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Scientific Director Jobs in Decatur, GA (NOW HIRING)

Laboratory Director

Sandy Springs, GA Β· On-site

$190K - $200K/yr

In this role, the Laboratory Director will: * Keep staff informed with clear, honest and ... Engage in scientific collaboration across all laboratory locations and projects, sharing ...

Accounts Director - Sigmoid Analytics Location: Atlanta - 30% travel Sigmoid unlocks business value ... AIM's 50 Best Firms for Data Scientists * Recently named British Data Awards Finalist & more ...

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Scientific Director information

See Decatur, GA salary details

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$153K

$188.9K

How much do scientific director jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 12, 2026, the average yearly pay for scientific director in Decatur, GA is $153,013.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $146,000.00 and $165,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a scientific director?

A Scientific Director is a senior leader responsible for overseeing and guiding the scientific research and development efforts within an organization. They set the strategic direction for research programs, manage scientific teams, and ensure projects align with the organization’s goals and regulatory standards. Scientific Directors often collaborate with other departments, secure funding, and represent the organization at conferences or in partnerships. Their role is crucial in driving innovation and maintaining the quality and integrity of scientific work.

What does a scientific director do?

A scientific director manages research programs for a company, organization, or institution. Your job duties can vary depending on where you work, but as a scientific director, you help define the research direction of an organization. You may oversee laboratory experiments, hire researchers to meet staffing needs, and offer guidance so that the research meets specific goals. You establish initiatives and create strategies that help your facility meet particular objectives. A scientific director sometimes acts as a liaison between researchers and other executives or administrators.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a scientific director, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Scientific Director, you need advanced expertise in scientific research, typically supported by a Ph.D. and significant leadership experience in your field. Proficiency with research management tools, data analysis software, and familiarity with regulatory compliance systems is expected. Strong strategic thinking, communication, and team leadership skills set exceptional candidates apart. These skills are vital for driving innovative research, managing multidisciplinary teams, and ensuring project success within organizational and regulatory frameworks.

How does a scientific director typically collaborate with cross-functional teams in a research organization?

Scientific Directors play a central role in coordinating efforts across various departments, such as research scientists, clinical teams, regulatory affairs, and business development. They facilitate communication to ensure that scientific objectives align with organizational goals and project timelines. Regular meetings, joint project planning, and shared data platforms are commonly used to maintain transparency and drive progress. This collaborative approach helps streamline decision-making and fosters innovation by integrating diverse expertise.

What is the difference between Scientific Director vs Research Scientist?

AspectScientific DirectorResearch Scientist
Required credentialsAdvanced degrees (PhD or MD), extensive research experienceTypically a PhD or Master's degree in a relevant field
Work environmentLeadership roles in labs, research institutions, or pharmaceutical companiesLaboratory or field research settings, often under supervision
Employer and industry usageUsed in biotech, pharma, academia for overseeing research programsCommon in research labs, academia, and industry for conducting experiments

The main difference is that a Scientific Director oversees research programs and manages teams, requiring leadership skills and strategic planning, while a Research Scientist focuses on conducting experiments and generating data. Both roles require advanced degrees, but the Scientific Director has broader responsibilities in guiding research direction.

What are the most commonly searched types of Scientific jobs in Decatur, GA?

The most popular types of Scientific jobs in Decatur, GA are:

What job categories do people searching Scientific Director jobs in Decatur, GA look for?

The top searched job categories for Scientific Director jobs in Decatur, GA are:

What cities near Decatur, GA are hiring for Scientific Director jobs?

Cities near Decatur, GA with the most Scientific Director job openings:

Infographic showing various Scientific Director job openings in Decatur, GA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 82% Full Time, 15% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $153,013 per year, or $73.6 per hour.

Associate Director -Medical Science Liaison, Dermatology, Atlanta

Atlanta, GA β€’ On-site

Initial Therapeutics, Inc.
Biotechnology Research and DevelopmentΒ β€’Β 11 - 50 employees

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 17 days ago


Key responsibilities

  • Engage with Scientific Experts and Clinical Experts to provide scientific and clinical knowledge relevant to their needs.

  • Support research and clinical activities by delivering disease state and scientific information to facilitate scientific exchange and collaborative research.

  • Plan, prioritize, and execute engagement activities with assigned healthcare professionals through face-to-face and virtual interactions, utilizing territory analytics and supporting tools.


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 workβ€”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.


Purpose:

Scientific and Clinical Experts (SEs/CEs) are individuals who are noted for their expertise in a therapeutic area and as a result have special needs for in-depth and cutting-edge scientific information, because they treat patients, design and implement novel research, and educate colleagues and students. The Medical Science Liaison (MSL) program is specifically designed to meet these needs through a field-based group of medical professionals with deep content knowledge about specific disease states, Lilly and competitive compounds and landscape in their respective therapeutic areas. MSLs recognize and communicate feedback and insights of strategic importance from their interactions with SEs and CEs, to better inform Lilly’s strategic direction for research, development, and commercialization. By facilitating scientific exchange between industry and the scientific and clinical communities, MSLs shape the future of healthcare by providing the required information that addresses important clinical and scientific questions. This MSL position will be responsible for interactions with SEs and CEs primarily based in Atlanta, covering Georgia and southern half of South Carolina.

