Executive Director, Business Development

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.

About BMS Neuroscience:

Bristol Myers Squibb is committed to achieving innovation leadership in Neuroscience — delivering treatments that allow patients and their loved ones to live their lives to the fullest. Our Neuroscience portfolio spans three strategic pillars:

• Transform the treatment standard in Psychiatry in large and growing areas, including schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and adjacencies such as GAD and PTSD.

• Drive innovation in large neurodegenerative diseases across the continuum, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and adjacencies such as Parkinson’s disease psychosis and dementia with Lewy body.

• Build our position in Specialty Neurology with high unmet need and high growth potential, including MS, motor neuron disease, DM1, and adjacencies such as gMG, DMD, and rare epileptic disorders.

With marketed assets including COBENFY (xanomeline-trospium) and ZEPOSIA (ozanimod), and a robust pipeline spanning KarXT/COBENFY line extensions (ADP, ADA, bipolar disorder, autism, Tourette syndrome, and LAI/SL oral and pediatric formulations), MTBR Tau, FAAH-MAGL, TRPC4/5, RIPK1, M4 PAM, and other pre-ID2 assets, BMS is positioned to capitalize on a neuroscience market projected to exceed $200B by 2032.

Position Summary

The Executive Director, Business Development – Neuroscience GCS is a senior leadership role within the Neuroscience Global Commercial Strategy team, positioned at the intersection of commercial strategy and external innovation. Reporting directly to the VP, GCS Neuroscience, this role serves as the commercial BD lead for the neuroscience therapeutic area and owns the identification, evaluation, and strategic shaping of external partnership, licensing, and acquisition opportunities that advance BMS’s neuroscience ambition across Psychiatry, Neurodegeneration, and Specialty Neurology, including neuromuscular diseases such as MS.

This individual will be a trusted strategic partner to GCS Leadership, the NLT, TALT, S&E, and Corporate Business Development, ensuring that BD opportunities are rigorously assessed through a commercial lens and aligned with the TA’s “Where to Play / How to Win” strategy. The ED, BD will play a decisive role in building BMS’s future neuroscience portfolio by identifying the next generation of assets and partnerships that complement and extend the existing pipeline, positioning BMS to achieve its stated goal of leadership in brain health and the Neuroscience TALT’s strategic ambition.

Key Responsibilities

1. Commercial BD Strategy & Prioritization

• Define and maintain the Neuroscience BD commercial strategy by identifying high-value target indications, mechanisms of action (MOAs), and asset profiles aligned with BMS’s three strategic imperatives in Psychiatry, Neurodegeneration, and Specialty Neurology.

• Develop and continuously refine the Neuroscience Opportunity Framework, mapping unmet commercial needs across the TA to external landscape opportunities, including partnerships, licensing, acquisitions, and RDC collaborations.

• Serve as the GCS commercial authority in BD processes, synthesizing market intelligence, competitive landscape data, and launch readiness insights to prioritize BD opportunities.

• Champion BD as a key lever in delivering on the pipeline strategic imperative: “Drive innovation in development and commercialization across the Neuroscience portfolio through TALT partnership and BD opportunities.”

• Champion novel approaches to advance our BD capabilities, leveraging a tech-forward approach (AI) to drive insight and efficiency.

2. Deal Assessment & Commercial Diligence

• Lead commercial due diligence for neuroscience assets under evaluation, assessing epidemiology, market sizing, patient segmentation, competitive dynamics, market value drivers, pricing and reimbursement landscape, and peak sales forecasting in partnership with commercial and cross-functional development teams.

• Build and validate commercial cases for potential transactions, including scenario-based forecasting models that reflect the risk-adjusted commercial opportunity.

• Partner with Corporate BD, Finance, R&D, and Medical to deliver integrated asset valuations; ensure commercial inputs are accurately reflected in transaction models and decision frameworks.

• Assess ex-U.S. business development opportunities on a case-by-case basis, providing the commercial rationale for geographic strategy expansion and prioritization.

