Sr Director, Early Clinical Development, Neuroscience

Working with Us
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 Senior Director sits within Clinical Development, which is a global organization dedicated to the effective design and execution of drug development. This role will focus on earlier stages of Clinical Development, dedicated to initial evaluations of new molecules, biomarkers, and mechanistic hypotheses in humans, with a focus on clinical strategy, and the design, execution, and interpretation of studies to select the most promising drug candidates.

Position Summary / Objective

• Serve as the clinical point of oversight for a matrixed group of physicians in the neuroscience therapeutic area participating in evaluation and clinical development planning for assets within the research pipeline
• Oversee Global Clinical Physicians in a matrixed environment and manage the clinical aspects of Phase 1 trials in the neuroscience therapeutic area
• Demonstrate matrix leadership to develop, motivate and achieve results through teams; enable development of a resilient attitude, embrace change and have an unwavering commitment to organizational People Strategy
• Ensure studies are designed to meet regulatory, quality, medical, and access goals

Position Responsibilities

Early Phase Trials

• Oversees others and may at times serve as an independent Medical Monitor for Phase 1 clinical trials by:
  • Articulating clinical development strategy
  • Analyzing, interpreting, and acting on clinical trial data
• Independently synthesizes and/or contributes to plans (e.g., trial design, development strategy, regulatory strategy) based on emerging data and multi-functional input
• Supervises and participates in the design and development of clinical studies and research plans in support of asset strategy; clinical studies include first-in-human Phase I, biomarker qualification studies, and/or clinical pharmacology studies
• Sets executional priorities and partners with Global Clinical Scientists to support executional delivery of studies

Clinical Development Expertise & Strategy for Research Pipeline Assets

• Oversees matrixed Global Clinical Physicians and participates in the clinical strategy planning for multiple/complex active programs concurrently within the research pipeline
• Accountable for clinical contribution to the development of indication strategy as well as initial clinical development plans
• Provides clinical leadership and disease area expertise into integrated disease area strategies
• Partners closely with KOLs in specific indications
• Liaises with Translational & Discovery Scientists, and Development Teams to define dose, indications, and patient selection (e.g., biomarker qualification and implementation)
• Liaises with other functions (e.g., Thematic Research Centers and Translational Medicine) to prioritize translational objectives in anticipation of development needs
• Ad-Hoc involvement in various departmental or enterprise initiatives (e.g., committees, sub-teams etc.)
• Presents and/or articulates clinical strategy to senior leadership and to support progression of portfolio

Health Authority Interactions

• Serves as primary clinical oversight in regulatory interactions for development projects

Leadership and Matrix Management

• Responsible for supervising the Phase 1 and research based tasks of Global Clinical Physicians and Global Clinical Scientists in the organization who are leading the clinical aspects of Phase 1 trials as well as those who are planning clinical and translational strategy for research pipeline assets; attracting, developing and retaining top talent; ensures appropriate mentoring of Global Clinical Physicians and Global Clinical Scientists
• Given that much of this role will involve supervising team members who are not direct reports, the ability to lead by influence and example in a matrix based model is crucial
• Champions a quality-focused mindset and ensures adherence to GCP and compliance obligations for clinical conduct

Degree Requirements

• Advanced degree(s) in relevant field: MD or MD/PhD and deep clinical expertise in neuroscience

Experience Requirements

• 7+ years of relevant experience in discovery, translational and/or clinical research in academic or industry setting including education where applicable
• Extensive experience in clinical trial design and execution, biomarker development, and development strategy in pharmaceutical industry
• Deep understanding of pharmaceutical discovery, development and commercialization
• Track record of mentorship and/or management and/or matrix leadership
• Demonstrated leadership abilities in a matrix environment

Key Competency Requirements

• Excellent skills in clinical development strategy including the clinical components of regulatory submission(s)
• External focus to understand the trends in the disease area treatment paradigms and ability to build relationships with external partners, thought leaders and collaborators outside of BMS
• Partner and interact with other colleagues from Clinical Development to assure a seamless transition into Phase II-III trials

Travel Required

Domestic and International travel may be required

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:

Cambridge Crossing: $350,780 - $425,060 Madison - Giralda - NJ - US: $313,200 - $379,524 Princeton - NJ - US: $313,200 - $379,524

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

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: T he 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 View email address on us.fitly.work. 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:

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If you believe that the job posting is missing information required by local law or incorrect in any way, please contact BMS at View email address on us.fitly.work. 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.

R1603143 : Sr Director, Early Clinical Development, Neuroscience