Associate Director, R&D IT Portfolio Delivery Lead

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co; Princeton (NJ); On-site; USD 167,000 - 202,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible Time Off

11 paid holidays

Volunteer days

Job summary

Bristol Myers Squibb in Princeton, NJ, seeks an Associate Director to lead the R&D IT portfolio delivery and governance, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and optimal resource use.

The role oversees budgeting, risk management, and stakeholder engagement, applying Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid methodologies to drive value for R&D objectives.

Qualifications

• 8+ years IT project management experience.
• 3+ years in portfolio/program management.
• Pharma or life sciences experience preferred.
• Knowledge of GxP, FDA, GDPR compliance.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management.
• Experience scaling Agile (Scrum/Kanban/SAFe).

Responsibilities

• Lead management and delivery of the R&D IT project portfolio.
• Partner with IT leadership, PMs and stakeholders for collaboration.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and expenditure tracking.
• Ensure projects stay within scope, schedule and budget.
• Govern portfolio risks, issues, and dependencies.
• Coach project managers in Agile environments.
• Track KPIs and report to R&D IT leadership.
• Drive continuous improvement and lessons learned.

Skills

Agile methods

Portfolio mgmt

Budgeting

Stakeholder mgmt

Jira

Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/Business

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Jira

PM tools

Job description

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.

Summary

The Associate Director, R&D BI&T Portfolio Delivery Lead, is responsible for leading the delivery and management of the R&D BI&IT project portfolio, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and optimal resource utilization. This role will oversee project execution, financial management, and stakeholder engagement to drive successful outcomes for BMS’s R&D objectives. The Associate Director will maintain portfolio governance, resource allocation, risk management, and continuous improvement, with a strong focus on Agile principles to support successful Portfolio execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the management and delivery of the R&D IT project portfolio, ensuring alignment with the prioritized Book of Work (BOW) and supporting effective decision-making and resource allocation.
• Build trusted partnerships with IT Leadership, Product Managers, and cross-functional stakeholders to facilitate collaboration and drive portfolio success.
• Serve as the primary contact for portfolio-level updates, ensuring clear and transparent communication and translating technical information into business-relevant insights.
• Manage financial for both investment projects and ongoing operational (run) support, including budgeting, forecasting, and tracking expenditures to ensure optimal use of resources and value delivery.
• Oversee project planning, execution, monitoring, and closure, ensuring adherence to best practices, regulatory requirements, and that projects remain within scope, schedule, and budget.
• Establish and monitor portfolio-level risks, issues, and dependencies, ensuring timely resolution and escalation as needed.
• Support consistent use of project and program management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, hybrid) and collaborate with stakeholders to define scope, budget, timeline and success criteria.
• Serve as a coach and escalation point for project managers, enabling delivery excellence and risk mitigation.
• Manage objectives and key results to assess portfolio health and value realization, track key performance indicators, and provide regular status updates to R&D IT leadership.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by implementing lessons learned and feedback loops.
• Ensure compliance with pharmaceutical industry regulations and BMS policies throughout project delivery.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Proven experience in managing complex IT project portfolios within a research or pharmaceutical environment.
• Demonstrated expertise in financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, and tracking expenditures for both investment projects and ongoing operational support.
• 8+ years of experience in IT project management.
• At least 3 years in a portfolio or program management role, ideally within pharmaceutical research or life sciences, preferred.
• Strong understanding of pharmaceutical industry regulations and compliance requirements (e.g., GxP, FDA, GDPR).
• Proven track record of successfully delivering complex IT projects and portfolios on time and within budget, with hands‑on experience in Agile environments.
• Demonstrated experience implementing and scaling Agile methodologies (e.g., Scrum, Kanban, SAFe) across teams and portfolios.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience with project management and Agile tools (e.g., Jira) PMP, PgMP, Agile certification (e.g., Certified ScrumMaster, SAFe Agilist) preferred.
• Ability to influence and drive change in a matrixed, global organization.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making abilities.
• 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.

Compensation Overview

Princeton - NJ - US: $166,690 - $201,983 The starting pay range(s) listed above is for full‑time employees (FTE). You may also be eligible for additional discretionary incentive cash and stock opportunities. We determine starting pay thoughtfully – carefully considering the nature of the role, required skills, work location, schedule and the knowledge and experience you bring. Final compensation is guided by pay equity principles and applicable employment laws. Compensation programs are reviewed on an ongoing basis and may be adjusted over time to reflect evolving market factors, and individual, team or Company performance.

Benefits

• Subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans then in effect, you may be eligible to participate in our comprehensive benefit plans – including wellbeing support, retirement and financial protection benefits, and insurance offerings (medical, dental, vision, life and disability).
• U.S.-based exempt employees are eligible for Flexible Time Off (FTO), which provides paid time off without a set accrual limit, subject to manager approval, along with 11 paid company holidays each year.
• Non-exempt employees, RayzeBio employees, and employees located in Puerto Rico receive 160 hours of paid vacation annually for new hires (subject to manager approval), 11 paid company holidays, and 3 optional holidays.
• Depending on eligibility, employees may also have access to additional time‑off benefits, including paid sick leave, up to two paid volunteer days per year, summer hours flexibility, and leaves of absence for medical, personal, parental, caregiver, bereavement, or military needs.
• Eligible employees also enjoy an annual Global Shutdown between Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
• U.S.-based job seekers can explore full benefit offerings at https://careers.bms.com/benefits

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 [e-mail]. 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 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 this posting is missing required information required by local law or incorrect, contact BMS at [e-mail] with the Job Title and Requisition number. Do not send application-related inquiries to this email. To check your application status, please login to your Candidate Home Account.

R1605343 : Associate Director, R&D IT Portfolio Delivery Lead Data Privacy Link

We’re creating innovative medicines for patients fighting serious diseases. We’re also nurturing our own diverse team with inspiring work and challenging career options. No matter the role, each one of us makes a contribution. And that makes all the difference.