The Senior Director, Cell Therapy Launch & Lifecycle Management Excellence leads the global strategy, governance, and execution oversight of Launch Excellence capabilities across the Cell Therapy portfolio. The role is responsible for defining and advancing the long-term launch excellence roadmap, ensuring seamless alignment across Product Development, Operations, Supply Chain, Regulatory, Quality, and Commercial organizations to enable successful product launches and lifecycle changes worldwide.
The role serves as the central point of integration between development, manufacturing, supply chain, and commercial organizations to ensure launch readiness, portfolio prioritization, resource alignment, risk management, and execution excellence across all Cell Therapy assets.
The Senior Director leads a team of Launch Excellence Managers & Professionals and establishes the operating model, governance, and digital capabilities necessary to support current and future portfolio growth while driving continuous improvement and responsible AI adoption.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategy & Enterprise Launch Governance
- Define and maintain the global Launch Excellence strategy across the Cell Therapy portfolio.
- Develop and execute a multi-year Launch Excellence capability roadmap focused on scalability, operational excellence, and future portfolio growth.
- Establish a single source of truth for all Cell Therapy launch and lifecycle initiatives.
- Lead launch governance processes, portfolio prioritization, and executive escalation frameworks.
- Define launch performance measures, KPIs, and portfolio health metrics to drive decision-making and continuous improvement.
- Promote responsible AI adoption and digital innovation to enhance launch planning, forecasting, risk management, and execution.
Portfolio Launch Planning & Execution
- Provide strategic oversight for all Cell Therapy launch and lifecycle management programs.
- Ensure launch readiness across product development, manufacturing, quality, regulatory, supply chain, and commercial organizations.
- Oversee launch scenario planning, portfolio sequencing, resource planning, and risk mitigation activities.
- Lead launch forecasting and supply readiness assessments to inform portfolio investment and business decisions.
- Establish processes to identify emerging risks, capacity constraints, and execution challenges across the launch portfolio.
- Ensure post-launch performance monitoring and capture lessons learned to drive future launch excellence.
Product Obsolescence Process & Execution Framework
- Develop and operationalize a Product Obsolescence Process & Execution Framework across the Cell Therapy portfolio to proactively manage product, market, material, and lifecycle discontinuation scenarios.
- Define governance, decision rights, stage gates, and escalation pathways for obsolescence planning, risk assessment, approval, and execution.
- Establish an end-to-end execution playbook covering inventory disposition, regulatory and quality dependencies, commercial alignment, and stakeholder communications.
- Partner with Product Development, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Regulatory, Quality, Finance, and Commercial teams to identify obsolescence triggers, assess patient and business impact, and coordinate mitigation plans.
- Create standardized tools, templates, metrics, and executive reporting mechanisms to monitor obsolescence readiness, track execution progress, capture risks, and embed lessons learned into future lifecycle management practices.
Cross-Functional Leadership & Business Integration
- Serve as the primary interface between Cell Therapy Operations, Development, Supply Chain, Commercial, Regulatory, Quality, and Finance organizations for launch strategy and governance.
- Enable alignment across global and regional leadership teams regarding launch priorities, tradeoffs, timelines, and risk management.
- Influence enterprise decision-making through executive-level communication and presentation of launch risks, opportunities, and strategic recommendations.
- Partner with Commercial organizations to ensure alignment between market demand strategies and supply readiness plans.
- Collaborate with manufacturing sites, product leaders, supply planning, regulatory, and quality organizations to ensure successful execution of launch commitments.
Organizational Capability Building
- Build and lead a high-performing Launch Excellence organization.
- Define future-state operating models, organizational capabilities, tools, systems, and governance frameworks required to support pipeline growth.
- Establish Launch Excellence standards, playbooks, methodologies, training programs, and best practices.
- Create and sustain a culture of accountability, innovation, simplification, and continuous improvement.
- Develop talent pipelines and succession plans to ensure organizational sustainability.
Qualifications & Experience:
- B.S. or B.A. in science and/or engineering (biotechnology, biology, engineering or related sciences). Master or advanced degree (sciences or business) and prior cell therapy development experience preferred.
- 15+ years of biopharmaceutical industry experience across product development, manufacturing, supply chain, operations, quality, regulatory, commercial, and/or technology functions.
- Demonstrated leadership of complex global product launches and lifecycle management programs.
- Experience leading enterprise initiatives across highly matrixed organizations.
- Strong understanding of Cell Therapy product development, launch readiness, lifecycle management, and supply chain processes
- Proven ability to influence executive-level stakeholders, including Vice Presidents, General Managers, and functional leaders.
- Demonstrated success building organizational capabilities and leading transformational change.
- Strong business and financial acumen with the capability to evaluate tradeoffs and drive strategic decisions.
- Demonstrated expertise in critical thinking, influence, negotiation, problem solving, strategic thinking and leadership in a matrix environment.
- Certification or exposure to Operational Excellence/Continuous Improvement concepts desirable.
- Ability to provide innovative ideas to optimize supply chain and generate new ideas or alternatives that create value, including seeking new information and external insights.
- Exceptional communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
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If you come across a role that intrigues you but doesnt perfectly line up with your resume, we encourage you to apply anyway. You could be one step away from work that will transform your life and career.
Devens - MA - US: $234,180 - $283,775
Madison - Giralda - NJ - US: $218,870 - $265,215
Princeton - NJ - US: $218,870 - $265,215
Seattle - WA: $240,750 - $291,727
The starting compensation range(s) for this role are listed above for a full-time employee (FTE) basis. Additional incentive cash and stock opportunities (based on eligibility) may be available. The starting pay rate takes into account characteristics of the job, such as required skills, where the job is performed, the employees work schedule, job-related knowledge, and experience. Final, individual compensation will be decided based on demonstrated experience.
Eligibility for specific benefits listed on our careers site may vary based on the job and location. For more on benefits, please visit
Benefit offerings are subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans in effect at the time and may require enrollment. Our benefits include:
Health Coverage: Medical, pharmacy, dental, and vision care.
Wellbeing Support: Programs such as BMS Well-Being Account, BMS Living Life Better, and Employee Assistance Programs (EAP).
Financial Well-being and Protection: 401(k) plan, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, accident insurance, supplemental health insurance, business travel protection, personal liability protection, identity theft benefit, legal support, and survivor support.
Work-life benefits include:
Paid Time Off
US Exempt Employees: flexible time off (unlimited, with manager approval, 11 paid national holidays (not applicable to employees in Phoenix, AZ, Puerto Rico or Rayzebio employees)
Phoenix, AZ, Puerto Rico and Rayzebio Exempt, Non-Exempt, Hourly Employees: 160 hours annual paid vacation for new hires with manager approval, 11 national holidays, and 3 optional holidays
Based on eligibility*, additional time off for employees may include unlimited paid sick time, up to 2 paid volunteer days per year, summer hours flexibility, leaves of absence for medical, personal, parental, caregiver, bereavement, and military needs and an annual Global Shutdown between Christmas and New Years Day.
All global employees full and part-time who are actively employed at and paid directly by BMS at the end of the calendar year are eligible to take advantage of the Global Shutdown.
*Eligibility Disclosure: The summer hours program is for United States (U.S.) office-based employees due to the unique nature of their work. Summer hours are generally not available for field sales and manufacturing operations and may also be limited for the capability centers. Employees in remote-by-design or lab-based roles may be eligible for summer hours, depending on the nature of their work, and should discuss eligibility with their manager. Employees covered under a collective bargaining agreement should consult that document to determine if they are eligible. Contractors, leased workers and other service providers are not eligible to participate in the program.
