Senior Associate Scientist - Engineered Cell Therapy Discovery

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.

When you join BMS, you are joining a diverse, high-achieving team united by a common mission.

 

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.

 

Here, you will get the chance to grow and thrive through opportunities that are uncommon in scale and scope. You’ll pursue innovative ideas while advancing professionally alongside some of the brightest minds in biopharma.

 

Position Summary:

We are seeking an innovative and driven Senior Associate Scientist to join the Engineered Cell Therapy Discovery team and help advance next-generation CAR T and eTCR therapies for patients with cancer and other chronic diseases. In this role, you will apply immunological knowledge and experimental rigor to design and execute detailed functional assays, support screening of engineered T cell constructs, and interpret large biological datasets that shape discovery decisions. You will work closely with scientists across disciplines to develop robust assay platforms, evaluate engineered cell function in relevant biological models, and communicate clear, data-driven recommendations. The ideal candidate is excited by the intersection of immune cell engineering, quantitative biology, and scalable data generation in a fast-paced discovery setting.

Position Responsibilities:

In the role as a Senior Associate Scientist on the Engineered Cell Therapy Discovery team, the ideal candidate:

• Applies strong immunological knowledge to the design, execution, and interpretation of studies evaluating engineered T cell CAR/eTCR constructs, novel payloads/gene editing across diverse biological conditions.

• Contributes to screening strategies that assess engineered T cell constructs and functional responses leveraging automation where applicable, enabling data-driven prioritization of candidates.

• Performs fine-detailed, nuanced mechanistic studies to interrogate engineered T cell function using multiparametric immune profiling approaches, including assessment of activation, exhaustion, memory, and effector phenotypes.

• Analyzes and interprets complex datasets from cellular, molecular, and functional assays to identify biological trends, support hypothesis generation, guide experimental follow-up, and enabling data-driven prioritization of candidates.

• Develops and optimizes novel assays to quantitatively assess the biological and functional properties of novel synthetic biology in engineered T cells. Ensures the robustness and reproducibility of these assays to support key project milestones.

• Generates and cryopreserves CAR T cells and eTCR T cells with complex genetic engineering approaches.

• Performs phenotypic and functional analysis of CAR and eTCR T cells using flow cytometry, IncuCyte, MSD, and other relevant methods. Analyzes data to provide insights into the performance, quality, and potential of engineered T cells.

• Participates in troubleshooting activities related to the evolution of new approaches/technologies.

• Collaborates effectively with cross-functional teams. Communicates findings clearly and concisely to stakeholders at all levels.

• Maintains electronic notebooks in a rigorous and timely manner to support project milestones and patent/regulatory filings.

Experience =

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree

  • 4+ years of academic and / or industry experience

Or

• Master’s Degree

  • 2+ years of academic and / or industry experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Required developed knowledge of the principles and concepts of biological sciences, immunology, bioengineering, or related discipline.

• Experience developing and using quantitative in vitro assays to drive decision-making, especially in the drug development context, is strongly desired

• Experience with automation platforms, including liquid handling systems or related technologies, in a high-throughput screening context is strongly desired.

• Experience analyzing and visualizing complex biological datasets using software such as JMP, R, or similar quantitative analysis tools is preferred. Familiarity with data handling and analysis best practices for screening, multiparametric flow cytometry, or other higher-content assay platforms.

• Proficiency in MSD, IncuCyte-based assays, multi-parameter flow cytometry, and/or high-content imaging technologies is strongly desired.

• Skilled in generating, expanding, characterizing, and cryopreserving CAR T and eTCR T cells.

• Experience with antibody discovery and molecular biology is preferred.

• Excellent organizational skills for thorough and timely documentation of experiments across multiple projects. Maintains electronic notebooks rigorously.

• Ability to independently recognize potential problems and recommend/develop appropriate solutions strongly desired.

• Strong communication skills for working with cross-functional teams as well as cross-departmental colleagues.

• Ability to work productively as both team member and as individual contributor.

#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: $102,570 - $124,290


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

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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.

R1603327 : Senior Associate Scientist - Engineered Cell Therapy Discovery