Principal Scientist, Engineered Cell Therapy Discovery

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 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.

Position Summary:

The Engineered Cell Therapy Discovery team in the Cell Therapy Thematic Research Center has an opening for a highly motivated and accomplished Principal Scientist with a passion for the discovery and development of novel engineered CAR T and eTCR T cell therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and other chronic diseases. The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in immunology and cell therapy, along with a strong track record of leading complex, multidisciplinary research programs from concept through preclinical development, including in vitro functional screening of T cell cytotoxicity and effector function, engineering of logic-gated CAR T/eTCR T cell circuits, gene delivery, genetic construct optimization, and translation of findings into in vivo xenograft studies. This position will serve as a key scientific leader on the team, setting research strategy, mentoring junior scientists, and partnering with cross-functional and external collaborators to advance cutting-edge cell therapy programs. This position is ideal for an innovative, established scientist who thrives on setting scientific direction and translating data into critical drug discovery decisions.

Position Responsibilities: 

In the role as a Principal Scientist on the Engineered Cell Therapy Discovery team, the ideal candidate:

• Provides scientific leadership and sets strategic direction for research programs focused on the discovery and optimization of engineered CAR T and eTCR T cell therapies.

• Leads in vitro functional screening efforts focused on T cell cytotoxicity and effector function (e.g., cytokine production, proliferation, killing assays) to evaluate and optimize engineered T cell therapies, including logic-gated CAR T/eTCR T cell circuits.

• Designs and optimizes genetic constructs, including logic-gated and multi-input circuits, and gene delivery approaches (lentiviral, retroviral, AAV) to improve the potency, persistence, and safety of engineered T cell therapies.

• Serves as a subject matter expert and functional mentor, managing and developing junior scientists and providing scientific guidance across project teams.

• Supports translation of in vitro functional data into in vivo xenograft studies to evaluate CAR T/eTCR T cell efficacy and inform go/no-go decisions.

• Leads and coordinates multidisciplinary collaborations across wet lab, computational, and clinical functions, including across multiple sites, to drive functional screening and validation efforts.

• Drives go/no-go decision-making and represents research strategy and data to senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.

• Contributes to IND-enabling study reports, patent applications, and peer-reviewed publications, and maintains rigorous, timely documentation (electronic notebooks) to support project milestones and regulatory/patent filings.

Experience =

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree

  • 8+ years of academic and / or industry experience

Or

• Master’s Degree

  • 6+ years of academic and / or industry experience

Or

• Ph.D. or equivalent advanced degree in the Life Sciences 

  • 4+ years of academic and / or industry experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Bioengineering, or a related discipline

  • 4+ years of postdoctoral and/or industry research experience, including demonstrated leadership of independent research programs

Or

• Master's Degree in a related discipline

  • 6+ years of relevant industry research experience, including demonstrated leadership of independent research programs

• Extensive experience designing and executing in vitro functional T cell assays (e.g., cytotoxicity, cytokine production, proliferation) to evaluate and optimize engineered T cell therapies is required

• Deep expertise in gene delivery methods (lentiviral, retroviral, AAV) and genetic construct design/optimization for engineered cell therapies, including logic-gated or multi-input circuit design, is required

• Experience with in vivo xenograft models to evaluate CAR T/eTCR T cell efficacy and translate in vitro findings into preclinical proof-of-concept is a plus

• Track record of leading multidisciplinary project teams across wet lab, computational, and clinical collaborators, including across multiple sites.

• Experience mentoring and managing direct reports, including providing scientific and career development guidance

• Experience leading complex, matrixed cell therapy programs, including endorsement of key drug development milestones

• Strong record of peer-reviewed publications and/or patents in immunology, cell therapy, or a related field.

• Proficient in multi-color flow cytometry, functional cytotoxicity/cytokine assays, and other relevant immune cell characterization methods.

• Experience with molecular biology techniques including genetic construct design, cloning strategies (e.g., Gibson Assembly, Golden Gate), and pooled library generation for genetic screening

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience presenting to senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.

• Ability to set scientific direction and drive go/no-go decisions in a fast-paced, collaborative drug discovery environment

• Requires advanced, expert-level knowledge of the principles and concepts of biological sciences, immunology, bioengineering, or a related discipline

• Expertise in emerging technologies in immunology and cell therapy, such as HT imaging, CRISPR screens, etc. is a plus

• Expertise in utilization of AI in scientific discovery and general workflows is a plus

• Strong quantitative and analytical skills are desirable

#LI-Onsite

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.

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 https://careers.bms.com/life-at-bms/.
 

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: 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.

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 adastaffingsupport@bms.com. 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: https://careers.bms.com/california-residents/

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