Director, Corporate Affairs Strategy & Innovation

Bristol Myers Squibb•Princeton, NJ

2d•$194,400 - $235,561•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Corporate Affairs Strategy & Innovation will lead the design and rollout of artificial intelligence capabilities across the Corporate Affairs function. Sitting at the intersection of AI and corporate communications, this role will define how the function identifies, builds, and scales AI-powered tools and ways of working — improving speed, quality, and impact across Corporate Affairs. This is a hands-on strategy and delivery role: the successful candidate will combine deep technical fluency in AI with real operating experience in Corporate Affairs and will act as the function's primary advocate for responsible, practical AI adoption. This role will report to the Senior Director, Strategy & Operations, Corporate Affairs and is based in Princeton, NJ or Madison, NJ.

Requirements

15+ years of experience in corporate communications, public affairs, digital strategy, or a related field, with demonstrated exposure to enterprise technology or AI implementation.
Deep, hands-on expertise in AI, including familiarity with large language models, generative AI tools, automation platforms, and emerging enterprise AI solutions.
Genuine fluency in how Corporate Affairs organizations operate, including the workflows, pressures, approval processes, and reputational sensitivities involved.
Demonstrated ability to translate complex technical AI capabilities into practical, adopted solutions for non-technical audiences.
Experience navigating large, matrixed organizations, with a track record of building cross-functional partnerships (particularly with IT, legal, and data/analytics teams).
Strong program and change management skills, with experience designing training, governance frameworks, or toolkits for enterprise-wide adoption.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present strategy and technical concepts to senior leaders.
Bachelor's degree in communications, business, data/computer science, or a related field

Nice To Haves

advanced degree a plus

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the AI strategy for Corporate Affairs, setting a multi-year roadmap that identifies where AI can create the greatest value across communications workflows, content development, issues management, and stakeholder engagement.
Define the strategic pillars of the function's AI approach (e.g., content and creative acceleration, insights and monitoring, stakeholder engagement, workflow automation) and set clear goals and success metrics for each.
Align the AI strategy with the broader enterprise technology and data strategy, ensuring Corporate Affairs' roadmap complements — rather than duplicates — investments being made elsewhere in the organization.
Partner closely with BI&T, enterprise technology, and data teams to evaluate, build, and scale AI-powered solutions tailored to the specific needs of communications professionals, from tool selection and vendor evaluation to pilot design and enterprise rollout.
Serve as the function's primary resource and advocate for AI literacy, designing and delivering training programs, practical toolkits, and reference materials that build confidence and capability across teams of varying technical maturity. The ideal candidate will demonstrate superior collaboration skills to ensure all teams touching AI are coordinated and working together seamlessly.
Establish governance frameworks and usage guidelines for AI tools within Corporate Affairs, ensuring adoption is consistent with legal, compliance, brand, data privacy, and risk requirements.
Identify and prioritize high-impact use cases (e.g., content drafting and localization, media monitoring and analysis, message testing, executive briefing preparation, issues and crisis monitoring) and build the business case for investment.
Manage relationships with external AI vendors and technology partners, negotiating scope and ensuring solutions are fit for purpose, secure, and cost-effective.
Track and report on adoption, efficiency gains, and ROI from AI initiatives, and use those insights to continuously refine the function's AI strategy and priorities.
Monitor the external AI and digital landscape, including emerging tools, platforms, regulation, and industry best practices, and translate relevant developments into recommendations for the function.
Champion responsible and ethical AI use, ensuring solutions account for accuracy, bias, transparency, and reputational risk

Benefits

wellbeing support
retirement and financial protection benefits
insurance offerings (medical, dental, vision, life and disability)
Flexible Time Off (FTO)
11 paid company holidays each year
160 hours of paid vacation annually for new hires
3 optional holidays
paid sick leave
up to two paid volunteer days per year
summer hours flexibility
leaves of absence for medical, personal, parental, caregiver, bereavement, or military needs
annual Global Shutdown between Christmas Day and New Year's Day