Director, Real World Data Strategy

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.

Position Summary:

At BMS, the Director, Real-World Data Strategy sits at the intersection of business strategy, data intelligence, and AI-driven innovation, serving as a key member of the enterprise Real-World Data (RWD) Strategy team. This is a business-first role powered by data and accelerated by artificial intelligence. The Director is responsible for translating BMS's most pressing business and R&D priorities into sharp, actionable RWD strategies, and for leading the team's adoption and application of AI to reshape how the organization identifies, evaluates, acquires, and deploys real-world data assets to drive evidence generation, competitive differentiation, and patient impact.

This role is expected to be the AI innovation driver on the enterprise RWD Strategy team, someone who brings a high AI IQ, actively identifies where AI unlocks new strategic value, and sets the standard for how AI thinking is embedded in the team's work and in service of BMS customers and partners.

As part of an enterprise-wide team, this Director will serve as a connector between the external RWD and AI landscape and BMS's internal needs, ensuring that every data and technology investment is grounded in clear business value and strategic alignment. Success in this role requires deep domain expertise, AI fluency and curiosity, executive presence, rigorous analytical thinking, and a relentless focus on outcomes for the business.

Key Responsibilities:

AI Leadership & Innovation:

- Serve as the team's AI innovation lead, setting direction for how artificial intelligence and advanced analytics are integrated into RWD strategy, data evaluation, market intelligence, and evidence generation.
- Proactively identify, evaluate, and champion AI-enabled data opportunities and emerging technologies that enhance RWD exploration, dataset assessment, and strategic decision-making at scale.
- Translate the rapidly evolving AI and data science landscape into practical, high-impact applications aligned with BMS R&D priorities and pipeline needs.
- Model AI-forward thinking across the team and for customers, building shared literacy, frameworks, and best practices that elevate the team's collective AI capability.
- Align novel AI-driven research ideas with available RWD assets to accelerate exploratory use cases, enabling faster, smarter data-driven decisions across the enterprise.

Business-Driven Strategy & Prioritization:

- Champion and communicate a forward-looking RWD exploration strategy that is anchored in BMS business priorities, translating R&D needs, pipeline goals, and evidence gaps into targeted data investment and exploration decisions.
- Synthesize inputs from RWD users, senior leaders, and cross-functional partners to define and evolve strategic priorities, ensuring every data initiative is tied to measurable business value.
- Develop and present clear, executive-ready business cases for RWD investments, acquisitions, and licensing decisions, balancing strategic ambition with budget realities and portfolio needs.

Data Landscaping & Opportunity Identification:

- Monitor and interpret the global RWD ecosystem, including emerging datasets, vendors, technologies, AI platforms, partnerships, and market trends, through a business lens, connecting evolving research questions and R&D needs with differentiated data sources and novel use cases.
- Lead rigorous evaluation and piloting of priority RWD sources, assessing fitness, quality, coverage, differentiation, and applicability, and translating findings into clear investment or adoption recommendations for senior stakeholders.
- Establish scalable assessment frameworks, dashboards, and methodologies that enable consistent, repeatable evaluation and prioritization of RWD opportunities across the enterprise portfolio.

Stakeholder Engagement & Enterprise Collaboration:

- Drive high-visibility engagement with senior leaders and cross-functional teams through a hub model of ongoing consultations, ensuring transparent, interactive strategy development processes that build trust and alignment.
- Collaborate across Strategy, Acquisition, Data Product, Governance, Customer Success, and R&D stakeholder groups to convert exploration insights into actionable data, investment, partnership, and portfolio decisions.
- Serve as a thought leader across the enterprise RWD Strategy team, contributing to shared capabilities, best practices, and strategic frameworks, with particular emphasis on AI integration, that elevate the team's collective impact.

Partner & Vendor Development:

- Identify, assess, and engage RWD data providers and external partners to evaluate differentiated partnership opportunities that address emerging or unmet data needs, including AI-powered data and analytics platforms.
- Lead assessment of RWD partners for comprehensive data development capabilities, ensuring partnerships create clear, lasting strategic advantage for BMS.

Qualifications:

Education:

- Advanced degree in health research, life sciences, data science, quantitative sciences, or a related field. PhD preferred but not required.

Experience:

- 10+ years of relevant experience in real-world healthcare data, data strategy, market intelligence, life sciences, or consulting, with a demonstrated track record of translating complex business and scientific problems into data-driven strategies and outcomes.
- Demonstrated experience applying AI and advanced analytics in an RWD, life sciences, or data strategy context, including familiarity with generative AI, machine learning, or AI-enabled data tools.
- Proven ability to operate as a strategic advisor to senior leaders in a complex, matrixed life sciences organization.
- Deep expertise in RWD sources, data evaluation approaches, research and analytic applications, and the evolving external RWD ecosystem.
- Significant experience engaging with RWD vendors and data partners, including negotiating and shaping strategic relationships.

Skills & Competencies:

- AI fluency and innovation mindset: Ability to identify, evaluate, and operationalize AI-driven opportunities that create tangible value for RWD strategy and enterprise customers. Expected to be a visible AI champion within the team.
- Business acumen: Strong ability to frame data and AI opportunities in terms of business value, pipeline impact, and investment return.
- Strategic thinking and executive communication: Ability to synthesize complex data, AI, and market intelligence into concise, compelling recommendations that influence senior decision-making.
- Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills, with experience building evaluation frameworks and investment cases.
- Familiarity with analytic platforms, federated environments, and AI/data science approaches relevant to RWD access and exploration.
- Knowledge of RWD compliance requirements (HIPAA, GDPR, etc.), including emerging considerations for AI use in healthcare data contexts.
- Exceptional oral and written communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences.
- Collaborative, team-oriented mindset with comfort operating in a fast-changing, cross-functional enterprise environment.

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:
Remote - United States - US: $197,800 - $239,681


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  [email protected] . 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 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 this posting is missing required information required by local law or incorrect, contact BMS at  [email protected] 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.

R1607515 : Director, Real World Data Strategy