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Challenging. Meaningful. Life-changing. Those aren’t words that are usually associated with a job. But working at Bristol Myers Squibb is anything but usual. Here, uniquely interesting work happens every day, in every department. From optimizing a production line to the latest breakthroughs in cell therapy, this is work that transforms the lives of patients, and the careers of those who do it. You’ll get the chance to grow and thrive through opportunities uncommon in scale and scope, alongside high-achieving teams. Take your career farther than you thought possible.
Bristol Myers Squibb recognizes the importance of balance and flexibility in our work environment. We offer a wide variety of competitive benefits, services and programs that provide our employees with the resources to pursue their goals, both at work and in their personal lives. Read more: careers.bms.com/working-with-us.
The Cell Therapy Thematic Research Center is one of BMS’s differentiated research platforms delivering innovative therapies to patients. Our mission is to drive leadership in the use of cellular therapies to harness the power of the immune system in treating hematologic malignancies, solid cancers, and autoimmune disease. More specifically, our discovery and translational scientists are focused on developing next-generation, engineered cell-based therapies. The team is committed to discovering and developing transformative therapies that harness the power of the immune system to improve patient outcomes.
Position Summary
The Senior Director, Translational Research – Cellular Therapy will provide scientific and people leadership for translational strategy, execution, and correlative analysis across Bristol Myers Squibb’s cellular therapy portfolio. This role is responsible for shaping and delivering integrated translational and biomarker strategies that enable development decisions, regulatory success, and life‑cycle management of cell therapy assets across hematologic malignancies and, where applicable, solid tumors, autoimmunity and neuro-inflammation.
The successful candidate will lead and mentor a team of translational scientists and serve as a senior scientific leader on cross‑functional teams, partnering closely with Clinical Development, Discovery, CMC, Regulatory, Computational Biology, and external collaborators. This individual will be accountable for the quality, rigor, and impact of translational data packages supporting key development decisions, global regulatory submissions, and health authority interactions.
This position sits in the Translational Research organization within the Cellular Therapy Thematic Research Center (CT TRC) and plays a critical role in bridging discovery, early and late clinical development, and enterprise‑level decision making for cellular therapies.
Position Responsibilities
In the role as a Senior Director within Translational Research, the ideal candidate will:
Scientific & Translational Leadership
Define, lead, and execute end‑to‑end translational and biomarker strategies for cellular therapy programs from first‑in‑human through registration and life‑cycle management.
Integrate clinical, translational, and mechanistic data to generate actionable insights on mechanism of action, resistance, durability of response, safety, efficacy, as well as potential patient selection and differentiation.
Drive hypothesis-based translational research and response modeling leveraging multi-modal datasets, ML/AI, and innovative computational approaches to support forward and reverse translation.
Ensure translational deliverables meet high scientific, operational, and regulatory standards and are aligned with program and portfolio objectives.
People & Team Leadership
Build, lead, and develop a high‑performing team of translational scientists through thoughtful recruitment, coaching, and ongoing feedback.
Foster a culture of scientific rigor, collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning.
Guide team members in critical data analysis, interpretation, communication, and prioritization to support timely and impactful decision making.
Cross‑Functional & Matrix Leadership
Serve as the senior translational representative on global, cross‑functional leadership teams and internal governance forums.
Partner effectively with Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Discovery Biology, Computational Biology, CMC, and Commercial colleagues to align translational strategies with clinical and business objectives.
Communicate key translational insights, risks, impact, and milestones clearly to diverse external and internal audiences, including senior leadership.
Regulatory & External Engagement
Provide translational leadership and accountability for regulatory submissions (e.g., INDs, BLAs/MAAs), responses to health authority questions, and regulatory interactions.
Accountable for content of translational sections of clinical protocols, investigator brochures, regulatory documents, and scientific publications.
Establish and manage productive external collaborations with academic partners, CROs, and key opinion leaders to advance enterprise objectives.
Innovation & Ways of Working
Champion innovative approaches to translational science, including responsible application of AI, LLM tools, advanced analytics, and new biomarker technologies to scale impact and efficiency.
Maintain deep awareness of the external scientific and clinical landscape to inform strategy, differentiation, and future investment.
Experience =
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree
15+ years of academic and / or industry experience
Or
Master’s Degree
12+ years of academic and / or industry experience
Or
Ph.D. or equivalent advanced degree in the Life Sciences
10+ years of academic and / or industry experience
8+ years of leadership experience
Preferred Qualifications
Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent advanced degree in immunology, oncology, cell biology, or a related discipline.
12+ years of relevant experience in translational research and/or clinical drug development, with significant experience in cellular therapies.
Demonstrated success leading translational or biomarker strategies for clinical‑stage programs, including experience supporting regulatory filings and interactions.
Proven people leadership experience, including building, mentoring, and managing scientific teams in a matrixed environment.
Deep expertise in immunology, immune‑oncology, tumor biology, and/or hematologic malignancies.
Strong background in biomarker discovery and development, including assay development/validation and clinical application.
Experience integrating computational, genomic, and multi‑modal data to inform translational hypotheses, development decisions and reverse translational application to discovery programs.
Track record of scientific publications and impactful contributions to development programs.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to distill complex scientific concepts for diverse audiences.
