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Drug Development Jobs in Indiana (NOW HIRING)

A deep understanding of the veterinary drug development process, including the interdependencies of various tasks that require coordination among global teams, functional groups, and third parties.

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Drug Development information

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$31.4K

$73.7K

$126.6K

How much do drug development jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 15, 2026, the average yearly pay for drug development in Indiana is $73,687.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $55,700.00 and $86,100.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is drug development?

Drug development is the process of bringing a new pharmaceutical drug to market. It involves several stages, including drug discovery, preclinical research, clinical trials, and regulatory approval. Each stage is designed to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of the drug before it can be made available to patients. The entire process can take several years and requires collaboration between scientists, clinicians, regulatory agencies, and pharmaceutical companies.

What are the typical stages of collaboration between different teams in a drug development role?

In drug development, professionals regularly collaborate across multidisciplinary teams, including research scientists, clinical trial coordinators, regulatory affairs specialists, and manufacturing experts. Early stages involve close work with research and discovery teams to identify promising compounds, followed by coordination with clinical teams during trial phases, and finally with regulatory and production teams as the drug moves toward approval and commercialization. Effective communication and cross-functional teamwork are essential, as each stage relies on timely data sharing and joint problem-solving to navigate complex challenges.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in drug development, and why are they important?

To thrive in Drug Development, you need a strong background in pharmaceutical sciences, biology, or chemistry, often supported by an advanced degree (e.g., PhD, PharmD, or MSc). Familiarity with regulatory compliance, clinical trial management systems, and data analysis software such as SAS or R is typically required. Excellent problem-solving, project management, and cross-functional communication skills help professionals excel in this multidisciplinary field. These competencies ensure that new drugs are developed safely, efficiently, and in accordance with regulatory standards.

What is the difference between Drug Development vs Pharmacologist?

AspectDrug DevelopmentPharmacologist
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, or related fields; often requires experience in clinical trialsDegree in Pharmacology, Pharmacy, or related fields; may require licensing or certification for clinical practice
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, pharmaceutical companies, clinical trial sitesResearch labs, hospitals, academic institutions, regulatory agencies
Industry UsageDeveloping new drugs, overseeing clinical trials, regulatory submissionsStudying drug effects, mechanisms, safety, and efficacy; advising on drug use

While both roles are integral to the pharmaceutical industry, Drug Development focuses on creating and bringing new drugs to market through research, testing, and regulatory processes. Pharmacologists primarily study how drugs interact with biological systems, often working in research or clinical settings to understand drug effects and safety. The two roles often collaborate but differ in their core responsibilities and career focus.

How much do drug development professionals make?

Drug development professionals, including roles such as research scientists and clinical trial managers, typically earn salaries ranging from $70,000 to over $130,000 annually, depending on experience, education, and location. Senior positions or those with specialized skills and certifications can earn higher salaries, especially in biotech and pharmaceutical companies.

Is drug development a good career?

Drug development is a challenging and rewarding career that involves research, clinical trials, and regulatory processes to bring new medications to market. It requires strong scientific knowledge, attention to detail, and often collaboration across multidisciplinary teams. The field offers opportunities for growth, innovation, and contributing to public health, but can also involve long hours and high responsibility.

What career develops drugs?

A career in drug development typically involves roles such as pharmacologist, medicinal chemist, clinical researcher, or regulatory affairs specialist. These professionals work in laboratories, research facilities, or pharmaceutical companies to discover, test, and bring new drugs to market, often requiring knowledge of biology, chemistry, and regulatory processes.

What cities in Indiana are hiring for Drug Development jobs?

Cities in Indiana with the most Drug Development job openings:

Infographic showing various Drug Development job openings in Indiana as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 84% Full Time, 13% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $73,687 per year, or $35.4 per hour.

Engineer - Drug Substance Synthetic Molecule Design and Development

Indianapolis, IN • On-site

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 12 days ago


Job description

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.

Synthetic Molecule Design and Development (SMDD) is involved in key activities for the development of synthetic active pharmaceutical ingredients from pre-clinical phases through commercialization of drug substances and drug products. Our scientists and engineers develop key technical and business solutions across the portfolio using their deep technical expertise to accelerate testing of the clinical hypothesis and overall drug development. SMDD delivers on these responsibilities by recognizing diverse talent and cultures are necessary to bring the next generation of life changing medicines to patients.

Our team is looking for creative and energetic candidates to facilitate unit operation development and process optimization of synthetic drug candidates to support clinical trials, regulatory submission, and product commercialization. The position presents an opportunity to work on dynamic teams comprised of process chemists, analytical chemists, formulation scientists, and engineers.

Position Responsibilities
  • Generate process design and unit operation knowledge based on engineering principles for small molecules, and other emerging therapeutic modalities.
  • Ensure successful scale-up of processes through fundamental engineering principles and equipment knowledge.
  • Design and execute laboratory experiments, including manual and automated high- and low-throughput reactors, in support of crystallization process design and optimization.
  • Develop drug substance processes and manufacturing technologies, with a focus on defining the physical properties of the API required for the drug product and designing crystallization processes to fulfill physical property and chemical purity requirements.
  • Leverage and develop process analytical technology (PAT), continuous processing, mechanistic models, and novel formulation platforms to develop well-understood and robust crystallization processes capable of enhancing or tailoring API physical properties.
  • Apply fundamental engineering and business principles to design and characterize synthetic processes. Use numerical engineering modeling tools to characterize reaction kinetics, reaction mechanisms, and process separations.
  • Engage in generating creative solutions for improving existing processes and the creation of novel ones.
  • Transfer process technical information to internal and external manufacturing sites. Provide technical oversight to external collaboration partners for laboratory and manufacturing activities.
  • Author and maintain documentation such as laboratory notebooks and technical reports.
  • Design effective and efficient process and equipment flow strategies, ensuring equipment is selected which is suitable and appropriate for its intended use, given the specific needs of the process.
  • Stay informed about new technology and best practices. Propose, justify, evaluate, and implement new equipment, processing techniques, and technologies.
  • Utilize technology to improve safety, quality, and productivity, both in development and manufacturing.
  • Publish and share original research externally through peer-reviewed articles and conferences.
Minimum Qualifications
  • B.S or M.S. in chemical engineering or closely related engineering field.
  • 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
  • Strong technical skills in synthetic organic chemistry with experience as a hands-on technical contributor in a laboratory environment.
  • Utilization of chemical engineering fundamentals towards crystallization process design: heat and mass transfer, thermodynamics, crystallization and precipitation kinetics, solid–liquid separations, drying, particle size reduction (milling), mixing theory, and experimental design.
  • Experience with online and offline analytical techniques and PAT such as image analysis tools, IR, Raman, FBRM, and solid-state characterization techniques such as XRPD, DSC, TGA, particle size analysis, and microscopy.
  • Demonstrated problem solving skills.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills and ability to collaborate in a team environment.
  • Ability to prioritize multiple activities and handle ambiguity.
Additional Information
  • Travel: 0 to 10%.
  • Location: Indianapolis, IN; Lilly Technology Center – North (LTC-N)

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.

Employee Resource Groups
  • 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 and Benefits

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is $66,000 - $171,600

Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance).

  • 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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