Associate Director, Site Contracting Governance & Strategy

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

The Associate Director of Site Contracting Governance & Strategy provides strategic leadership for the regional governance function, overseeing a highly skilled team responsible for direct site negotiations, complex budget and legal escalations, and the development of global contracting standards.

This role serves as the strategic architect of regional site contracting approaches, driving policy development, portfolio‑level strategy, and enterprise alignment. The role ensures rigorous governance, consistent decision‑making, and executional excellence across all programs, partnering closely with operations team to ensure high‑quality delivery and seamless integration across the contracting lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Governance

• Provide strategic direction for site contracting governance and strategy team, ensuring consistent negotiation principles, governance rigor, and alignment with global standards.

• Shape and drive the regional contracting strategy across portfolio programs, ensuring harmonization, risk mitigation, and operational predictability.

• Lead the development, implementation, and maintenance of policies, governance frameworks, SOPs, and standards for site contracting.

• Serve as the escalation authority for complex budget and legal matters, enabling rapid, sound, and well‑documented decisions.

Leadership of High‑Expertise Negotiators

• Lead a team of experienced negotiators with direct site‑facing accountability for complex budget escalations, negotiation authority, and legal escalation management.

• Ensure the team executes with the highest professional standards, leveraging advanced negotiation approaches, risk management skills, and cross‑functional engagement.

• Coach and develop team members to act as subject matter experts for strategic contracting topics, fostering a culture of excellence, autonomy, and innovation.

Management of Complex Escalations

• Oversee all high‑risk, high‑impact escalations involving legal interpretation, contract deviations, financial risks, budget exceptions, indemnification, and global standards.

• Partner with Legal, Finance, and Regional/Central Operations to ensure issues are resolved with speed, consistency, and strategic alignment.

• Establish and maintain clear pathways for stakeholder engagement and escalation resolution across the enterprise

Strategic Influence & Cross‑Functional Leadership

• Represent Site Contracting Governance & Strategy in enterprise‑level forums, providing expert insight on negotiation strategy, financial impact, and risk mitigation.

• Drive alignment with RCO, Medical, Finance, Legal, Procurement, and CRO partners to ensure consistent execution of strategy across programs and regions.

• Influence enterprise contracting strategy through thought leadership, market insights, and operational intelligence.

Documentation Ownership, Policy Governance & Knowledge Management

• Own all governance documentation, including SOPs, work instructions, templates, decision trees, playbooks, and training materials.

• Ensure version control, quality, compliance, and change management for all governance content.

• Lead knowledge management for the site contracting governance function, ensuring consistent application and dissemination of best practices.

Portfolio Oversight & Operational Integration

• Provide strategic oversight to ensure seamless integration between governance and strategy and operations, guaranteeing high‑quality execution.

• Ensure that complex cases escalated from operations are resolved effectively and serve as learning opportunities for continuous improvement.

• Monitor portfolio‑level performance, identifying trends, risks, and opportunities to strengthen contracting strategy.

Innovation & Strategic Development

• Drive innovation across the governance function by identifying and implementing new methodologies, negotiation models, and operational efficiencies.

• Lead transformation initiatives to improve transparency, governance, risk management, and decision‑making.

• Initiate and lead cross‑functional projects that elevate contracting standards, financial stewardship, and operational performance

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Law, Business Administration, Life Sciences, or a related field

• Minimum 10 years of experience in clinical contract governance or leadership.

• Leadership or management certification (preferred)

• Advanced knowledge of global contracting standards, governance, and operational processes.

• Strong leadership and resource planning abilities.

• Expertise in SOP alignment, compliance, and cost optimization.

• Excellent stakeholder management and enterprise influence skills.

• Ability to manage complex projects and drive innovation.

• Outstanding communication and mentoring skills.

• Proficiency in contract management systems and Microsoft Office Suite.

• Up to 20%, as needed for regional strategy, leadership engagement, and cross‑functional collaboration

#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.

Princeton - NJ - US: $173,350 - $210,058 


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.

R1599757 : Associate Director, Site Contracting Governance & Strategy