Technical Lead Software Architect

Technical Lead Software Architect

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.

About the Technology Organization Technology at Lilly builds and maintains capabilities using pioneering technologies like most prominent tech companies. What differentiates Technology at Lilly is that we create new possibilities through tech to advance our purpose – creating medicines that make life better for people around the world, like data driven drug discovery and connected clinical trials. We hire the best technology professionals from a variety of backgrounds, so they can bring an assortment of knowledge, skills, and diverse thinking to deliver solutions in every area of our business. About the Business Function The Software Product Engineering (SPE) team is a specialized engineering group that delivers strategic solutions and differentiated capabilities. We take a forward-thinking approach, focusing on an enterprise platform and product mindset, ensuring that the solutions we build can be leveraged across Technology teams for broader impact and efficiency. Role Summary We are looking for a passionate and driven Software Engineer to join our AI & Platform team. In this role, you will design, build, and scale intelligent systems that leverage the latest advances in Generative AI and Large Language Models. You will work closely with product, data science, and infrastructure teams to deliver robust, production-grade solutions that power real-world use cases across the organization. You should be comfortable working across the stack, from crafting clean backend services to contributing to frontend experiences and be excited about the rapidly evolving landscape of agentic AI, model-context protocols, and cloud-native architecture. What You’ll Be Doing 1)Key Responsibilities Architect and lead the delivery of scalable, cloud-native software systems across backend and frontend layers. Own end-to-end design and implementation of GenAl and LLM-powered platform capabilities in production. Design and govern multi-agent Al architectures using MCP, A2A, and emerging agentic frameworks. Define containerisation, orchestration, and deployment standards using Docker, Kubernetes, and Helm. Lead architectural reviews, establish engineering best practices, and set technical direction for the team. Drive cross-functional technical collaboration with product, data science, security, and infrastructure teams. Identify and resolve systemic technical risks across services, APIs, and data pipelines. Mentor mid-level software development engineers through pairing, code reviews, and structured knowledge transfer. Champion observability, reliability, and security practices across the platform. Experience setting up local Kubernetes clusters using "Kind" clusters and by using various open-source products like minio, localstack. 2)Required Qualifications Expert-level proficiency in at least one programming language — Python, Go, or TypeScript — with a demonstrated track record of building and owning production-grade systems at scale. Proven experience architecting and delivering Generative Al and LLM-based solutions end-to-end, including model integration, prompt pipelines, RAG systems, and LLM evaluation frameworks. Strong command of object-oriented design principles and advanced design patterns (SOLID, DDD, CQRS, Event Sourcing) applied to complex, multi-service systems. Hands-on experience designing and implementing agentic Al systems using MCP, A2A, or equivalent multi-agent orchestration frameworks beyond familiarity, with the ability to define architectural patterns for the team. Deep experience with Docker and containerised development, able to define container standards, base image strategies, and security hardening practices for the team Strong cloud platform expertise (AWS, Azure, or GCP) at an architectural level, including network topology, IAM design, cost governance, and cloud-native service selection. Advanced experience with SQL and NoSQL databases, including schema design, query optimisation, indexing strategies, and data modelling for high-throughput systems. Excellent problem-solving and systems thinking skills, ability to decompose ambiguous, large-scale technical challenges and lead the team to well-reasoned solutions. 3)Nice to Have Experience building full-stack solutions using frameworks such as React, Next.js, or FastAPI, with the ability to make architectural decisions across the full request lifecycle. Deep knowledge of microservices and distributed system design including service mesh, API gateway patterns, event-driven architecture, and inter-service communication standards. Strong experience with BDD and TDD practices at a team or programme level, including test strategy definition, contract testing, and test automation frameworks. Solid understanding of authentication and authorisation mechanisms (Auth 2.0, JWT, SAML, OIDC) and the ability to define security patterns for platform-wide adoption. Meaningful Kubernetes experience — including cluster management, Helm chart authorship, resource optimisation, and GitOps-based deployment pipelines. Experience leading or coaching Agile/Scrum delivery at the squad or programme level, including shaping ways of working and driving continuous improvement. 4) AI-Enhanced Development Leverage AI tools like GitHub Copilot, claude code to accelerate development workflows, improve code quality, and reduce boilerplate. Demonstrate proficiency in prompt engineering to effectively guide AI tools in generating optimal and context-aware code solutions. Use AI-assisted pair programming to support rapid prototyping, test case generation, and debugging. Stay informed about the evolving landscape of AI-powered development tools and integrate best practices into day-to-day engineering work. Encourage and mentor team members on responsible and secure use of AI in the software development lifecycle. 5) Basic Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related technical field. 14+ years of hands-on software development experience across frontend and backend systems. Demonstrated ability to lead code reviews, guide junior engineers, and build production-grade software. Strong foundation in computer science fundamentals, software architecture, and cloud-native patterns. 6) Soft Skills Effective verbal and written communication skills Ability to work collaboratively across backend, frontend, DevOps, and product teams A high degree of intellectual curiosity and commitment to continuous learning Encourages a culture of continuous learning, actively sharing insights, knowledge, and industry trends with the team

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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Experience Level

Senior Level