Executive Director, Knowledge Science Research

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.

Position Summary

The Executive Director of Knowledge Science Research (KSR) leads a multidisciplinary team within Informatics and Predictive Sciences (IPS) to ensure data-driven insights are accessible, actionable, and impactful across the research organization.  KSR includes functions responsible for data operations and governance, research engineering, computational genomics and data sciences applied to high content molecular data. This role focuses on leveraging advanced technologies, including AI and large language models (LLMs)—to support informed portfolio decision-making by both wet-lab and computational scientists. The ideal candidate combines strategic vision, operational excellence, financial prudence, and an entrepreneurial approach to drive scientific innovation. Effective collaboration with internal Research, Business Insights & Technology (BI&T), and external stakeholders is essential for success.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Develop and execute a comprehensive strategy to maximize the accessibility and utility of high-content molecular data.
• Align team objectives and technology investments with broader research and organizational priorities.

Team Oversight & Development

• Lead and develop a team of approximately 50 FTEs, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and professional growth.
• Implement effective career development and succession planning to retain top talent.

Data Management & Operational Excellence

• Oversee optimized data workflows, cost management, data curation, and metadata management practices.
• Drive the adoption of user-friendly productivity tools and self-service capabilities.

Innovation & Advanced Analytics

• Champion cutting-edge applications of AI/ML, including LLMs and agentic frameworks, to enhance knowledge management and dissemination.
• Promote integration of multi-omics and clinical datasets to advance biomarker discovery, precision medicine, and translational research.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as a primary liaison between IPS, BI&T, and external partners to ensure strategic alignment and timely delivery of data solutions.
• Foster proactive communication and clear expectation-setting to sustain momentum on complex initiatives.

Culture of Inclusion & Continuous Improvement

• Promote an inclusive and open environment that encourages diverse perspectives, urgent execution, and accountability.
• Utilize best practices in project management, mentoring, and feedback to build a supportive, high-performing team environment.

Qualifications & Experience

Education & Experience

• Advanced degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Data Science, or related discipline. with ≥ 12 years of experience in pharmaceutical research, especially focused on drug discovery activities.
• Significant leadership experience managing diverse, cross-functional teams within pharmaceutical, biotech, or R&D organizations.

Technical & Scientific Expertise

• Proven expertise in data governance, advanced analytics, and high-throughput molecular data pipelines.
• Experience leveraging AI/ML technologies, particularly large language models and agentic frameworks, in life sciences research.

Leadership & Management Skills

• Demonstrated ability to mentor senior leaders and foster inclusive, high-performing teams.
• Strong communication skills capable of clearly conveying complex scientific concepts to diverse stakeholders.

Collaboration & Influencing

• Track record of building successful partnerships across internal functions (Research, IT, BI&T) and with external partners.
• Exceptional stakeholder management, negotiation skills, and the ability to navigate complex organizational structures.

Strategic Vision & Execution

• Skilled at balancing innovative, long-term strategies with pragmatic short-term deliverables.
• Proven history of successfully implementing transformative technologies and processes to drive research innovation.

Why This Role? The ED of Knowledge Science Research will significantly shape the data-driven future of discovery at a leading pharmaceutical organization. This role offers the unique opportunity to champion transformative AI technologies, enabling impactful scientific insights and outcomes that influence global health.

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.

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.

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.

BMS cares about your well-being and the well-being of our staff, customers, patients, and communities. As a result, the Company strongly recommends that all employees be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 and keep up to date with Covid-19 boosters.

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/

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