Signal Pharmaceuticals, L Posted July 27, 2026

Senior Associate Scientist - Oncology Discovery

San Diego, United States Full time
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research Oncology Senior

Signal Pharmaceuticals, L is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Working with Us

Challenging. Meaningful. Life-changing. Those aren’t words that are usually associated with a job. But working at Bristol Myers Squibb is anything but usual. Here, uniquely interesting work happens every day, in every department. From optimizing a production line to the latest breakthroughs in cell therapy, this is work that transforms the lives of patients, and the careers of those who do it. You’ll get the chance to grow and thrive through opportunities uncommon in scale and scope, alongside high-achieving teams. Take your career farther than you thought possible.

Bristol Myers Squibb recognizes the importance of balance and flexibility in our work environment. We offer a wide variety of competitive benefits, services and programs that provide our employees with the resources to pursue their goals, both at work and in their personal lives. Read more: careers.bms.com/working-with-us .

The Protein Homeostasis Thematic Research Center at BMS is a fundamental Oncology research engine delivering oncology and hematology therapeutics to patients. The TRC has a major focus on exploiting BMS’ expertise in protein degradation to discover and develop therapies aimed at tumor intrinsic vulnerabilities and mechanisms of resistance to existing cancer therapeutics. This focus on protein degradation allows us to attack protein classes that were previously deemed undruggable.

Position Responsibilities

In the role as a Senior Associate Scientist within Oncology Discovery, the ideal candidate:

Designs and executes experiments based on cell and molecular biology protocols

Analyzes and interprets experimental data

Prepares and presents experimental results to project team leaders

Works within established procedures to perform large-scale cell-based assays and screens

Actively participates in troubleshooting to implement data-driven solutions to cell engineering challenges and optimize NGS library protocols to utilize new technologies

Coordinates activities with other team members to achieve results

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree and 4+ years of academic and / or industry experience

Or

Master’s Degree and 2+ years of academic and / or industry experience

Preferred Qualifications:

Expertise across multiple gene editing platforms, including CRISPR/Cas9 and Perturb-seq, with direct experience in guide RNA design and verification of editing outcomes (i.e. genomic cleavage assays, flow cytometry-based reporters, etc.)

Experience designing and executing NGS library preparation workflows for gene editing applications and CRISPR screens with a focus on optimization for improved efficiency

Skilled in both large-scale and single-cell CRISPR screen-enabling studies, including molecular cloning and plasmid design, cell engineering, lentiviral transduction, flow cytometry, western blot/JESS Simple Western, amplicon PCR, and large-format multilayer-flask tissue culture

Experience supporting oncology drug discovery pipelines through design and execution of cell-based assays with a focus on genetic-perturbation strategies to interrogate novel therapeutic targets

Familiarity with lab automation platforms a plus

Ability to effectively communicate scientific findings to cross-functional teams

Proficiency using scientific data analysis programs including GraphPad Prism, FlowJo, Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, Geneious, Benchling, TapeStation Analysis Software

#LI-ONSITE

If you come across a role that intrigues you but doesn’t 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.

Compensation Overview:

San Diego - CA - US: $100,480 - $121,756


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 employee’s 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 https://careers.bms.com/life-at-bms/.

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: T he 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.

Uniquely Interesting Work, Life-changing Careers

With a single vision as inspiring as “Transforming patients’ lives through science™ ”, every BMS employee plays an integral role in work that goes far beyond ordinary. Each of us is empowered to apply our individual talents and unique perspectives in a supportive culture, promoting global participation in clinical trials, while our shared values of passion, innovation, urgency, accountability, inclusion and integrity bring out the highest potential of each of our colleagues.

On-site Protocol

BMS has an occupancy structure that determines where an employee is required to conduct their work. This structure includes site-essential, site-by-design, field-based and remote-by-design jobs. The occupancy type that you are assigned is determined by the nature and responsibilities of your role:

Site-essential roles require 100% of shifts onsite at your assigned facility. Site-by-design roles may be eligible for a hybrid work model with at least 50% onsite at your assigned facility. For these roles, onsite presence is considered an essential job function and is critical to collaboration, innovation, productivity, and a positive Company culture. For field-based and remote-by-design roles the ability to physically travel to visit customers, patients or business partners and to attend meetings on behalf of BMS as directed is an essential job function.

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 for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, pursuant to applicable laws in your area.

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 you believe that the job posting is missing information required by local law or incorrect in any way, please contact BMS at [email protected] . Please provide the Job Title and Requisition number so we can review. Communications related to your application should not be sent to this email and you will not receive a response. Inquiries related to the status of your application should be directed to Chat with Ripley.

R1604784 : Senior Associate Scientist - Oncology Discovery

Job details

Seniority
Senior
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Oncology
Location
San Diego, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 188 comparable Senior Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 30 biopharma companies.

188Comparable roles tracked
170Currently active
30Companies hiring similar roles
12Countries represented

Salary context

62 of 188 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Highest disclosed · Senior Principal Scientist, Pharmacokinetics · Merck $194,100/yr – $305,600/yr
Peer group range $105,700 – $249,850 (median $164,150)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 188 comparable roles

United States153
India8
Germany5
United Kingdom5
Canada4
China's Mainland3

+ 6 more countries

Seniority mix

188 of 188 peers have a known seniority level

Senior110
Principal57
Associate Director21

Therapeutic area mix

28 of 188 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology15
Cardiovascular / CVRM7
Immunology4
Neuroscience1
Respiratory1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

100%similar
Novartis LaJolla/SD, United States Senior
Same function Same therapeutic area Same seniority Same country
100%similar
Cambridge Discovery Hub Cambridge Crossing, United States Senior
Same function Same therapeutic area Same seniority Same country
100%similar
MyoKardia, Inc. Brisbane, United States Senior
Same function Same therapeutic area Same seniority Same country
100%similar
GenPharm Intl., Inc Cambridge Crossing, United States Senior
Same function Same therapeutic area Same seniority Same country
100%similar
Cambridge Discovery Hub Cambridge Crossing, United States Senior
Same function Same therapeutic area Same seniority Same country
100%similar
Gilead Sciences, Inc. Foster City, United States Senior
Same function Same therapeutic area Same seniority Same country

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

100%
Senior Scientist I/II, Oncology Pharmacology
Novartis · LaJolla/SD, United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
100%
Senior Scientist, Cancer Immunology Translational Research
GenPharm Intl., Inc · Cambridge Crossing, United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
90%
Sr Scientist/Principal Scientist, Discovery Oncology (in vivo Biology)
Lilly · San Francisco, California, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
90%
Senior Principal Scientist, Cancer Immunology, Discovery Biology, Oncology Thematic Research Center
Celgene - Summit (Corp) · Seattle 400 Dexter, United States · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.