Okay, I've searched for Scientific Director roles in Material Science & Engineering in New Brunswick, NJ, requiring 12+ years of pharmaceutical development experience, advanced material characterization skills, and full-time positions. I have found 27 positions for you.

Sure. Here's the analysis:

Job Analysis:

The Scientific Director, Advanced Material Characterization (AMC) role at Bristol Myers Squibb is fundamentally about leading scientific innovation and team excellence within Material Science & Engineering to support drug product development across multiple modalities, from discovery to lifecycle management. The core responsibility is to orchestrate advanced characterization methods that deepen understanding around material properties and processes influencing drug substance and drug product quality, stability, and performance. This involves not only managing the technical execution but also shaping and embedding material strategies in cross-functional projects with discovery, development, regulatory, and commercial teams. The role demands strong leadership in building and growing high-performing teams, fostering collaboration and technical innovation in a complex, multidisciplinary environment. Candidates will face challenges balancing modality-agnostic portfolios, evolving technology landscapes, and stringent regulatory and IP considerations. Success here means delivering material insights that enable robust, scalable, and compliant pharmaceutical products, advancing MSE’s strategic vision, and maintaining strong stakeholder partnerships that drive business and scientific goals forward. Critical qualifications reflect the need for deep pharmaceutical material science expertise, especially in solid state and biophysical characterization, combined with practical experience in DS process and DP formulation development. Strategic thinking, influence, and an enterprise mindset are vital for navigating ambiguity, driving change, and aligning diverse teams towards common goals.

Company Analysis:

Bristol Myers Squibb occupies a leading, innovation-driven position in the biopharmaceutical industry, with a clear mission to transform patient lives through cutting-edge science. The company prides itself on a culture of scientific rigor, collaboration, and inclusivity, where diversity in thought and background fuels breakthrough therapies in oncology, immunology, and beyond. For a Scientific Director, this means immersion in a fast-paced, ambitious environment where both individual impact and teamwork are highly valued. The company’s emphasis on translational medicine and data-driven decision making shapes the expectations for strategic, evidence-based leadership that bridges science and commercialization effectively. Employees are encouraged to grow through substantial opportunities, reflecting BMS’s commitment to talent development and long-term career trajectories. This role will have significant visibility, interfacing with leadership and multiple functions, underscoring its strategic importance in drug product innovation pipelines. The company’s dual focus on science and patient outcomes means that this role must not only deliver technical excellence but also align with overarching goals around health equity, compliance, and sustainability initiatives. Success at BMS is as much about mindset and cultural fit—embracing urgency, accountability, and integrity—as it is about technical credentials.

Absolutely. Here are some mock interview questions that could come up:

• Behavioral: Tell me about a time when you led a cross-functional team through a complex material characterization challenge. How did you ensure alignment and successful delivery?
• Behavioral: Describe an experience where you had to influence stakeholders without formal authority. What approach did you take and what was the outcome?
• Behavioral: Can you share an example of how you developed or mentored a scientist or engineer to take on greater responsibility or grow professionally?
• Behavioral: Tell me about a situation when you had to manage competing priorities or ambiguity in project goals. How did you navigate it?
• Technical: How do you approach designing and implementing advanced solid state characterization methods for novel pharmaceutical materials?
• Technical: Walk me through how you integrate biophysical techniques in characterizing non-small molecule drug products and linking those insights to product performance.
• Technical: Given a scenario where process changes downstream affect material attributes, how would you proactively address and communicate these risks from a material science perspective?
• Technical: What experience do you have with pharmaceutical IP related to formulation and material science, and how have you contributed to patent strategy or defense?
• Situational: Imagine a key project is behind schedule due to unresolved material characterization questions. How would you lead your team and engage stakeholders to get back on track?
• Situational: You discover a novel material property that could improve drug product stability but requires significant investment and risk. How would you evaluate and present this to leadership?
• Situational: There is disagreement between discovery and development teams on the material strategy approach for a new modality. How do you facilitate resolution?
• Company Fit: Why does Bristol Myers Squibb’s mission to transform patients’ lives resonate with you personally and professionally?
• Company Fit: How do you see your leadership style contributing to BMS’s culture of innovation, inclusion, and accountability?
• Company Fit: What excites you most about advancing material science in the biopharmaceutical industry, specifically within BMS’s Drug Product Development environment?
• Candidate Questions: Can you describe how the Advanced Material Characterization group collaborates with other R&D functions and what the biggest opportunities for impact are right now?
• Candidate Questions: What are the key challenges BMS anticipates in evolving its material science capabilities over the next 3–5 years?
• Candidate Questions: How does BMS support ongoing professional development and innovation within scientific leadership roles like this one?