Senior Scientist, Discovery BioSciences Oncology

Bristol Myers Squibb

Job Summary

Bristol Myers Squibb is seeking a highly motivated Senior Scientist for the Discovery BioSciences team in Oncology. This role focuses on advancing oncology drug discovery programs, particularly in cancer immunology and next-generation biotherapeutics. The scientist will conduct extensive wet lab research, identifying novel drug targets, validating mechanisms of action, and optimizing therapeutic approaches. This position requires deep scientific expertise, creative problem-solving, and collaboration within cross-functional teams to transform patients' lives through science.

Must Have

  • Conduct full-time laboratory-based research supporting target identification, oncology drug discovery, and development.
  • Strong biology skills with experience in cellular and molecular biology techniques, 2D and 3D cell culture, and complex cellular model systems.
  • Experience with flow cytometry, qPCR, cell proliferation assays, reporter assays, molecular cloning, western blotting, immunoprecipitation, ELISA, and MSD.
  • Understand in vivo oncology and/or immunology models and experience with downstream tissue processing (dissociation, flow cytometry, IHC).
  • Strong experience developing and applying gene perturbation methods (siRNA/shRNA knockdown, nucleofection, CRISPR-mediated genome editing).
  • Design, optimize, and troubleshoot complex cell-based and in vivo assays.
  • Analyze and interpret experimental data, maintain accurate records, and present findings.
  • Bachelor’s Degree with 7+ years, Master’s with 5+ years, or Ph.D. with 2+ years of academic and/or industry experience.

Good to Have

  • PhD and 2+ years of academic and/or industry experience.
  • Extensive experience in oncology research, with a background in cancer immunology and/or biotherapeutics (e.g., ADCs, multi-specifics, TCEs).
  • Proven track record with designing and developing molecular biology and cellular assays.
  • Hands-on experience with functional genomics, CRISPR screens, high-content imaging, RNA-seq, and proteomics.
  • Proficiency in data analysis software (e.g., GraphPad Prism, FlowJo).
  • Familiarity with bioinformatics tools and querying large-scale oncology datasets (DepMap, cBioPortal, TCGA).
  • Effective troubleshooting skills for assay optimization and innovative methodology development.

Perks & Benefits

  • Competitive benefits, services, and programs.
  • Health Coverage: Medical, pharmacy, dental, and vision care.
  • Wellbeing Support: 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.
  • Paid Time Off: Flexible time off (unlimited for US Exempt employees), 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.
  • Unlimited paid sick time (based on eligibility).
  • Up to 2 paid volunteer days per year.
  • Summer hours flexibility.
  • Leaves of absence for medical, personal, parental, caregiver, bereavement, and military needs.
  • Annual Global Shutdown between Christmas and New Years Day.

Job Description

Job description

Life at BMS

Working with Us

Challenging. Meaningful. Life-changing. Those aren’t words that are usually associated with a job. But 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. Take your career farther than you thought possible.

Bristol Myers Squibb recognizes the importance of balance and flexibility in our work environment. We offer a wide variety of competitive benefits, services and programs that provide our employees with the resources to pursue their goals, both at work and in their personal lives. Read more: careers.bms.com/working-with-us.

The Oncology Thematic Research Center at BMS is a key research and early development engine, responsible for the discovery and development of novel oncology therapeutics for patients. Centered at our state-of-the-art research sites in Cambridge and Seattle, scientists focus on novel targets and pathways for tumors that are refractory to current therapies. With a deep understanding of the causal human biology, we are able to leverage our multiple modality platforms to best match the modality to the mechanism and desired outcome. We are a fully integrated drug discovery through translational and early clinical development organization which exploits state-of-the-art in vitro, in vivo and ex-vivo models of Cancer biology and Immuno-oncology to identify and validate targets. We partner closely with colleagues in Translational Medicine, Informatics and Predictive Sciences and Early Clinical Development to generate biomarker and patient enrichment hypotheses to enable efficient decision making in early clinical trials. We are optimally positioned to complement the world-class translational expertise, biology and leading academic research centers in the area.

Our Bristol Myers Squibb research site in Cambridge Crossing will help us continue to deliver on our mission, positioning the company and our scientists in the heart of a vibrant ecosystem of world-class science, innovation, and business opportunities.

Position Overview:

We are seeking a highly motivated, experienced and talented Senior Scientist to join our Discovery Biosciences team. This individual will play a key role in advancing our oncology drug discovery programs, with a focus on cancer immunology and next-generation biotherapeutic target identification, validation, mechanism of action and optimization studies. This position is heavily focused on wet lab work, contributing to cutting-edge research projects aimed at understanding cancer biology, identifying novel drug targets, and developing new therapeutic approaches. The successful candidate will bring deep scientific expertise, creative problem-solving skills and a collaborative mindset to drive impactful research.