Demonstrated ability to operate effectively across discovery, development, and enterprise contexts, balancing scientific ambition with pragmatic execution.
Leadership Competencies
Strategic scientific thinking with a strong bias toward action and decision support
Collaborative, inclusive leadership style with a passion for developing talent
Comfort operating in ambiguity while maintaining urgency and rigor
Credibility as a scientific thought partner internally and externally
#LI-Onsite
If you come across a role that intrigues you but doesn’t perfectly line up with your resume, we encourage you to apply anyway. You could be one step away from work that will transform your life and career.
Compensation Overview:
The starting compensation range(s) for this role are listed above for a full-time employee (FTE) basis. Additional incentive cash and stock opportunities (based on eligibility) may be available. The starting pay rate takes into account characteristics of the job, such as required skills, where the job is performed, the employee’s work schedule, job-related knowledge, and experience. Final, individual compensation will be decided based on demonstrated experience.
Eligibility for specific benefits listed on our careers site may vary based on the job and location. For more on benefits, please visit https://careers.bms.com/life-at-bms/.
Benefit offerings are subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans in effect at the time and may require enrollment. Our benefits include:
Health Coverage: Medical, pharmacy, dental, and vision care.
Wellbeing Support: Programs such as BMS Well-Being Account, BMS Living Life Better, and Employee Assistance Programs (EAP).
Financial Well-being and Protection: 401(k) plan, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, accident insurance, supplemental health insurance, business travel protection, personal liability protection, identity theft benefit, legal support, and survivor support.
Work-life benefits include:
Paid Time Off
US Exempt Employees: flexible time off (unlimited, with manager approval, 11 paid national holidays (not applicable to employees in Phoenix, AZ, Puerto Rico or Rayzebio employees)
Phoenix, AZ, Puerto Rico and Rayzebio Exempt, Non-Exempt, Hourly Employees: 160 hours annual paid vacation for new hires with manager approval, 11 national holidays, and 3 optional holidays
Based on eligibility*, additional time off for employees may include unlimited paid sick time, up to 2 paid volunteer days per year, summer hours flexibility, leaves of absence for medical, personal, parental, caregiver, bereavement, and military needs and an annual Global Shutdown between Christmas and New Years Day.
All global employees full and part-time who are actively employed at and paid directly by BMS at the end of the calendar year are eligible to take advantage of the Global Shutdown.
*Eligibility Disclosure: The summer hours program is for United States (U.S.) office-based employees due to the unique nature of their work. Summer hours are generally not available for field sales and manufacturing operations and may also be limited for the capability centers. Employees in remote-by-design or lab-based roles may be eligible for summer hours, depending on the nature of their work, and should discuss eligibility with their manager. Employees covered under a collective bargaining agreement should consult that document to determine if they are eligible. Contractors, leased workers and other service providers are not eligible to participate in the program.
Uniquely Interesting Work, Life-changing Careers
With a single vision as inspiring as “Transforming patients’ lives through science™ ”, every BMS employee plays an integral role in work that goes far beyond ordinary. Each of us is empowered to apply our individual talents and unique perspectives in a supportive culture, promoting global participation in clinical trials, while our shared values of passion, innovation, urgency, accountability, inclusion and integrity bring out the highest potential of each of our colleagues.
On-site Protocol
BMS has an occupancy structure that determines where an employee is required to conduct their work. This structure includes site-essential, site-by-design, field-based and remote-by-design jobs. The occupancy type that you are assigned is determined by the nature and responsibilities of your role:
Site-essential roles require 100% of shifts onsite at your assigned facility. Site-by-design roles may be eligible for a hybrid work model with at least 50% onsite at your assigned facility. For these roles, onsite presence is considered an essential job function and is critical to collaboration, innovation, productivity, and a positive Company culture. For field-based and remote-by-design roles the ability to physically travel to visit customers, patients or business partners and to attend meetings on behalf of BMS as directed is an essential job function.
Supporting People with Disabilities
BMS is dedicated to ensuring that people with disabilities can excel through a transparent recruitment process, reasonable workplace accommodations/adjustments and ongoing support in their roles. Applicants can request a reasonable workplace accommodation/adjustment prior to accepting a job offer. If you require reasonable accommodations/adjustments in completing this application, or in any part of the recruitment process, direct your inquiries to adastaffingsupport@bms.com. Visit careers.bms.com/eeo-accessibility to access our complete Equal Employment Opportunity statement.
Candidate Rights
BMS will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, pursuant to applicable laws in your area.
If you live in or expect to work from Los Angeles County if hired for this position, please visit this page for important additional information: https://careers.bms.com/california-residents/
Data Protection
We will never request payments, financial information, or social security numbers during our application or recruitment process. Learn more about protecting yourself at https://careers.bms.com/fraud-protection.
Any data processed in connection with role applications will be treated in accordance with applicable data privacy policies and regulations.
If you believe that the job posting is missing information required by local law or incorrect in any way, please contact BMS at TAEnablement@bms.com. Please provide the Job Title and Requisition number so we can review. Communications related to your application should not be sent to this email and you will not receive a response. Inquiries related to the status of your application should be directed to Chat with Ripley.
R1599634 : Senior Director, Translational Research - Cell Therapy