Scientist, Cell Therapy Process Development (In Vivo CAR-T)

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 Cell Therapy Thematic Research Center is one of BMS’s differentiated research platforms delivering innovative therapies to patients. Our mission is to drive leadership in the use of cellular therapies to harness the power of the immune system in treating hematologic malignancies, solid cancers, and autoimmune disease. More specifically, our discovery and translational scientists are focused on developing next-generation, engineered cell-based therapies. The team is committed to discovering and developing transformative therapies that harness the power of the immune system to improve patient outcomes.

Within CT TRC, the Cell Therapy Process Research and Engineering (CT-PRE) team works at the exciting interface of engineered T-cell biology and cell therapy process development, in close collaboration with colleagues across the Research and Development organizations, with the goal of advancing novel innovative platforms from early concept design towards implementation for pipeline assets. 

Position Summary:

The CT‑PRE team is seeking a Scientist to help translate next‑generation cell therapies from early research into robust development platforms. The Scientist will design and execute laboratory experiments both independently and collaboratively, contributing to a highly interactive, matrixed, agile, team‑driven environment. The ideal candidate will have prior industry experience with process development, preferably in viral vector production for CAR-T therapy.

In the role as a Scientist within the CT-PRE team, the ideal candidate will apply scientific principles to develop scalable processes to enable in vivo CAR-T therapy platforms. This includes:

• Designing and conducting laboratory experiments to evaluate gene delivery and cell engineering strategies for CAR-T manufacturing feasibility

• Leading workstreams and experiments focused on the optimization and implementation of scalable lentiviral vector production for in vivo CAR-T therapy platforms

• Documenting experimental workflows, results, and deviations in electronic laboratory notebooks to ensure reproducibility and process understanding

• Performing data analysis and communicating findings clearly to enable informed decision‑making by research and development teams

• Participating in cross‑functional project teams and effectively communicating CT‑PRE activities, data, and recommendations

• Collaborating closely with team members to coordinate experimental execution and deliver study outcomes

• Training and mentoring junior team members as appropriate

• Demonstrating strong scientific rigor through critical thinking, problem‑solving, troubleshooting, and attention to detail

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree

  • 5+ years of academic and / or industry experience

Or

• Master’s Degree

  • 3+ years of academic and / or industry experience

Or

• Ph.D. or equivalent advanced degree in the Life Sciences

  • No experience necessary

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with viral vector process development, including upstream production (e.g., suspension culture, transfection parameters, bioreactor scale‑up) and downstream purification and concentration strategies

• Experience developing and optimizing bioprocesses that are intentionally designed for scalability into STR culture and manufacturability

• Strong understanding of viral transduction mechanisms, tropism and integration

• Proficiency with aseptic mammalian cell culture, preferably including primary T cell culture, activation and expansion

• Familiarity with analytical characterization and critical quality attributes for an in vivo CAR-T drug product (titer, purity, potency, sterility)

• Understanding of T-cell biology and immunology relevant to CAR-T – activation, transduction efficiency, phenotype and functional assays

• Experience with T-cell manufacturing workflows – apheresis material handling, activation, gene delivery, expansion, formulation

• Understanding of statistical design of experiments methodology and data analysis for process optimization

• Familiarity with lipid nanoparticle (LNP) or other nanoparticle-based delivery systems for in vivo and/or ex vivo T-cell targeting and engineering

• Knowledge of, or hands-on experience with, site-specific gene-editing (preferably CRISPR-Cas, base or prime editing) technologies

• Working knowledge of analyzing and interpreting data from flow-based cellular, and PCR/sequencing based molecular assays

• Awareness of incorporation of cell-targeting ligands in vectors, for in vivo T-cell, or organ-selective targeting

• Effective written and verbal communication skills for exchanging technical and scientific information with cross‑functional teams

• A collaborative team player who can effectively multi-task as well as excel independently in a fast‑paced, dynamic and innovative environment

#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.

Seattle - WA: $122,810 - $148,814

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.

R1601507 : Scientist, Cell Therapy Process Development (In Vivo CAR-T)