Position Responsibilities:

In the role as a Senior Scientist within the Discovery Biosciences team, the ideal candidate will:

  • Conduct full time laboratory-based research supporting target identification, oncology drug discovery and development
  • Strong biology skills with experience using a wide range of cellular and molecular biology techniques, 2D and 3D cell culture and manipulation of complex cellular model systems (organoid, immune and stromal cell co-culture, and cancer cells), flow cytometry, qPCR, cell proliferation assays, generating reporter assays, molecular cloning, western blotting, immunoprecipitation, ELISA, and MSD
  • Experience with in vivo oncology and/or immunology models. Animal handling is not a requirement, but the candidate should understand the strengths and weaknesses of commonly used cancer immunology models, and have experience with downstream tissue processing (dissociation, flow cytometry, IHC)
  • Strong experience developing and applying state-of-the-art gene perturbation methods (siRNA/shRNA knockdown, nucleofection, and CRISPR-mediated genome editing)
  • Design, optimize, and troubleshoot complex cell-based and in vivo assays to evaluate therapeutic candidates and understand cancer signaling pathways
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including medicinal chemistry, bioinformatics, and in vivo pharmacology, to advance project goals
  • Analyze and interpret experimental data, maintain accurate and detailed lab records, and present findings in team meetings
  • Contribute to the preparation of technical reports, publications, and presentations

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • 7+ years of academic and / or industry experience

Or

  • Master’s Degree
  • 5+ years of academic and / or industry experience

Or

  • Ph.D. or equivalent advanced degree in the Life Sciences
  • 2+ years of academic and / or industry experience

Preferred Qualifications:

  • PhD and 2+ years of academic and / or industry experience preferred
  • Extensive experience in oncology research, with background in cancer immunology and/or biotherapeutics (e.g. ADCs, multi-specifics, and TCEs) is strongly preferred
  • Proven track record with designing and developing a variety of molecular biology and cellular assays
  • Hands on experience with functional genomics, CRISPR screens, high content imaging, flow cytometry, RNA-seq and proteomics is highly desirable
  • Proficiency in data analysis software (e.g., GraphPad Prism, FlowJo) and familiarity with bioinformatics tools
  • Familiarity with querying large-scale oncology datasets (DepMap, cBioPortal, TCGA) to generate and test hypotheses
  • Effective troubleshooting skills when optimizing assays and when developing innovative methodologies

#LI-Onsite

If you come across a role that intrigues you but doesn’t perfectly line up with your resume, we encourage you to apply anyway. You could be one step away from work that will transform your life and career.

**Compensation Overview:**

Cambridge Crossing: $137,570 - $166,706

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.

Eligibility for specific benefits listed on our careers site may vary based on the job and location. For more on benefits, please visit https://careers.bms.com/life-at-bms/.

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

  • 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 include:

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 for employees 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 Years 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.

\*Eligibility Disclosure: The summer hours program is for United States (U.S.) office-based employees due to the unique nature of their work. Summer hours are generally not available for field sales and manufacturing operations and may also be limited for the capability centers. Employees in remote-by-design or lab-based roles may be eligible for summer hours, depending on the nature of their work, and should discuss eligibility with their manager. Employees covered under a collective bargaining agreement should consult that document to determine if they are eligible. Contractors, leased workers and other service providers are not eligible to participate in the program.

Uniquely Interesting Work, Life-changing Careers

With a single vision as inspiring as “Transforming patients’ lives through science™ ”, every BMS employee plays an integral role in work that goes far beyond ordinary. Each of us is empowered to apply our individual talents and unique perspectives in a supportive culture, promoting global participation in clinical trials, while our shared values of passion, innovation, urgency, accountability, inclusion and integrity bring out the highest potential of each of our colleagues.

On-site Protocol

BMS has an occupancy structure that determines where an employee is required to conduct their work. This structure includes site-essential, site-by-design, field-based and remote-by-design jobs. The occupancy type that you are assigned is determined by the nature and responsibilities of your role:

Site-essential roles require 100% of shifts onsite at your assigned facility. Site-by-design roles may be eligible for a hybrid work model with at least 50% onsite at your assigned facility. For these roles, onsite presence is considered an essential job function and is critical to collaboration, innovation, productivity, and a positive Company culture. For field-based and remote-by-design roles 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.

Supporting People with Disabilities

BMS is dedicated to ensuring that people with disabilities can excel through a transparent recruitment process, reasonable workplace accommodations/adjustments and ongoing support in their roles. Applicants can request a reasonable workplace accommodation/adjustment prior to accepting a job offer. If you require reasonable accommodations/adjustments in completing this application, or in any part of the recruitment process, direct your inquiries to adastaffingsupport@bms.com. Visit careers.bms.com/eeo-accessibility to access our complete Equal Employment Opportunity statement.

Candidate Rights

BMS will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, pursuant to applicable laws in your area.

If you live in or expect to work from Los Angeles County if hired for this position, please visit this page for important additional information: https://careers.bms.com/california-residents/

Data Protection

We will never request payments, financial information, or social security numbers during our application or recruitment process. Learn more about protecting yourself at https://careers.bms.com/fraud-protection.

Any data processed in connection with role applications will be treated in accordance with applicable data privacy policies and regulations.

If you believe that the job posting is missing information required by local law or incorrect in any way, please contact BMS at TAEnablement@bms.com. Please provide the Job Title and Requisition number so we can review. Communications related to your application should not be sent to this email and you will not receive a response. Inquiries related to the status of your application should be directed to Chat with Ripley.

7 Skills Required For This Role

Team Management Cross Functional Excel Problem Solving Data Analytics Talent Acquisition Game Texts

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