Primary Responsibilities: This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the job requirements at the time it was prepared. The job requirements of any position may change over time and may include additional responsibilities not specifically described in the job description. Consult with your supervisor regarding your actual job responsibilities and any related duties that may be required for the position.

Scientific & Clinical Knowledge

An MSL’s objective is to provide leading researchers and practitioners with the scientific and clinical knowledge that most meaningfully and precisely addresses their needs (e.g., addressing clinical care gaps for their patients, clarifying nuanced clinical or research questions). This role requires efficient and precise synthesis of the latest research on products, disease states and standard of care for specific indications and therapeutic areas (TAs). Such a skillset and the underlying depth of expertise is typically acquired through substantial research experience or clinical training and requires continuous learning to maintain the highest level of technical expertise within a given TA. This continuous learning will enable the MSL's engagement in scientific exchange to respond to the diverse medical information needs based on customer requests. As a result, the MSL will establish themself as a reliable, trusted resource of unbiased, accurate, up-to-date, medical and scientific information.

Full Spectrum SE/CE Support

Through the application of emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of HCP needs, MSLs will act as one of the primary interfaces between Lilly Medical and SEs/CEs to deliver a positive experience and utilize MSL capabilities to support HCPs in sharing evidence and addressing clinical care gaps for improved patient outcomes. Additionally, MSLs connect SEs/CEs with other Lilly resources or internal business partners as appropriate and facilitate collaborative research opportunities.MSLs partner with clinical development in support of studies and investigators to accelerate the pipeline and evidence generation by delivering disease state and other scientific information aligned with site identification, selection, and recruitment.

Field Execution, Geo Management and Productivity

MSLs effectively analyze customer data, plan, and prioritize to engage assigned SEs/CEs most effectively through a combination of face-to-face and virtual engagement with an enterprise mindset. They will implement a strategic territory plan prioritizing core MSL activities, leverage analytical and supporting tools to execute it, and assume personal accountability for meeting performance expectations. There is also an expectation for compliant partnerships across all Lilly field roles sharing customers to create an appropriately coordinated experience. MSLs will effectively utilize territory analytics for customer identification and routing prioritization.

Strategic Vision and Leadership

MSLs effectively synthesize and communicate actionable customer/clinical insights to internal Lilly Medical and cross functional teams. MSLs use good judgement in decision-making and elevate issues as appropriate. They cultivate internal networks and collaborate effectively across functions including working closely with other field-based colleagues. They embrace change, exercise strategic agility with evolving business needs and utilize innovative resources.

MSLs should work collaboratively with peers and other Lilly colleagues. Within their own team, MSLs are expected to contribute to team goals and be an effective teammate. The MSL will execute the role compliantly, adhering to all governing internal and external requirements, procedures, and laws, demonstrating good judgment.

Minimum Qualification Requirements:
  • Advanced degree in health sciences (e.g., PharmD, MD, PhD in a medically related field) with 2-3 years of clinically relevant experience

  • OR

  • Masters or bachelor's level degree in health sciences (e.g., BSN, RPh, PA, NP) considered if 5+ years clinical, research, or industry experience (medical or scientific role) in relevant therapeutic area.

  • β€œQualified 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.”

  • Valid U.S. driver's license and acceptable driving record is required.

Preferences:
  • Advanced presentation and computer skills with expertise in literature identification, with a preference for experience in servicing customer needs for complex information.

  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

  • Self-directed and able to work alone in the field effectively managing multiple priorities and projects.

  • Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills, including high emotional intelligence and the ability to engage in professional relationship building and networking.

  • Resiliency in managing complex challenges.

  • Intellectual curiosity about the field of science/medicine of specialization.

  • Ability and excitement to leverage field-based tools, adapting as technology advances to increasingly support engagement planning, communication, and many aspects of the job.

  • Learning agility to comprehend and effectively communicate large amounts of complex scientific content in a clear and concise fashion.

  • Demonstrated experience in effective strategic and critical thinking to analyze, assess, and evaluate information and interpret impact or relevance to future states.

Location Requirements:
  • Applicants should live within the geography of Atlanta and near a transport hub (airport/train station).

  • Field-based position requires ability to travel up to 80% and including weekend commitments.

Other Information/Additional Preferences:
  • Experience Dermatology is strongly preferred.

  • Experience in field-based working environment highly valued.

  • Familiarity with health systems, academic communities, medical research, and medical education process highly preferred.

  • Knowledge and experience of digital platform enablers to engage HCPs virtually (e.g., zoom) and excitement to leverage field-based tools highly valued.

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 (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

$151,500 - $244,200

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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