Jennifer Jones was working in an IT analytics role for a real estate franchise when a former colleague told her about a career opportunity with Bristol Myers Squibb. The Sunshine Act transparency requirements were just starting to ramp up in the U.S., and her experience with systems, processes and analysis seemed to be a perfect fit for building out the required operational changes. BMS’ culture of inclusion, she’d discover, also felt like something she wanted to be a part of.
So, she took a risk. She left her full-time job to take a three-month contract position—and 10 years later, she’s still here and thriving.
Building new systems. Growing a new career.
Jennifer’s three-month contract quickly extended into a three-year contract before turning into a full-time position.
“When I was in IT analysis for a real estate franchise, I leaned into the operational systems and data analytics,” she said. “I was able to parlay that into readying our systems here at BMS for the change management that was going to happen [with the Sunshine Act]. So that's how I bridged it over.”
The Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which is part of the Affordable Care Act, was signed into law in 2010, ushering in a new era of transparency reporting regarding payments by reporting entities, including drug and medical device manufacturers, to covered recipients including physicians. Jennifer was able to quickly put her expertise to work in response, directly managing onsite teams at BMS, as well as call centers and partnerships across the company, including Compliance, R&D, Legal, Corporate and IT.
“When I started in transparency, it was a lot of interactions with our healthcare providers, so I saw a lot of results,” she said. “I wanted to know more about what happened in between and how we're getting to these reportable transactions. I really enjoyed the strategy and operations side of the house, and I wanted to continue on that path.”
Now Associate Director of Worldwide Oncology Strategy & Operations, she’s well on her way. Together with her team, Jennifer assists the Commercial and Medical groups, leading them through any governance processes when it comes to launch readiness and annual brand planning.
“What excites me most is seeing products that were in their infancy move to launch and approval. Being closer to the marketing team also means being even closer to patients and the impact we have. That's what has kept me passionate and engaged with BMS for over a decade.”
Climbing the ladder of success.
Jennifer’s career aspirations have always included the goal of leadership and being a member of one of BMS’ People and Business Resource Groups (PBRGs) has allowed her to do that.
“I started as the member engagement lead of CLIMB (Cultivating Leadership, Innovation and Multigenerational Belonging), putting events and programs into place that would speak to our membership and ladder up to BMS' mission and culture.”
She’s been responsible for bringing in many speakers to discuss topics that are important to the next generation, namely, sustainability, inclusion and intersectionality—the latter having deep, personal meaning for Jennifer. For many CLIMB members, affectionately known as “CLIMBers,” intersectionality—or interdependent oppressions based on race, gender, class, sexuality, disability, nationality or other social categories—creates specific challenges that can be worked through with a group of likeminded individuals.
“I’m a female Asian American and an international transracial adoptee. I have an identical twin sister and we are adopted from Korea by an American white family,” she shared.
With such a unique background, she finds the company’s dedication to diversity and inclusion to be a key differentiator in the industry.
“Culture is so important from an employee standpoint and BMS does a great job of bringing you as a person—your whole self—into the company and what you do each day,” she said. “It's really great to see that BMS is investing in diversity and inclusion (D&I), not only talking about it. What other company has full-time, paid PBRG leads and a whole department for D&I?”
BMS PBRGs like CLIMB help us meet this commitment in a truly distinct way that impacts our business performance. For Jennifer, it’s impacted her career growth as well.
“Being a part of the CLIMB leadership team, I have been able to develop my own team and expand my professional network. It has also helped me develop professionally. I get a lot of satisfaction from mentoring the next generation.”
Set up for success.
Being able to lead and influence, according to Jennifer, is a benefit of working for a company that values diversity, inclusive leadership and intersectionality.
“I have seen through the years how BMS really takes pride in how they treat their employees,” she shared. “I don't feel like I'm just a number. I feel like leadership is very approachable and that really sets BMS apart.”
Discover how your unique background and experience can help set BMS apart—and set yourself up for career growth and satisfaction. Learn more about BMS and search open roles today.
