Head of Legal

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.

Role: Head of RayzeBio Legal

Location: San Diego, CA

Background 

RayzeBio is a dynamic biotechnology company headquartered in San Diego, CA. Launched in late 2020 and acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) in 2024 as a wholly owned subsidiary, the company is focused on improving survival of people with cancer by harnessing the power of targeted radioisotopes. RayzeBio operates as a standalone entity within the BMS organization, maintaining its biotech culture with the opportunity to leverage the best-in-class oncology capabilities of BMS. RayzeBio is developing innovative drugs against targets of solid tumors. The lead asset, RYZ101, is in Phase 3 testing for patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs).  In addition, Rayzebio has the leading radiopharmaceuticals pipeline with novel assets targeting HCC, RCC, and Prostate cancer amongst others.  Led by a successful and experienced entrepreneurial team, RayzeBio aims to be the global leader in radiopharmaceuticals. 

Summary

We are currently looking for a Head of Legal to lead the entirety of the legal function within RayzeBio and serve on the LT. The Head of Legal will report into the BMS Law Department and is responsible for ensuring legal compliance, mitigating risks, and providing strategic guidance across various facets of our operations. The Head of Legal plays a crucial role in navigating complex legal landscapes, while overseeing a diverse portfolio of responsibilities ranging from regulatory compliance to contractual negotiations.

Job Responsibilities

Essential duties and responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Advising the President and leadership team of key risks potentially impacting the functionality of the business.
• Near-term focus will be on leading the legal support for supply chain, clinical trials, regulatory issues and commercialization capabilities
• Assume a leadership role in the negotiation, drafting and review of a broad range of contracts, including
• clinical trial agreements, vendor and services agreements, licensing agreements, confidentiality agreements,
• partnership agreements, among others.
• Establish strong, collaborative relationships with the functional leads within the organization and the BMS Law Department.
• Provide practical legal advice on key legal and compliance risks impacting the business, while proactively identifying and helping manage the risk profile of the organization.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and external partners to support business development objectives and strategic initiatives.
• Collaborate with the BMS Law Department on IP issues, trademarks, data privacy, regulatory and GXP and compliance issues.

Education, Skills and Experience

• A Juris Doctorate degree from U.S. accredited institution.
• 15+ years of post-J.D. experience, including experience in the life sciences industry and/or practicing law at a top-tier law firm.
• Experience advising and negotiating complex business development, collaboration, partnership or licensing agreements.
• Experience serving on senior management teams, interacting with and advising boards of directors on legal and compliance matters.
• Beyond having the requisite experience and qualifications, a successful candidate will have high levels of self-motivation, adaptability, critical thinking, analysis, and creative problem-solving. This is a fast-paced position within a fast-paced organization, so the ability to come in and hit the ground running is critical for success in the role.
• Outstanding drafting, negotiation, communication, and analytical skills with impeccable attention to detail and a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a startup environment.
• Comfortable anticipating legal risk and making high-stakes decisions.
• High level of business ethics and problem-solving capability.
• Strong leadership skills, including the ability to think strategically, prioritize, communicate, collaborate, promote desired culture, and build trust

We hire for skills and capabilities, not just credentials – if this role excites you, but doesn’t perfectly match your resume, we encourage you to apply anyway.

$290,450 - $351,951

The starting pay range(s) listed above is for full-time employees (FTE). You may also be eligible for additional discretionary incentive cash and stock opportunities. We determine starting pay thoughtfully – carefully considering the nature of the role, required skills, work location, schedule and the knowledge and experience you bring. Final compensation is guided by pay equity principles and applicable employment laws. Compensation programs are reviewed on an ongoing basis and may be adjusted over time to reflect evolving market factors, and individual, team or Company performance.

Benefits:

Subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans then in effect, you may be eligible to participate in our comprehensive benefit plans – including wellbeing support, retirement and financial protection benefits, and insurance offerings (medical, dental, vision, life and disability).

U.S.-based exempt employees are eligible for Flexible Time Off (FTO), which provides paid time off without a set accrual limit, subject to manager approval, along with 11 paid company holidays each year.

Non-exempt employees, RayzeBio employees, and employees located in Puerto Rico receive 160 hours of paid vacation annually for new hires (subject to manager approval), 11 paid company holidays, and 3 optional holidays.

Depending on eligibility, employees may also have access to additional time-off benefits, including paid sick leave, up to two paid volunteer days per year, summer hours flexibility, and leaves of absence for medical, personal, parental, caregiver, bereavement, or military needs. Eligible employees also enjoy an annual Global Shutdown between Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

U.S.-based job seekers can explore full benefit offerings athttps://careers.bms.com/benefits

How We Work

Where you work matters – because collaboration, innovation and patient impact happen in many settings. Our roles are structured across four work models: site-essential, site-by-design, field-based and remote-by-design. The model assigned to this role is based on its core responsibilities. Learn more at https://careers.bms.com/ways-of-working.

Supporting People with Disabilities

BMS is dedicated to ensuring that people with disabilities can excel through a transparent recruitment process, reasonable workplace accommodations/adjustments and ongoing support in their roles. Applicants can request a reasonable workplace accommodation/adjustment prior to accepting a job offer. If you require reasonable accommodations/adjustments in completing this application, or in any part of the recruitment process, direct your inquiries to [email protected]. Visit careers.bms.com/eeo-accessibility to access our complete Equal Employment Opportunity statement.

Candidate Rights

BMS will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, pursuant to applicable laws in your area.

For roles based in Los Angeles County only:  If you live in or expect to work from Los Angeles County if hired for this position, please visit this page for important additional information: https://careers.bms.com/california-residents/

Data Protection

We will never request payments, financial information, or social security numbers during our application or recruitment process. Learn more about protecting yourself at https://careers.bms.com/fraud-protection.

Any data processed in connection with role applications will be treated in accordance with applicable data privacy policies and regulations.

If this posting is missing required information required by local law or incorrect, contact BMS at [email protected] with the Job Title and Requisition number. Do not send application-related inquiries to this email. To check your application status, please login to your Candidate Home Account.

R1606120 : Head of RayzeBio Legal