Associate Director, Thought Leadership & Issues Communications
Bristol Myers Squibb
Summary
Reporting to the Director, Enterprise Thought Leadership & Crisis & Issues Communications, the Associate Director, Enterprise Thought Leadership & Issues Communications position plays a critical role in executing Bristol Myers Squibb's global enterprise thought leadership strategy and supporting the company's preparedness for and response to emerging issues and crises. This role is responsible for helping to identify, plan and execute thought leadership and visibility opportunities that enable BMS leaders to deliver a cohesive enterprise narrative. The Associate Director partners closely with leader communicators and the broader corporate communications team including the coordination, logistics, briefing and messaging materials, and leader preparation to ensure high-quality, effective engagements across priority platforms. In parallel, this role supports issues and crisis communications efforts, including monitoring emerging issues, developing messaging around complex and sensitive topics, and helping maintain and evolve the crisis communications scenario planning to ensure readiness, alignment, and integration with broader organizational protocols. The successful candidate will bring strong judgment, excellent execution and presentation skills, and a proven ability to collaborate across teams to drive meaningful reputational impact in a fast-paced, high-visibility environment.
Job description
Key Responsibilities
- Drive the planning and execution of thought leadership opportunities that elevate the BMS leadership team's voice in telling the company's story.
- Lead the identification, evaluation, and recommendation of strategic thought leadership opportunities for Leadership Team members, aligning engagements with business priorities.
- Develop earned media pitches that secure thought leadership opportunities with top-tier national, business, healthcare, and trade media outlets.
- Lead the execution of strategic sponsorship opportunities that align with business objectives, reputation priorities, and executive thought leadership goals.
- Develop strategic messaging, executive positioning, and communications materials for Leadership Team members and key enterprise initiatives.
- Monitor and analyze the impact and reach of enterprise thought leadership efforts, including engagement metrics, media coverage and industry recognition. Additionally, conduct peer benchmarking research to identify white space.
- Partner with the Director, Thought Leadership and Crisis and Issues Communications to build the organization's enterprise crisis communications scenario planning with a focus on readiness and emergent agile response, as well as continuous improvement, innovation, and consistency with relevant organizational protocols.
- Partner with cross-functional and regional teams to develop and execute crisis and issues communications strategies for key sites and operations worldwide.
- Provide strategic communications counsel during emerging issues and crises, including cybersecurity incidents, reputational risks, and enterprise-wide events.
- Develop crisis response plans that address immediate and long-term challenges, align with stakeholders, and strategize with interdisciplinary teams.
Key Qualifications
- Accomplished communications professional with 8-10 years in corporate communications, thought leadership, media relations, issues management, or related disciplines, ideally within healthcare, life sciences, or another highly regulated industry.
- Proven experience developing and executing earned media pitches that secure thought leadership opportunities with top-tier national, business, healthcare, and trade media outlets.
- Demonstrated experience supporting and staffing senior leaders or executives in high-visibility external engagements, including speaking opportunities, media interactions, and thought leadership platforms.
- Excellent writing and storytelling capabilities, with the ability to translate complex scientific, business, policy, or societal issues into clear, compelling messaging.
- Significant experience in media relations, including proactive and reactive engagement with high-profile national and industry media.
- Demonstrated experience in crisis and issues management, including the development of crisis communications frameworks, playbooks, and response protocols.
- Project management skills with proven success managing major projects and deadlines, coordinating within highly matrixed environments.
- Superior verbal and interpersonal communications skills.
- Exceptional problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills.
- Bachelor's degree in Communications, English, Journalism, Political Science, or other relevant field.
Requirements
- 8-10 years in corporate communications, thought leadership, media relations, issues management, or related disciplines
- Experience in healthcare, life sciences, or another highly regulated industry
- Proven experience developing and executing earned media pitches
- Experience supporting and staffing senior leaders or executives in high-visibility external engagements
- Excellent writing and storytelling capabilities
- Significant experience in media relations
- Demonstrated experience in crisis and issues management
- Project management skills
- Superior verbal and interpersonal communications skills
- Exceptional problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills
- Bachelor's degree in Communications, English, Journalism, Political Science, or other relevant field
Benefits
- Wellbeing support
- Retirement benefits
- Financial protection benefits
- Medical, dental, vision insurance
- Life and disability insurance
- Flexible Time Off (FTO)
- 11 paid company holidays
- Paid sick leave
- Up to two paid volunteer days
- Summer hours flexibility
- Annual Global Shutdown
Company overview
Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing, and delivering innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. Founded in 1887 and headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, the company operates with a unique BioPharma strategy that combines the reach and resources of a major pharmaceutical company with the entrepreneurial spirit and agility of a biotech firm. BMS focuses on transformative therapies in key therapeutic areas including oncology, hematology, immunology, cardiovascular disease, and fibrosis. The company has built a sustainable pipeline of potential therapies and leverages translational medicine and data analytics to deliver the right medicine to the right patient at the right time. With over 10,000 employees worldwide, Bristol Myers Squibb maintains a strong commitment to scientific excellence, patient-centric innovation, and global health equity through its foundation. The company's portfolio includes groundbreaking treatments such as Opdivo (nivolumab) for cancer, Eliquis (apixaban) for cardiovascular conditions, and Orencia (abatacept) for autoimmune diseases, among others.