Director, Congress Excellence Strategy Lead

Trenton, NJ, USA|Onsite

Job Overview

Compensation

Salary

Range $204,200.00 - $247,437.00

Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision care

Paid Time Off

401(k) Plan

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Job Description

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) is a global biopharmaceutical company committed to transforming the lives of patients through innovative science and cutting-edge therapies. Known for its dedication to research and development in various therapeutic areas including oncology, immunology, cardiovascular diseases, and more, BMS operates with a mission to deliver life-changing medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. The company fosters a vibrant culture of inclusion, collaboration, and empowerment, encouraging employees to bring their unique talents and perspectives to the table. At BMS, employees engage in challenging, meaningful, and impactful work that not only advances the company’s scientific goals but also drives personal and professional growth. The company supports a flexible work environment that promotes a healthy balance between professional responsibilities and personal life, supported by comprehensive benefits and career development resources. Located in Princeton, NJ, Bristol Myers Squibb offers competitive compensation and incentivizes high performance with opportunities for career progression and development within a global and diverse team.

The role of Director, Congress Excellence Strategy Lead at BMS is a pivotal position within the Medical Excellence organization. This leadership role is responsible for crafting and overseeing the strategic execution of congress participation processes for a designated therapy area, ensuring a consistent and integrated OneBMS approach to medical congress activities. Acting as a key member of the Congress Excellence Leadership Team, the Director leads the planning and alignment of congress strategies that reflect BMS’s scientific narrative alongside medical and brand initiatives. This position involves managing a high-performing team, coordinating across multiple stakeholders internally and externally, and ensuring alignment and optimization of congress deliverables that enhance patient outcomes and strengthen the company’s presence in the medical community. The role requires balancing budget responsibilities, maintaining rigorous operational standards, and implementing innovative approaches for continuous improvement in congress activities. The Director also champions diversity and inclusion and promotes a culture of accountability and quality throughout the team. With an emphasis on cross-functional collaboration, strategic influence, and operational excellence, this role offers a unique opportunity to influence both the medical landscape and the broader healthcare industry through strategic congress engagement. The position is full-time and located in Princeton, NJ, with a salary range of $204,200 to $247,437, including potential additional incentives and stock opportunities. The role allows for hybrid work flexibility and requires approximately 15-20% travel to congresses and related events. BMS prioritizes workplace accommodations and equal opportunity employment, ensuring support for employees of diverse backgrounds and abilities.

Job Requirements

Bachelor's degree or higher in a relevant field
Minimum of ten years of pharmaceutical industry experience
At least five years of experience in congress strategy and operations roles
Proven leadership experience managing events and external suppliers
Strong scientific understanding of therapeutic areas and drug development lifecycle
Excellent organizational and time management abilities
Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional and cross-cultural teams
Ability to operate effectively in complex corporate environments
Strategic thinking and decision-making skills
Strong project management capabilities
Knowledge of budget management and resourcing principles
Exceptional communication and negotiation skills
Capacity to work under pressure and meet deadlines
Willingness to travel approximately 15-20% of the time
Commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion

Job Qualifications

Minimum of relevant ten years of relevant pharmaceutical industry experience and 5+ years in the Congress Strategy and Operations roles
Proven experience in congress management, leading events management teams, and external suppliers
At least five years of experience of leading a commercialization or medical matrix team
Strong scientific knowledge of therapeutic and disease research areas and familiarity with drug development and product lifecycle
Excellent organizational and time management skills, with a keen sense of urgency and effective stress management
Experience leading and executing across cross-functional, cross-cultural project teams, and collaborating across a stakeholder matrix, multiple markets, and global geographies
Demonstrated success driving optimal business results in a large complex corporate environment with multiple priorities and tight timelines
Demonstrated success in setting team strategy, achieving objectives, making informed decisions, managing risk, and applying sound judgment with business impact
Exceptional business acumen and ability to think strategically, impact and influence senior executives to drive optimal business results
Demonstrated project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
Understanding of financial and resourcing principles, including budget management, and application of this knowledge to make sound business decisions
Knowledge of industry trends and experience in leading and driving operational programs and initiatives
Excellent interpersonal, facilitation, negotiation, and communication skills across a global audience
Demonstrated competency in analytical thinking
Ability to lead and drive Congress strategy planning and delivery in collaboration with internal and external partners
Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
Awareness of timely task completion
Ability to travel approximately 15-20% of time

Job Duties

Report to the Executive Director, Congress Excellence, and serve as a member of the Congress Excellence Leadership Team
Establish a clear, engaging, and actionable strategy for congress participation within the assigned therapy area
Conduct alignment of congress strategies, planning, and implementation to reflect the BMS scientific narrative as well as medical and brand initiatives
Assess organizational congress needs to ensure alignment with enterprise-level strategies and support the development and execution of integrated congress plans
Guarantee the accurate and timely closeout of all congresses overseen by Congress Excellence
Coordinate and confirm the initial alignment of the Congress Excellence Team for each congress by clearly defining roles and responsibilities, and secure final alignment following key stakeholder endorsement
Accountable for budget and spend and recommend long-term investment opportunities based on 1–3 year congress strategies
Oversee and monitor the CE team's travel allocation and congress budget to ensure fiscal responsibility
Support the Executive Director of Congress Excellence by representing Congress BMS presence at congresses
Collaborate with internal stakeholders across the Commercial & Medical Matrix and Medical Excellence (MedEX) colleagues to ensure comprehensive coordination and alignment
Lead Leadership Brief Series to ensure strategic alignment and updates per congress with Senior Leadership Team
Partner externally with third-party vendors, maintaining an effective balance between internal and external execution of work to optimize outcomes
Review sponsorships/FFS, present available opportunities to key stakeholders along with options, and negotiate or secure agreements as needed
Liaise appropriately with alliance and collaboration partners for select assets and indications within the therapy area as required
Identify and implement enhancements to processes, tools, procedures, and outsourcing to maintain consistent standards across therapeutic areas and markets
Lead transformational efforts to streamline execution and uphold the highest standards of integrity, quality, and compliance
Work in close partnership with the Director of Innovations, Operations, and Capabilities to refine processes and gather stakeholder input on congress innovation and operations, supporting continuous improvement
Cultivate and lead a high-performing team by promoting innovation, collaboration, a strong customer focus, accountability, results-oriented mindset and a deep commitment to quality by upholding BMS core behaviors
Ensure the team is appropriately resourced and balanced to effectively support the congress strategy
Promote diversity and inclusion in decision making, organization, and talent development