3. Pipeline & Portfolio Commercial Shaping

Monitor the external neuroscience innovation landscape, identify disruptive trends across modalities—including small molecules, biologics, gene therapy, and RNA-based therapeutics—and translate these insights into actionable BD intelligence for GCS leadership.

4. External Partnership Development

• Cultivate and manage strategic relationships with external partners, including biotech companies, academic institutions, and licensing organizations operating in the neuroscience space.

• Represent BMS Neuroscience GCS at key industry conferences, such as BIO, to identify early-stage partnership opportunities and position BMS as a preferred commercial partner.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Corporate BD, Alliance Management, and Legal to support term sheets, deal structuring, and partnership governance for neuroscience transactions.

5. Competitive Intelligence & Market Landscape

• Partner with CI teams to maintain a dynamic, insight-led view of the competitive neuroscience landscape, including competitor pipeline movements, M&A activity, and emerging scientific trends across Psychiatry, Neurodegeneration, and Specialty Neurology, including neuromuscular diseases such as MS.

• Leverage AI-driven insights, predictive analytics, and Business Insights & Analytics (BI&A) partnerships to generate differentiated commercial intelligence supporting BD evaluations.

• Synthesize intelligence into executive-ready communications for the VP GCS, SVP Neuroscience, TALT, and other senior BMS stakeholders.

6. Cross-Functional Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement

• Operate as a fully integrated member of the Neuroscience GCS Leadership Team, actively contributing to the TA’s three strategic imperatives across Performance, Pipeline, and People.

• Partner across the matrix, including Corporate BD, S&E, Global Commercial, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Discovery, and Finance, to ensure BD evaluations reflect the full enterprise perspective.

• Represent the commercial BD function in governance forums as required, including Asset Teams, Portfolio Review Committees, and GCS planning cycles.

• Contribute to a resilient, high-performing GCS team culture rooted in accountability, inclusion, and bold action-taking, consistent with the GCS People imperative.

Qualifications

Education

• Advanced degree required: MBA, PharmD, MD, or PhD in a relevant scientific or business discipline.

• Dual degree, such as PhD/MBA or MD/MBA, strongly preferred.

Experience

• 15+ years of progressive experience in the pharmaceutical or bioscience industry, with at least five years in a commercial strategy, business development, or corporate strategy role.

• Demonstrated experience in commercial due diligence and asset valuation in a BD context, including peak sales forecasting, market sizing, and competitive landscape analysis.

• Deep knowledge of the neuroscience therapeutic landscape, including psychiatry, neurodegenerative diseases, and/or neuromuscular diseases.

• Proven track record of influencing BD decisions and translating commercial insights into tangible deal outcomes at a large pharmaceutical company or leading biotech.

• Experience working in a global, matrixed organization, with demonstrated ability to lead without direct authority and drive cross-functional alignment.

• Prior experience supporting or leading licensing negotiations, term sheet development, or partnership structuring is highly valued.

Skills & Competencies

• Strategic vision: Ability to articulate a clear, evidence-based commercial BD thesis and translate it into actionable priorities.

• Analytical rigor: Expert-level financial and market modeling skills, with the ability to present scenarios to senior leadership under uncertainty.

• Executive presence: Exceptional communication and storytelling ability; able to distill complex commercial analyses into compelling executive narratives.

• Collaborative leadership: Skilled at building trust and influence across scientific, commercial, and financial functions in a matrixed environment.

• External orientation: Proactive in building and maintaining relationships with the external innovation ecosystem; well-networked in neuroscience biotech and academic circles.

• Entrepreneurial mindset: Comfortable operating in ambiguity, with a bias for bold action and creative problem-solving aligned with BMS’s pipeline imperative.

• Digital fluency: Familiarity with AI-driven analytics, competitive intelligence platforms, and digital engagement tools as competitive differentiators.

#LI-Hybrid

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.

$239,080 - $289,708

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.

R1604696 : Executive Director, Business Development