Associate Director, Data Science

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.

Are you a data science leader with the vision to transform complex, multi-modal data into life-changing scientific decisions? Bristol Myers Squibb is looking for an Associate Director of Data Science to join our cutting-edge Drug Development Data Science & Advanced Analytics (DSAA) team.

This is a rare opportunity to operate at the intersection of advanced analytics, AI/ML innovation, and clinical science — driving both strategic direction and hands-on execution across early-to-late phase drug development programs. As a senior scientific and technical leader, you will define analytical frameworks, champion methodological standards, and serve as a key partner to cross-functional stakeholders across the organization.

Data Science Strategy & Scientific Leadership

• Serve as a senior scientific resource within DSAA, providing strategic direction and methodological guidance across multiple drug development programs
• Lead the design and execution of exploratory and confirmatory analyses across diverse and complex data types — from early discovery through late-phase clinical development
• Shape analytical strategy for drug development programs, contributing to decisions around trial design, endpoint selection, biomarker strategy, and evidence generation
• Represent DSAA in cross-functional program team meetings, providing authoritative scientific input and influencing development decisions through rigorous, data-driven analysis

Advanced Analytics & Modelling

• Lead the development and application of novel computational methods for patient segmentation, biomarker discovery, and precision medicine from multimodal clinical and omics datasets
• Drive the integration, mining, and visualization of diverse, high-dimensional datasets across therapeutic areas and development phases — including genomics, proteomics, imaging, and flow cytometry
• Apply and advance the use of AI/ML, deep learning, NLP, causal ML, and explainable AI across multiple data modalities and clinical development contexts
• Lead application of rigorous statistical approaches to clinical trial data, including survival analysis, longitudinal/mixed-effects modelling, causal inference, and principled handling of missing data

Data Engineering & Reproducibility

• Define and champion standards for scalable, reproducible, and well-documented analytical pipelines and codebases using Python, R, SQL, and cloud platforms
• Establish and enforce data quality frameworks to ensure fitness-for-purpose of diverse data sources across programs
• Drive adoption of scalable, automated analytical processes and best-in-class software engineering practices across the team

Leadership, Mentorship & Cross-Functional Influence

• Manage and develop a small team of data scientists, building capabilities and fostering scientific rigor and innovation
• Mentor junior and mid-level data scientists, elevating team-wide methodological and engineering standards through code reviews, collaborative problem-solving, and knowledge sharing
• Partner with lead and protocol statisticians in shaping statistical analysis plans (SAPs) for exploratory data science analyses
• Communicate complex analytical strategies and results with clarity and scientific authority to both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leadership

Required Qualifications:

• PhD in a relevant quantitative field (e.g., Computational Biology, Biostatistics, Statistics, Biomedical Engineering, or Computer Science) with 6+ years of academic/industry experience; or a Master's Degree in a relevant quantitative field with 8+ years of industry experience
• Demonstrated mastery in data science and statistical analysis using clinical trial or electronic health records data, with a strong track record of delivering impactful results in a pharma R&D context
• Significant experience leading the development and application of statistical and machine learning models on high-dimensional data for time-to-event, longitudinal, and multivariate outcomes
• Proven expertise in AI/ML and proficiency in Python, R, SQL, and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Databricks)
• Deep familiarity with clinical trial design, drug development processes, and the role of biomarkers and data science in regulatory and clinical decision-making
• Demonstrated ability to define and drive analytical strategy across multiple concurrent programs, balancing scientific rigor with practical delivery
• Excellent communication, data presentation, and visualization skills with the ability to convey complex concepts to diverse audiences

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with genomics, proteomics, imaging, flow cytometry, or immunobiology datasets from clinical trials
• Experience with NLP, causal ML, explainable AI, and survival analysis/time-to-event modelling
• Knowledge of molecular biology and understanding of disease pathways
• Experience with real-world data (RWD/RWE) sources, including EHR, claims, or registry data
• Familiarity with novel clinical trial designs (e.g., adaptive, platform, or biomarker-enriched trials)
• Prior experience in a people management or formal scientific leadership role
• Experience with cloud-based scalable compute and deployment patterns for large-scale data processing and model training

#LI-Hybrid

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.

How We Work

Where you work matters – because collaboration, innovation and patient impact happen in many settings. Our roles are structured across four work models: site-essential, site-by-design, field-based and remote-by-design. The model assigned to this role is based on its core responsibilities. Learn more at https://careers.bms.com/ways-of-working.

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 [email protected]. Visit careers.bms.com/eeo-accessibility to access our complete Equal Employment Opportunity statement.

Bristol Myers Squibb is Disability Confident – Employer

A UK Government scheme

Candidate Rights

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

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