfolio includes additional clinical and preclinical-stage assets with potential utility across a broader range of neurological, neurodegenerative, and neuropsychiatric conditions.  Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Centessa was recognized as a Great Place to Work® in 2026.

Position Summary:

Centessa is currently seeking an Associate Director, Clinical Supply Chain. The successful candidate will develop and implement strategies to deliver Investigational Product (IP)  in support of several clinical programs. Reporting to the Senior Director, Clinical Supply Chain this individual will develop strong collaborative relationships with several internal departments as well as third-party procurement, packaging, and distribution providers to align objectives and implement decisions which ensure clinical supply. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong attention to detail, which they will apply to the development and routine maintenance of clinical forecasts, inventory databases and IRT systems providing daily oversight of clinical supplies. Management and travel to CDMOs both domestically and internationally may be required. 

Key Responsibilities 

Leadership: 

• Develop and update clinical supply strategies as needed to meet corporate demands 

• Develop/maintain strong collaborative relationships with internal departments and external CDMOs 

• Identify potential supply chain risks and develop & implement negotiated mitigation strategies 

• Manage study/program budget, contracts and change orders and track spend against budget 

Execution: 

• Develop and working with Clinical, regularly update forecast/demand plans for late phase clinical trials.  

• Collaborate with Quality, Clinical, CMC and external CDMOs to develop and approve clinical labels. 

• Manage CDMO packaging/labeling schedules to ensure availability of clinical supplies. 

• Interact regularly with third-party providers to manage logistics & licenses required to ship materials from manufacturing to bulk storage facilities, courier depots and investigator sites. 

• Work with CMC and QA to facilitate document transfer required for IP/QP release by CDMOs 

• Manage and track clinical supply inventory either manually or through an Interactive Response Technology (IRT) system. 

• Manage Product Recovery pending investigation of IP from investigator sites as needed. 

Collaboration: 

• Effectively collaborate and communication across multiple functional areas, bringing a sufficient breadth of knowledge. 

• Monitor shelf-life and expiry dating and coordinate retest extension with analytical team to ensure continuous supply. 

• Manage investigation, reporting and communication of outcomes from temperature excursions and product complaints. 

• Author and/or review supply chain sections of regulatory submissions 

• If required, participate as SME in audits or for-cause inspection of CDMOs. 

• Contribute as a SME to CDMO selection and approval process and review of associated Master Service Agreements (MSA) and Quality Agreements for clinical supply services 

• Represent Supply Chain in Clinical and CMC Sub Team meetings 

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or science is required. 

• 7+ years of biotech/pharma industry experience in clinical supply with significant international experience is required 

• Experience in all aspects of clinical supply chain as well as a deep understanding of GMP/GDP 

• Requires a strong understanding of managing groups, CMOs, CDMOs and other CDMOs 

• Strong organizational, analytical, decision-making and interpersonal skills 

• Ability to work on multiple projects independently in a fast-paced dynamic environment 

• Demonstrated ability to coordinate CDMO activities in the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products 

• Excellent organizational skills, project management skills and detail-orientated leadership approach 

• Willing and able to travel both domestically and internationally  

Work Location 

The Associate Director, Clinical Supply Chain role is based in the US, with occasional travel (up to 20%). 

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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.

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