Associate Director, Training and Deviations

About the role

Working at Bristol Myers Squibb is challenging, meaningful, and life-changing. Here, uniquely interesting work happens every day, transforming 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. Bristol Myers Squibb recognizes the importance of balance and flexibility, offering a wide variety of competitive benefits, services, and programs that provide employees with resources to pursue their goals both at work and in their personal lives.

This role is a leadership position accountable for shaping and delivering a site-specific manufacturing training strategy while ensuring consistent production of thorough, high-quality deviation assessments and investigations. As an integral member of the Process Improvement and Compliance Team, you will directly oversee two specialized teams—Manufacturing Trainers and Deviation Assessment Writers—uniting their efforts to drive a culture of learning, accountability, and operational excellence. This role ensures training readiness and deviation management support are consistently available across a 24-hour, 365-day manufacturing operation.

Responsibilities

• Values: Leads by example, modeling BMS values and holding their team accountable to the same standards of integrity, inclusion, and excellence. Builds and sustains an engaging, accountable, and learning-focused team culture.
• Quality: Oversees site-specific manufacturing training programs and deviation assessments, ensuring alignment with GMP regulations, BMS policies, and regulatory requirements. Maintains training documentation and deviation records in an audit-ready state. Drives Right First Time (RFT) principles by identifying training gaps and implementing targeted interventions. Represents the Training and Deviations function in quality councils and supports internal/external audits.
• Safety: Fosters a strong safety culture by embedding safety awareness into training programs and deviation processes. Integrates global EOHSS standards into manufacturing training content and participates in safety Gemba walks.
• Performance: Ensures the quality and compliance of training records and deviation assessments. Serves as the primary point of contact for escalated training compliance issues and major deviation investigations. Adheres to KPIs such as training completion rates, deviation closure timelines, and repeat deviation rates.
• Continuous Improvement / Lean Deployment: Identifies and implements process improvements using lean principles. Owns lean practices within the Training and Deviations function to streamline workflows and eliminate redundancies. Reports performance metrics in Tier meetings and manages complex projects.
• Training: Ensures proper training assignments and compliance for all manufacturing staff. Oversees the site manufacturing technical training program, including onboarding and qualification of new staff. Collaborates with the Training & Learning Organization (TLO) to develop and improve training programs.
• Budgets: Manages the Training and Deviations operational (OPEX) budget, ensuring effective resource allocation. Tracks and reports budget utilization and project performance.

Qualifications & Skills

• Leadership & People Development: Leads by example, fostering an accountable, engaged, and learning-focused team culture.
• Quality & Compliance: Strong working knowledge of GMP regulations and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Deviation & Investigation Management: Skilled in deviation assessment, root cause analysis, and CAPA development.
• Training Strategy & Instructional Design: Proven ability to design and execute site-specific manufacturing training strategies.
• Safety & Risk Management: Embeds safety awareness into training programs and deviation processes. Proficient in risk identification, assessment, and mitigation.
• Performance & Operational Excellence: Experienced in supporting a 24-hour, 365-day manufacturing operation.
• Continuous Improvement & Lean: Manages complex project portfolios and delivers initiatives on time.
• Financial Acumen: Tracks and reports budget utilization and project performance transparently.
• Communication & Stakeholder Engagement: Communicates clearly and credibly across all organizational levels. Demonstrates aptitude for biotechnology principles, Adult Learning Principles, Learning Management Systems, Deviation Writing, Quality Management Systems, and manufacturing systems.
• Behaviors: Highly organized and disciplined in delivering exceptional results. Champions a culture of exceptional performance, compliance, and safety.

Schedule

Monday - Friday, Onsite Day Shift, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (flexibility to support evening team as needed).