About this role
At Bristol Myers Squibb, our employees often ask, “Who are you working for?”—a question that fuels collaboration, accountability, and urgency in our work. Our purpose-driven culture inspires us to discover, develop, and deliver innovative medicines to prevail over serious diseases. We offer uniquely interesting and meaningful work, opportunities for growth, and a supportive environment that values inclusion, wellbeing, flexibility, and comprehensive benefits.
This is work that transforms the lives of patients, and the careers of those who do it.
Senior Director, Biospecimen Management
About the Role
Bristol Myers Squibb is building a world-class Consent, Biospecimen & Imaging (CBI) organization within Global Development Operations, designed to drive excellence and innovation across end-to-end biospecimen management in support of both Research and Development objectives.
The Senior Director, Biospecimen Management is a senior leadership role reporting directly to the Executive Director, Consent, Biospecimen & Imaging Management Head. This individual will serve as a strategic and operational leader responsible for delivering high-quality, efficient biospecimen management across all BMS-sponsored clinical trials — while contributing to the broader evolution and optimization of CBI's cross-functional capabilities.
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership & Performance
Lead and develop a high-performing Biospecimen Management team, with full accountability for team performance, career growth, and talent development
Oversee biospecimen management leads supporting trials across all therapeutic areas, ensuring consistent quality and delivery
Demonstrate exemplary leadership across large, geographically distributed on-site and remote teams
Champion team dynamics and cross-functional relationship building in a collaborative, inclusive environment
Operational Excellence
Drive high-quality, efficient biospecimen management support across the full BMS clinical trial portfolio
Act as the primary escalation point for study- and portfolio-level risks or issues related to biospecimen collections
Manage internal timelines to ensure alignment with vendor and clinical study milestones, maintaining open communication and proactively resolving or escalating vendor issues
Define, track, and report on key performance metrics related to biospecimen management capacity and operational effectiveness
Strategy & Innovation
Partner with the ED and CBI leadership team on strategic planning, process improvement, and service development initiatives
Lead internal and external initiatives to advance operational quality, close gaps, and introduce new capabilities aligned with the CBI mission
Lead cross-functional efforts to innovate and improve biospecimen operations at scale
Contribute to the delivery of IT capabilities that enhance operational effectiveness, biospecimen tracking, and reconciliation
Stakeholder & Vendor Management
Build and sustain partnerships across a large, diverse stakeholder network — understanding their needs and ensuring operational processes are designed to meet them
Manage and develop relationships with biospecimen management vendors; ensure vendor performance standards are met and maintained
Serve as a functional subject matter expert during internal audits and vendor visits
Regulatory & Scientific Expertise
Maintain current knowledge of relevant regulatory guidance, GCP/ICH standards, and external industry trends as they pertain to biospecimen management
Apply scientific knowledge of safety, pharmacokinetics, genetics, and biomarker research to optimize biospecimen processing and sampling plans for clinical trials
Ensure regulatory and ethical aspects of biospecimen collection are embedded across all operational processes
Resource & Portfolio Management
Ensure appropriate resourcing across the book of work (BOW), including capacity planning across a portfolio of 100+ clinical studies
Apply strong skills in project prioritization, financial planning, and portfolio management to deliver operational objectives at scale
Qualifications
Education
Bachelor's degree in a relevant scientific or clinical discipline (required)
Master's or Doctoral degree (preferred)
Experience
10+ years of global experience in clinical drug development, clinical research, or a related field — with biospecimen management experience required
7+ years of leadership experience managing global, cross-functional teams
Extensive drug development experience from pre-clinical through clinical testing, with a strong emphasis on the operational, regulatory, and ethical dimensions of biospecimen collection
Demonstrated experience working with central laboratories, data management, and clinical trial operations organizations
Prior experience with corporate drug development and submissions, particularly in clinical development and translational medicine
Experience managing and developing relationships with biospecimen management vendors
Technical & Functional Skills
Advanced knowledge of GCP/ICH guidelines, biospecimen management systems, and clinical development processes
Familiarity with chain-of-custody tracking technologies and biospecimen management tools; experience with consent management systems is a plus
Ability to translate scientific and regulatory requirements into technology builds that enable successful digitization of biospecimen operations
Strong project management, resource planning, and financial management capabilities
Leadership & Interpersonal Skills
Demonstrated ability to lead large, diverse, global teams across multiple time zones and therapeutic areas
Outstanding communication, negotiation, and influencing skills at all organizational levels
Proven ability to build cross-functional relationships and foster positive team dynamics
Highly detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple priorities and complex portfolios simultaneously
Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to present complex topics clearly to varied audiences
Travel Requirements
Up to 20% of travel.
We hire for skills and capabilities, not just credentials – if this role excites you, but doesn’t perfectly match your resume, we encourage you to apply anyway.
Compensation Overview
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