Senior Scientist, Engineered Cell Therapy Discovery

About the role

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.

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. 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.

Responsibilities

• Apply thorough knowledge of T cell immunology (activation, signaling, differentiation, exhaustion, and immune-regulation pathways) and developed knowledge of antibody properties to conduct experiments characterizing engineered CAR/eTCR T cells to enable science-driven decision-making.
• Design, coordinate, and execute screening strategies and fine-detailed, nuanced mechanistic studies that assess engineered T cell constructs and functional responses leveraging automation where applicable, enabling data-driven prioritization of candidates, in accordance with project and department objectives.
• Work independently on deliverables in managing assigned project workstream(s); suggest modifications to protocols or alternative protocols, introducing new ideas on how to design, execute, and analyze experiments, routinely using the scientific literature and internal BMS datasets to solve problems.
• Interpret and synthesize complex datasets from cellular, molecular, and functional assays (flow cytometry, IncuCyte, MSD, high-content imaging) to identify biological trends, guide experimental follow-up, and prioritize candidates.
• Lead discussions and make presentations in multidisciplinary meetings, logically presenting information to convey clear, key messages, and build alignment.
• Act as a functional mentor to more junior team members and may serve as a technical point of contact within the work group/project team.
• Participate in the development of patent applications and publications, and may represent the department or function on a program/project team or sub-team.
• Maintain electronic notebooks rigorously and in a timely manner to support project milestones and patent/regulatory filings.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree with 7+ years of academic and/or industry experience
• Master’s Degree with 5+ years of academic and/or industry experience
• Ph.D. or equivalent advanced degree in the Life Sciences with 2+ years of academic and/or industry experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Thorough knowledge of T cell immunology, immuno-oncology, or a related specialized discipline, with developed knowledge of adjacent disciplines (e.g., bioengineering, molecular biology).
• Developing knowledge of the drug discovery/development process and proficiency in scientific/technical writing (protocols, reports, contributions to regulatory documents).
• Extensive hands-on experience with in vitro technologies used to engineer and functionally assess T cells (viral transduction, targeted gene editing, MSD/ELISA, IncuCyte, multi-parameter flow cytometry, imaging).
• Experience analyzing large/complex datasets (e.g., multiparametric flow, NGS) using JMP, R, or a programming language is strongly desired.
• Demonstrated ability to independently identify problems and recommend/develop solutions; strong project-management orientation across multiple concurrent workstreams.
• Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills in a matrixed, cross-functional environment; ability to work productively as both a team member and an independent contributor.
• Skilled at critical and probabilistic thinking, able to apply prior experience and theoretical knowledge to identify and solve complex scientific problems.

Pay

Seattle - WA: $136,030 - $164,841

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.

Benefits

Benefit offerings are subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans in effect at the time and may require enrollment.

• 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:
  • 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 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 Year's 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.

Schedule

BMS has an occupancy structure that determines where an employee is required to conduct their work. This role may be:

• Site-essential: Requires 100% of shifts onsite at your assigned facility.
• Site-by-design: Eligible for a hybrid work model with at least 50% onsite at your assigned facility. Onsite presence is considered an essential job function and is critical to collaboration, innovation, productivity, and a positive company culture.
• Field-based or remote-by-design: 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.