Principal Data Analyst

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.

Role Purpose

A Principal Data Analyst is a senior individual contributor / technical leader responsible for:

Driving end-to-end analytics delivery

Translating business / clinical needs into data-driven solutions

Leading standards, governance, and mentoring

Influencing strategic decision-making through insights

This role often combines deep technical expertise + functional leadership + stakeholder influence.

Key Responsibilities

A. Analytics Delivery & Technical Leadership

Lead design, development, and delivery of analytics solutions / dashboards / reports

Perform advanced data analysis, modelling, and interpretation

Ensure data quality, validation, and compliance standards

Drive set-up, conduct, and closure phases for data delivery in clinical/data programmes

Translate business questions into analytical frameworks and outputs

B. Business Translation & Stakeholder Engagement

Convert business requirements into technical specifications

Present insights to stakeholders in clear, actionable form

Partner with cross-functional teams to shape strategy and decisions

Provide analytics support for study/program deliverables and regulatory needs

C. Process, Standards & Governance

Define and enforce data standards, checks, and validation frameworks

Improve efficiency, consistency, and scalability of analytics processes

Ensure compliance with internal SOPs and regulatory expectations

Lead adoption of standardized approaches and tools across teams

D. Mentoring & Team Leadership

Mentor and guide Data Analysts and Senior Analysts

Provide technical review, coaching, and feedback

Build capability in:

Study design understanding

Data flow & critical elements

Analytics best practices

Support talent development, performance reviews, and succession planning

E. Innovation & Continuous Improvement

Drive process improvements and automation

Introduce new analytical methods, tools, and AI/ML approaches

Identify opportunities to:

Reduce rework

Improve turnaround time

Enhance quality and audit-readiness

Stay updated on emerging analytics trends

Key Deliverables

Analytics dashboards / reports for studies or business functions

Standardized data checks and validation frameworks

Business-to-technical requirement documentation

Insights supporting:

Clinical programmes

Operational performance

Strategic decisions

Required Skills

Technical

SQL, SAS / R / Python (analytics & modelling)

Expertise in AI/ML

Data visualization (Power BI / Tableau)

Data modelling, validation, and governance

Clinical data understanding (in pharma context)

Functional

Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking

Ability to translate ambiguous business needs into structured analysis

Understanding of clinical trial lifecycle / data standards

Leadership

Stakeholder management (cross-functional/global)

Mentoring and coaching

Driving standards and influencing decisions

Typical Experience / Qualification

Bachelor’s/Master’s in Statistics, Data Science, Life Sciences, or similar

Significant experience in data analytics / clinical data domains

Proven track record of:

Leading analytics initiatives

Managing complex datasets

Influencing business decisions

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 does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

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