Principal Scientist / Team Lead for Small Molecule Separation - Bristol Myers Squibb

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 rich in diversity. 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.

BMS encompasses a broad range of disciplines to enable a robust pipeline of drug candidates aimed at serious diseases. 

Chemistry is a core capability in Small Molecule & Drug Discovery with innovative scientists working in medicinal chemistry, radiochemistry, analytical chemistry, and large-scale synthesis.  Within SMDD our Lead Discovery and Optimization (LDO) team is responsible for high throughput screening, compound storage and distribution, primary assays to support discovery programs, and compound profiling to explore drug liabilities in vitro.   LDO scientists discover and adopt cutting edge assay technologies that utilize state-of-the-art automation to drive speed and efficiency.  Our Molecular Structure and Design team embraces novel approaches to computer-aided drug design, machine learning, and structural biology.  The integration of these disciplines provides a seamless and highly interactive environment for discovery scientists to learn, develop, and innovate.  Working in partnership with our disease area experts in the Thematic Research Centers provides an exciting pathway to discover and deliver medicines to patients in need.

This individual will be responsible for providing separation science support for the drug discovery/medicinal chemistry team at BMS in San Diego, CA.  He or she will lead a team of scientists, including external service providers, to deliver non-GLP separation science support for the site.  A particular focus will be managing a high throughput small molecule purification service, using both preparative liquid chromatography (HPLC) and preparative supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), for achiral and chiral separations.  In addition to method development and purification, the candidate will provide limited on-site support for separation and physical property measurement, and will coordinate with team members at other sites to deliver capabilities not available locally.  He or she will also ensure operational support of a fleet of analytical LCMS instruments used by medicinal chemists for routine reaction checking and compound QC.  He/she will work with other team members to ensure that the infrastructure is fully operational, to track usage and output metrics, to interact with medicinal chemists, and to troubleshoot problems as they arise.  He/she will also work with the external service provider to ensure that scheduling and training are matched to requirements to ensure smooth and efficient operation of the lab.

In addition to the operational role described above, the individual will be responsible for working with management to develop, implement, and update the strategic plan for separation science at the site, and for identifying and completing continuous improvement projects that may include chromatography method development, infrastructure improvements, IT and process improvements, quality improvements, etc. The site will be moving into a newly constructed building in 2026; the candidate will be responsible for participating in lab design and ultimately implementing the lab’s move to the new building.

He or she will have experience in analysis and purification of small molecules and/or peptides by reverse phase HPLC and SFC, and in mass spectrometry.  Experience in a high throughput environment managing large numbers of samples and associated data and/or experience in organic and medicinal chemistry is strongly desired.  The candidate will have demonstrated problem-solving skills, including troubleshooting processes, instruments, and data management issues.  Experience in computer programming (one or more common or instrument-specific languages), laboratory automation, and/or process optimization are highly desired.

Expected competencies include:

· Strong written and oral communication skills

· Supervisory experience in a lab environment

· The successful candidate must be able to work independently and matrix across teams.

· Must have a proven record of accomplishment in successful project execution.

· The candidate will have demonstrated problem-solving skills, including troubleshooting workflows and processes, instruments, and data management issues. 

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree 8+ years of academic / industry experience

or

Master's Degree 6+ years of academic / industry experience

or

PhD 4+ years of academic / industry experience

Preferred Qualifications:

A Ph.D. degree in Organic or Analytical Chemistry and at least 4+ years of relevant industrial experience.

Experience in a high throughput environment managing large numbers of samples and associated data.

Experience in analysis and purification of small molecules and/or peptides by reverse phase HPLC and SFC, in mass spectrometry, and/or experience in organic and medicinal chemistry is a plus. 

The starting compensation for this job is a range from $121,000 - $167,200 plus incentive cash and stock opportunities (based on eligibility). The starting pay rate takes into account characteristics of the job, such as required skills and where the job is performed. 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 our BMS Career Site.

Benefit offerings are subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans then in effect and may include the following: Medical, pharmacy, dental and vision care. Wellbeing support such as the BMS Living Life Better program and employee assistance programs (EAP). Financial well-being resources and a 401(K). Financial protection benefits such as short- and long-term disability, life insurance, supplemental health insurance, business travel protection and survivor support. Work-life programs include paid national holidays and optional holidays, Global Shutdown days between Christmas and New Year’s holiday, up to 120 hours of paid vacation, up to two (2) paid days to volunteer, sick time off, and summer hours flexibility. Parental, caregiver, bereavement, and military leave. Family care services such as adoption and surrogacy reimbursement, fertility/infertility benefits, support for traveling mothers, and child, elder and pet care resources. Other perks like tuition reimbursement and a recognition program.

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.

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 an inclusive culture, promoting diversity 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 a diverse 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.

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 toadastaffingsupport@bms.com. Visitcareers.bms.com/eeo-accessibilityto access our complete Equal Employment Opportunity statement.

BMS cares about your well-being and the well-being of our staff, customers, patients, and communities. As a result, the Company strongly recommends that all employees be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 and keep up to date with Covid-19 boosters.

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/

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