Senior Director, Translational Research - Cell Therapy

Bristol Myers Squibb • Seattle, WA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

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.

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.

Requirements

• 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

Nice To Haves

• 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.
• 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

Responsibilities

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree