Executive Director, Chief of Staff, Global Development Operations

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.

Position Summary

 

Serves as the Chief of Staff and strategic thought partner to the Head of Global Development Operations (GDO), with accountability for shaping strategy, driving the GDO transformation agenda, and ensuring disciplined operational execution across the global organization.

GDO owns the delivery of the BMS portfolio — predictably, with quality, through an agile, AI-enabled, and integrated global development organization. This role goes beyond coordination to actively define priorities, challenge thinking, and guide decision-making across GDO's global footprint. Translates GDO and Drug Development strategy into clear, actionable plans, ensures alignment across therapeutic areas, countries, and functions, and drives execution with a focus on delivery, quality, risk, and impact. Works with and is accountable to the GDO Leadership Team (GDO LT) to define priorities, establish work plans, and drive workstreams supporting the five shifts underway: pooled resources to embedded therapeutic area depth; broad presence to an optimized country footprint; scattered ownership to enterprise quality; manual process to AI-enabled delivery; and internal focus to patient and site orientation. Partners closely with Global Trial Management and Trial Leadership, Transformation & Innovation Operations, Quality and Compliance, and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure strategic clarity, operational rigor, and end-to-end visibility across the delivery continuum. 

 

Key Responsibilities

 

Shape Strategy & Direction

• Act as a trusted advisor and thought partner to the GDO Head and the GDO LT; help shape strategy, priorities, and key decisions
• Drive development of the GDO strategy and roadmap, annual objectives, and enterprise alignment (Drug Development LT, BMS LT, Board of Directors as needed)
• Identify delivery risks, trade-offs, and opportunities across the portfolio and global footprint, and proactively frame strategic options
• Lead Delivery Insight & Prioritization
• Provide end-to-end visibility across the delivery continuum, from study start-up through close-out, for early and late development
• Establish a single source of truth from the frontline to leadership, with consistent delivery metrics on timelines, enrollment, quality, and cost
• Assess delivery status, risks, and systemic challenges to execution across therapeutic areas and countries
• Lead and facilitate prioritization and resource allocation in partnership with Portfolio Strategy Implementation and Reporting (PSI&R), Development Finance, and Business Insights and Analytics
• Ensure alignment of country enrollment and footprint decisions with enterprise strategy, resourcing, and long-range financial plans

 

Translate Strategy into Execution

• Convert strategic priorities into integrated, actionable plans across GDO functions, therapeutic areas, and regions
• Drive execution of the GDO transformation roadmap, including the move of Global Trial Managers and Global Trial Leaders into therapeutic area–aligned teams, build-out of TA depth in Tier 1 countries, and stand-up of the centralized risk, compliance, and trial enablement Center of Excellence
• Partner with Transformation & Innovation Operations to embed AI-enabled ways of working and retire manual process
• Track progress against objectives and milestones; ensure risk mitigation, contingency planning, and accountability
• Enable effective execution of integrated Drug Development strategies across Project Leaders, Trial Leadership, and PM

 

Drive Operating Model & Governance

• Lead the GDO LT agenda, governance, and operating rhythm, ensuring focus on highest-value topics and strategic decisions, with a cadence that tracks execution against transformation milestones
• Lead workstreams or initiatives to identify solutions to challenges within GDO or across the organization, including single points of accountability across the delivery continuum
• Partner with PSI&R and stakeholders to optimize governance forums and decision quality

 

Enable Leadership Effectiveness & Engagement

• Orchestrate leadership communications across a large, globally distributed organization (town halls, key messaging, change and transformation communications)
• Strengthen team effectiveness, alignment, and follow-through across the GDO LT
• Manage key stakeholder relationships across Drug Development, therapeutic areas, regions, and the enterprise; position GDO as a partner of choice for sites and patients

 

Build & Lead the Team

• Lead, develop, and inspire a team of direct reports covering business operations, strategic initiatives, and communications; set clear objectives, coach for growth, and build succession strength
• Build a high-performing, inclusive team culture that models GDO's values and ways of working across a globally distributed organization
• Allocate team capacity against the highest-value priorities and transformation workstreams, ensuring quality and timeliness of output to the GDO Head and GDO LT

 

Lead Through Influence

• Operate in a highly matrixed, global environment spanning multiple regions, countries, and time zones to align stakeholders and drive outcomes without formal authority
• Serve as a credible representative of the GDO Head in key discussions

 

Qualifications & Experience

• Deep Clinical Development and/or global clinical trial operations experience (strongly preferred), with demonstrated understanding of end-to-end trial execution, country and site delivery, and cross-functional interfaces
• Degree in Life Sciences or Business Management, and/or advanced degree in related discipline preferred (e.g., PhD, MS, MBA)
• 10-15 years of experience with the Pharmaceutical industry (preferred)
• Business operations experience and familiarity with divisional management preferred
• Demonstrated people leadership experience, including hiring, developing, and leading direct reports in a global, matrixed organization
• Experience as Chief of Staff and experience with portfolio management and reporting.
• Experience in developing portfolio and program strategy
• Experience leading or supporting large-scale organizational transformation and change, ideally including new operating model design and adoption of digital or AI-enabled ways of working
• Experience operating across a global footprint, with awareness of regional and country-level delivery, regulatory, and quality considerations
• Display understanding of the drug development process and the roles that each function plays in design and execution of programs
• Demonstrated strength in partnering with business leaders to assess critical needs and performance, developing, and effectively managing plans and initiatives, and delivering business outcomes.
• Comfort in agile work environment and capable of bringing structure to vaguely defined problems while using creative yet pragmatic problem-solving approaches.
• Initiative-taking, organized, and promoter of diversity and inclusivity.
• Highly effective verbal and written communication skills; strong change & stakeholder management skills
• Ability to build relationships and influence and drive organizational engagement across functions and sites.
• Excellent communication and people skills, with the ability to interface with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Excellent influencing and negotiating experience and capabilities in a matrix environment.
• Excellent project management and execution skills and can manage multiple projects and prioritize as needed. Ability to plan and conduct projects within a multi-disciplinary environment.

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 adastaffingsupport@bms.com. Visit careers.bms.com/eeo-accessibility to access our complete Equal Employment Opportunity statement.

Candidate Rights

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

For roles based in Los Angeles County only:  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/

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R1607636 : Executive Director, Chief of Staff, Global Development Operations