Executive Director, Research – Integrative Sciences — Immunology

Position Summary

The Executive Director is a senior leader within Integrative Sciences focused on immunology external innovation, and serves as a key interface across Global Research, Early Development, Business Development, Alliance Management, and external collaboration partners. The role is responsible for identifying, evaluating, and advancing high-value external scientific opportunities, collaborations, and assets in immune-mediated diseases across rheumatology, dermatology, gastroenterology, and other immunology-driven conditions. Where appropriate the Executive Director will participate in Site Leadership teams. Where appropriate, the Executive Director may serve as a Board Observer, or in other relevant governance roles, for external immunology companies on behalf of BMS. This position sits within the BMS Research organization and reports to the U.S. Head of Integrative Sciences. Travel is approximately 30%, domestic and international. The preferred location is Cambridge, MA (CMX); remote arrangements will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and Opportunity Triage

• Communicate internal Immunology Research pipeline priorities to the Integrative Sciences group, and align external search, evaluation, and triage activities with BMS Research principles and the Enterprise Immunology Therapeutic Area strategy.
• Lead the Immunology triage process within Integrative Sciences, ensuring disciplined, criteria-driven evaluation of external opportunities.
• Identify, evaluate, and bring forward immunology opportunities — academic collaborations, biotech partnerships, platform technologies, and pre-IND or IND-stage assets — that add to or complement the internal pipeline.
• Form and lead cross-functional diligence teams for the evaluation of Integrative Sciences collaboration opportunities, and provide expert scientific opinion during Business Development reviews and due diligence.
• Partner with Search & Evaluation and Business Development transaction leads to advance prioritized opportunities on disciplined, accelerated timelines.
• Work with Research Finance to ensure activities are aligned, captured, and approved within Research budgets.

Collaboration Design and Execution

• Contribute to the design and execution of a blended external innovation strategy spanning corporate and academic collaborations.
• Shape opportunities into practical collaboration plans with clear scientific objectives, work plans, milestones, governance structures, decision points, and success measures.
• Advise on collaboration structures and contract development as the scientific lead, working closely with Business Development, transaction leads, Legal, and IP.

Governance, Representation, and Communication

• Serve on joint governance committees and oversight bodies established to coordinate agreed research plans with academic and industry partners, ensuring collaborations remain scientifically focused and operationally accountable.
• Represent Integrative Sciences, as appropriate, to other BMS organizations, regulatory agencies, investors, partners, and the broader scientific community.
• Communicate regularly to internal client and partner groups — and their leadership — on external research activities and progress.
• Compose progress reports and decision documentation for senior management, and deliver presentations and briefings on the scientific and organizational activities within the area of responsibility.

Leadership

Model scientific leadership, collaborative behavior, and an enterprise mindset across Research and Integrative Sciences, consistent with BMS values.

Qualifications

Required

• PhD or equivalent advanced scientific training in immunology, inflammation biology, or a related discipline relevant to immune-mediated diseases.
• 10+ years of drug discovery and/or early development experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, with deep, hands-on expertise in immunology.
• Strong understanding of immune-mediated disease biology across rheumatology, dermatology, gastroenterology, or related indications, with the ability to assess external opportunities against BMS Research priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate external scientific opportunities, including academic collaborations, biotech partnerships, platform technologies, and pre-IND or IND-stage assets.
• Experience shaping external collaboration plans — scientific objectives, work plans, milestones, governance structures, decision points, and success measures — and negotiating them with external partners.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to represent Immunology external innovation and the broader Integrative Sciences mission to internal and external stakeholders.

Preferred

• Track record of advancing therapeutic programs toward IND stage or beyond, with knowledge of the scientific, translational, and operational requirements for decision-ready programs.
• Experience working across Research, Early Development, Business Development, Alliance Management, Legal, IP, Finance, Thematic Research Centers, and Therapeutic Area leadership — or equivalent cross-functional structures — to support disciplined opportunity triage and execution.
• Strong capability in building productive relationships, setting clear expectations, and keeping collaboration structures scientifically focused and operationally accountable.
• Understanding of the financial, legal, contractual, and geographic considerations that affect external research collaborations, including non-U.S. partnerships.