Director, Public Affairs

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.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director, Public Affairs, the Director, Public Affairs will drive Bristol Myers Squibb's integrated public affairs strategy at the federal and state levels and in key priority markets, advancing the company's policy agenda, enterprise priorities, and reputation with critical government, political, and stakeholder audiences.

Based in Washington, D.C., this role sits at the intersection of politics, policy, and corporate strategy. The Director will serve as a strategist and operator, collaborating on and executing sophisticated public affairs campaigns that build support for BMS's positions, educate and engage stakeholders on harmful public policy, and strengthen the company's standing among influential decision-makers in and around the nation's capital.

This position requires a seasoned political and public affairs professional who brings deep experience with high-stakes, multi-stakeholder campaigns, and who understands how to leverage digital engagement, coalition building, third-party advocacy, and strategic communications to advance a complex legislative and regulatory agenda. Experience in the health care sector, pharmaceutical industry, or business community is strongly preferred.

Key Responsibilities

• Implement Strategic Public Affairs Campaigns: Identify and develop integrated public affairs strategies to advance BMS's public policy priorities, protect enterprise interests, and build political support for the company's positions with Members of Congress, state legislators, Administration officials, and other key stakeholders.
• Advocacy & Digital Strategy: Execute advocacy programs that activate key constituencies, utilizing digital engagement best practices to amplify BMS's policy positions, and expand the company's political footprint in priority regions and markets.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner closely with U.S. Policy & Government Affairs teams to ensure alignment between public affairs strategy and broader business and policy objectives.
• Political Intelligence & Landscape Analysis: Monitor, analyze, and provide guidance on the federal and state political environments, legislative developments, regulatory activity, and election dynamics that may create risk or opportunity for BMS. Translate complex political and policy intelligence into clear, actionable strategic recommendations for senior leadership.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Coalition Building: Work cross-functionally with BMS teams to identify, cultivate, and manage relationships with key political, policy, and advocacy stakeholders—including patient groups, professional associations, business coalitions, think tanks, and community organizations to build durable support for BMS's policy agenda.
• Campaign Planning & Execution: Develop and manage comprehensive public affairs campaign plans, including message development, paid media strategy, digital engagement, and field operations, to advance BMS's enterprise priorities and policy positions.
• Reporting & Metrics: Track and evaluate the effectiveness of public affairs programs and campaigns, providing regular reporting to the Executive Director on progress, outcomes, and strategic adjustments.

Qualifications & Experience

• A minimum of 8-10 years of demonstrated experience in political campaigns, corporate public affairs, advocacy, or a related field—with a proven track record of designing and executing successful strategic campaigns at the state, federal or national level.
• Familiarity with the federal legislative and regulatory process, as well as federal and state political landscapes.
• Experience in the health care sector, pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, or the broader business community strongly preferred; a working understanding of U.S. health policy, drug pricing, and patient access issues is a significant asset.
• Demonstrated success in stakeholder engagement, coalition building, and managing complex, multi-party relationships toward a defined strategic outcome.
• Strong political instincts and judgment—ability to read political environments quickly, identify opportunities and threats, and advise senior leadership with confidence and clarity.
• Expertise in integrated campaign strategy and vendor management, including earned and paid media, digital and social advocacy, grassroots and grasstops mobilization, and stakeholder communications.
• Superior written and verbal communications skills, including the ability to craft compelling narratives, talking points, op-eds, and executive-ready materials that engage diverse audiences.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills—demonstrated ability to independently manage multiple high-priority work streams simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• University degree required. Degree in Political Science, Public Policy, Communications, or a related field preferred.
• Key attributes: sound political judgment, personal integrity, executive presence, intellectual agility, ability to thrive under pressure, strong collaborative instincts, and an unwavering commitment to team culture and shared mission.

On-Site Protocol

Physical presence at the BMS Washington, D.C. office is a necessary job function of this role, which the Company deems critical to collaboration, innovation, productivity, employee well-being and engagement, and it enhances the Company culture.

Reporting Line

Executive Director, Public Affairs

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.

Washington DC - US: $206,210 - $249,878

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.

R1601205 : Director, Public Affairs