Associate Director, Thought Leadership & Issues Communications at Bristol Myers Squibb in Princeton, NJ

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. Reporting to the Director, Enterprise Thought Leadership & Crisis & Issues Communications, the Associate Director, Enterprise Thought Leadership & Issues Communications position plays a critical role in executing Bristol Myers Squibb’s global enterprise thought leadership strategy and supporting the company’s preparedness for and response to emerging issues and crises. This role is responsible for helping to identify, plan and execute thought leadership and visibility opportunities that enable BMS leaders to deliver a cohesive enterprise narrative. The Associate Director partners closely with leader communicators and the broader corporate communications team including the coordination, logistics, briefing and messaging materials, and leader preparation to ensure high‑quality, effective engagements across priority platforms. In parallel, this role supports issues and crisis communications efforts, including monitoring emerging issues, developing messaging around complex and sensitive topics, and helping maintain and evolve the crisis communications scenario planning to ensure readiness, alignment, and integration with broader organizational protocols. The successful candidate will bring strong judgment, excellent execution and presentation skills, and a proven ability to collaborate across teams to drive meaningful reputational impact in a fast‑paced, high‑visibility environment. Key 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. undefined Key Qualifications Accomplished communications professional with 8-10 years in corporate communications, thought leadership, media relations, issues management, or related disciplines, ideally within healthcare, life sciences, or anoth