Director, Protein Engineering, Discovery Portfolio

Bristol Myers Squibb • Cambridge Crossing, VA

10d • $246,970 - $299,267 • Onsite

About The Position

Bristol Myers Squibb is seeking a Director of Protein Engineering to lead the design and optimization of therapeutic proteins supporting its discovery portfolio across Oncology, Immunology, Cardiovascular, and Neuroscience. The Director will partner with therapeutic-area strategy and discovery leadership to set portfolio protein-engineering strategy and execute it across programs, matching molecule formats and designs to the biology, patient population, and intended route and duration of therapy. As a scientific leader on discovery project teams, this role shapes program strategy and advances molecules from concept through development candidate nomination.

The Director will lead a team of protein engineers and scientists and establish engineering strategy for biologics, antibody-derived molecules, conjugates, and fusion proteins. The role is also the protein-engineering interface with Protein Sciences and Development, aligning discovery format strategies with expression, purification, characterization, and manufacturing requirements.

The role partners with computational and machine-learning colleagues on a closed-loop discovery strategy that integrates generative and molecule design, structure prediction, and sequence-based models with high-throughput experimentation. Each cycle should deliver improved molecules and data that strengthen subsequent design cycles.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree plus 15 or more years of academic or industry experience, master's degree plus 12 or more years, or PhD plus 8 or more years.
• At least 6 years of leadership experience.
• Degree in protein engineering, biochemistry, molecular biology, structural biology, bioengineering, immunology, or a related scientific discipline.
• Deep demonstrated expertise in therapeutic protein engineering, including structure–function reasoning, affinity and specificity optimization, epitope-directed design, humanization, and rational library design or directed evolution applied to antibody and antibody-derived formats.
• Experience with multispecific design—including geometry, valency, chain pairing, and developability consequences—or with conditional, masked, or pH-dependent activity.
• Demonstrated program impact through molecules engineered or campaigns led that progressed through lead optimization to development candidate nomination.
• Proven project leadership, including leading discovery project teams or serving as their biologics lead, setting program direction, and delivering development candidates.
• Demonstrated people leadership, including hiring, developing, and retaining scientists and building complementary expertise across a team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive cross-functional alignment.

Nice To Haves

• At least 8 years of progressive leadership experience, accountability for multiple concurrent discovery programs, and a track record of repeat candidate nominations.
• Fc engineering experience, including effector-function modulation, FcRn, and half-life extension.
• Experience delivering format-level solutions such as Fc effector function and half-life, multispecific architecture, conditional activity, and tissue-directed delivery, including receptor-mediated transcytosis and brain exposure strategies.
• Experience with high-throughput expression and purification workflows, including small-scale transient expression and quantitative binding and functional characterization to rapidly screen formats and binders.
• Working knowledge of physics-based structural modeling suites such as Rosetta, FoldX, MOE, Schrödinger, or PyMOL for energy minimization, mutational impact prediction, structural alignment, and rigidbody docking.
• Working knowledge of generative AI and ML-driven design frameworks such as AlphaFold 3, RFdiffusion, ProteinMPNN, or ESMFold for sequence selection, de novo scaffold and linker design, and in silico screening, and judgment to distinguish model confidence from measured function.
• Experience partnering on active learning, Bayesian optimization, or uncertainty-aware candidate selection in a real program, including experimental design decisions that support those campaigns.
• Experience with antibody engineering for conjugate modalities, including site-specific conjugation interfaces and antibody-side properties that determine conjugate performance.
• Strong external scientific reputation, demonstrated through publications, patents, or invited presentations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the protein engineering team, set scientific direction, hire and develop scientists, and deploy capabilities against portfolio priorities.
• Own engineering strategy on discovery programs, including format selection, affinity and specificity targets, epitope strategy, valency and geometry, humanization, and liability remediation, from concept through lead optimization to development candidate nomination.
• Co-develop computational–experimental design strategy with machine-learning and computational leaders, jointly determining where generative design and model-guided prioritization are used across the portfolio.
• Partner with Oncology, Immunology, Cardiovascular, and Neuroscience strategy and discovery leadership to align engineering strategy with therapeutic-area priorities and target product profiles, and translate decisions into engineering plans, resourcing, and program delivery.
• Serve as the protein-engineering interface to Protein Sciences and Development, ensuring choices are developable and manufacturable with respect to expression and titer, purification, chain pairing and product quality, stability, and formulation.
• Partner with Discovery Biology, Structural Biology, DMPK, Toxicology, Translational Sciences, and Bioconjugation to ensure discovery engineering choices remain viable downstream.
• Champion linked sequence–structure–assay data with traceable metadata and quality standards in shared ownership with machine-learning, informatics, and automation partners.
• Represent protein engineering at governance and portfolio reviews.
• Evaluate external technologies, manage academic, technology-partner, and CRO collaborations, and contribute to the patent estate.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefit plans, including wellbeing support, retirement and financial protection benefits, and insurance offerings such as medical, dental, vision, life, and disability.
• Flexible Time Off without a set accrual limit for eligible U.S.-based exempt employees, subject to manager approval.
• 11 paid company holidays each year for eligible employees.
• For specified non-exempt, RayzeBio, and Puerto Rico employees: 160 hours of paid vacation annually for new hires, subject to manager approval, plus 11 paid company holidays and 3 optional holidays.
• Depending on eligibility, paid sick leave, up to two paid volunteer days per year, summer-hours flexibility, and leaves of absence for medical, personal, parental, caregiver, bereavement, or military needs.
• Eligible employees receive an annual Global Shutdown between Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
• Potential eligibility for discretionary incentive cash and stock opportunities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director