Associate Director, Thought Leadership & Crisis Communications

Bristol Myers Squibb; Princeton (NJ); Hybrid; USD 157,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible Time Off

11 paid holidays

Paid vacation annually

Job summary

Bristol Myers Squibb in Princeton, NJ is seeking an Associate Director, Enterprise Thought Leadership & Issues Communications to help identify, plan and execute thought leadership opportunities and manage crisis messaging. You will partner with leader communicators and the corporate team to ensure high‑quality engagements across priority platforms.

The role requires strong judgment, execution, and collaboration across teams in a fast‑paced environment, developing strategic messaging, monitoring

Qualifications

• Accomplished communications professional with 8-10 years in corporate communications, thought leadership, media relations, issues management, or related disciplines.
• Proven experience developing and executing earned media pitches that secure thought leadership opportunities with top-tier national, business, healthcare, and trade media outlets.
• Demonstrated experience supporting and staffing senior leaders or executives in high‑visibility external engagements, including speaking opportunities, media interactions, and thought leadership platforms.

Responsibilities

• Drive the planning and execution of thought leadership opportunities that elevate the BMS leadership team’s voice in telling the company’s story.
• Lead the identification, evaluation, and recommendation of strategic thought leadership opportunities for Leadership Team members, aligning engagements with business priorities.
• Develop earned media pitches that secure thought leadership opportunities with top-tier national, business, healthcare, and trade media outlets.
• Lead the execution of strategic sponsorship opportunities that align with business objectives, reputation priorities, and executive thought leadership goals.
• Develop strategic messaging, executive positioning, and communications materials for Leadership Team members and key enterprise initiatives.
• Monitor and analyze the impact and reach of enterprise thought leadership efforts, including engagement metrics, media coverage and industry recognition. Additionally, conduct peer benchmarking research to identify white space.
• Partner with the Director, Thought Leadership and Crisis and Issues Communications to build the organization’s enterprise crisis communications scenario planning with a focus on readiness and emergent agile response, as well as continuous improvement, innovation, and consistency with relevant organizational protocols.
• Partner with cross-functional and regional teams to develop and execute crisis and issues communications strategies for key sites and operations worldwide.
• Provide strategic communications counsel during emerging issues and crises, including cybersecurity incidents, reputational risks, and enterprise-wide events.
• Develop crisis response plans that address immediate and long‑term challenges, align with stakeholders, and strategize with interdisciplinary teams.

Skills

Corporate communications

Thought leadership

Media relations

Issues management

Executive staffing & speaking

Writing & storytelling

Crisis communications

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic counsel

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Communications, English, Journalism, Political Science, or other relevant field

Job description

Bristol Myers Squibb in Princeton, NJ is seeking an Associate Director, Enterprise Thought Leadership & Issues Communications to help identify, plan and execute thought leadership opportunities and manage crisis messaging. You will partner with leader communicators and the corporate team to ensure high‑quality engagements across priority platforms.

The role requires strong judgment, execution, and collaboration across teams in a fast‑paced environment, developing strategic messaging, monitoring