Vice President, General Manager, Cruiserath

Working with Us at Bristol Myers Squibb

Challenging, meaningful, life-changing – these words define a career at Bristol Myers Squibb. Every day brings uniquely interesting work, from optimizing production lines to cell therapy breakthroughs, all transforming patient lives and employee careers. You'll grow and thrive through unparalleled opportunities alongside high-achieving teams, taking your career farther than imagined. Bristol Myers Squibb values balance and flexibility, offering competitive benefits, services, and programs to support employees' goals, both professional and personal.

Position Summary: Vice President, General Manager, Cruiserath

The Vice President, General Manager, Cruiserath Biologics and Drug Product Manufacturing site is the senior leader accountable for the end-to-end performance, compliance, and strategic direction of a major biologics drug substance (DS) and sterile/biologics drug product (DP) manufacturing facility. This role oversees all site operations – from cell culture biologics production to fill-finish drug product manufacturing – with full responsibility for talent development, safety, quality, regulatory compliance, supply reliability, and cost management.

The General Manager leads a high-performing, multifunctional, digitally enabled, and engaged team across Operations, Quality, Engineering and maintenance, Supply Chain, MS&T, Finance, EHS, Digital, B&IT, and HR, ensuring these functions work in unison toward the site's objectives. They drive the translation of enterprise strategy into site execution, aligning the Cruiserath site with BMS's pipeline of new biologic, aseptic modalities and ensuring the site is prepared to rapidly industrialize new products from late-stage development to commercial launch. A critical focus of this role is leading digital transformation and advanced technologies with reimagined ways of working and future-focused processes – including automation, robotics, data analytics, and AI – to establish smart factory capabilities that deliver sustainable competitive advantage.

The General Manager also serves as the primary representative of the Cruiserath site both within the global manufacturing network (driving adoption of world-class standards and sharing best practices across BMS's network of manufacturing sites) and externally (engaging with regulatory authorities, government officials, industry partners, and the local community to uphold the Company's reputation and advance strategic initiatives). This position is pivotal in ensuring that the Cruiserath site remains a world-class, innovative manufacturing hub that reliably delivers life-saving sterile DP, biologic medicines to patients at top profitability while continuously evolving to meet future business and pipeline needs. The organization comprises approximately 690 employees, with 7 direct reports.

Key Responsibilities

The General Manager will provide strategic, technical, and operational leadership across a broad range of functional domains:

• Strategic & Enterprise Leadership: Develop and execute the site's long-range strategy in alignment with BMS's global manufacturing network and pipeline plans. Ensure Cruiserath's capabilities evolve with enterprise needs, including readiness for new therapeutic modalities and smooth transitions from process development to commercial manufacturing. Represent the site in Product Development and Supply (PDS) governance forums, Factory Level Optimized Work (FLOW), and long-term infrastructure investments. Anticipate industry trends to maintain a competitive edge.
• Manufacturing Operations & Technical Excellence: Oversee all drug substance and drug product manufacturing operations, ensuring reliable supply of high-quality biologics. Provide leadership for large-scale biologics production and sterile drug product (fill-finish) operations, maintaining rigorous standards for safety, quality, and efficiency. Ensure robust technical capabilities and next-generation biologics processes. Drive effective technology transfer and scale-up of new processes, enabling rapid industrialization of new biologic therapies.
• Quality, EHS & Regulatory Compliance: Champion a world-class safety and quality culture. Ensure full compliance with global GMP standards, EHS regulations, and all regulatory requirements. Serve as the site's executive sponsor during regulatory inspections and audits, maintaining constant inspection readiness. Implement advanced digital quality systems and data analytics for real-time release and robust quality oversight.
• Digital Transformation & Innovation: Lead Cruiserath's journey toward becoming a smart, digital-enabled manufacturing site. Drive the adoption of AI/ML, lighthouse, simulation technologies, predictive analytics, and Industry 4.0 technologies (automation, robotics, digital twins). Champion AI and advanced analytics for predictive maintenance, yield optimization, and proactive deviation management. Partner with BMS Digital and IT teams to implement enterprise digital initiatives.
• Capital Projects & Operational Excellence: Spearhead planning and execution of major capital expansion projects and technical upgrades. Integrate modular facility design, single-use technologies, and state-of-the-art automation. Oversee operational readiness for new facilities and equipment. Continuously improve operational processes through Lean and Six Sigma, driving productivity, shorter cycle times, cost reduction, and waste elimination.
• Talent & People Leadership: Foster a high-performance, inclusive culture that attracts, develops, and retains top talent. Build an agile and adaptive work environment driven by acceleration and transformation expertise. Lead and mentor the site's multi-disciplinary leadership team, setting a clear vision and high standards. Implement robust talent management and succession planning to build a future-ready workforce with strong technical expertise and digital proficiency.
• Financial & Business Accountability: Manage the site's P&L and financial performance, ensuring cost-effective operations while meeting output and quality goals. Develop and oversee the annual operating budget and long-range financial plans. Optimize manufacturing costs without compromising quality or safety, and rigorously track ROI for capital projects and digital innovations.
• External Engagement & Stakeholder Management: Serve as the key liaison between the Cruiserath site and external stakeholders, including government officials, regulatory agencies, and the local community. Proactively engage with health authorities (HPRA, EMA, FDA) to build trust. Champion BMS's reputation by supporting corporate social responsibility and upholding high standards of environmental stewardship.

Qualifications & Experience

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Life Sciences, Pharmacy, Biochemistry, or a related field is required. An advanced degree (M.S., Ph.D., or MBA) is strongly preferred, especially with specialization in biotechnology, pharmaceutical sciences, or business management.
• Experience: Approximately 15+ years of progressive experience in pharmaceutical/biopharmaceutical manufacturing, with significant leadership in large-scale biologics (drug substance and drug product) operations. Hands-on experience with biological drug substance production (cell culture/fermentation) and sterile drug product (fill-finish) manufacturing, including complex DP presentation (e.g., LAI), is essential. Experience introducing and scaling up new modalities from late-stage development into full commercial production is highly desirable. A track record of driving innovation and managing change is required.
• Technical & Compliance Knowledge: Deep knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and regulatory requirements (FDA, EMA) is essential, as is familiarity with EHS regulations. Proven experience hosting or leading regulatory inspections is expected. Experience with large capital project planning and execution, including facility expansions, is required, along with strong understanding of financial management and P&L responsibility. AI/ML implementation experience in manufacturing, digital twins, simulation technologies, predictive analytics, automation, and robotics is also critical.
• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional, multicultural teams and develop high-performing organizations. Excellent leadership qualities, including strategic thinking, results-driven decision-making, and ability to influence across executive levels, are needed. Exceptional communication skills and stakeholder management capabilities are critical. The ideal candidate will have experience managing multi-site or large sites and a strong grasp of global, matrixed environments.

Key skills/competency

• Biologics Manufacturing
• Drug Product Manufacturing
• Sterile Fill-Finish Operations
• GMP & Regulatory Compliance
• Digital Transformation
• AI/ML in Manufacturing
• Operational Excellence (Lean/Six Sigma)
• P&L Management
• Capital Project Management
• Talent & People Leadership