Work-Life Balance and Professional Growth: Biologics Careers in Devens

The Bristol Myers Squibb Devens, MA site offers a range of interesting and meaningful career opportunities in biopharmaceutical commercial manufacturing. We’ve spoken directly to two colleagues who have thrived among our dynamic and diverse culture, in roles that provide robust benefit packages that make them attractive to individuals seeking a career change as well as veterans transitioning back to civilian life.

Sophia Mellissinos, a BMS Talent Acquisition Partner who has been recruiting for the Devens biologics team for just over a year now, concurs with Sam’s assessment on the smooth transition and good fit for veterans within the Devens environment and culture.

Versatility in Roles and Experiences

“When it comes to veterans, there’s not a ‘one size fits all’ type of transition,” Sophia said. “It depends on their role in the military, be it project management, manufacturing based, or warehouse, logistics or supply chain skills. In Sam’s case, he had an engineering background, and he performed an investigations role within cell therapy, then transferred to biologics. There are lots of opportunities, depending on what the individual is looking for.”

Just like Sam transitioned from a military engineering role to one within biologics, BMS Devens welcomes individuals from many different backgrounds to apply. “The great thing about roles in Devens is that they are very cross-functional,” said Sophia. “Our people get a lot of exposure to different functions through their day-to-day work.” That same cross-functionality opens the door to someone who might have not previously considered a career in biologics, Sam being one of them.

“I learned that there’s more to the biotech industry than people in lab coats doing lab work,” said Sam. “And I realized that there are so many different ways to apply so many different skillsets – all on this one campus. To me, that’s awesome.”

Personalizing a Career Path with Flexible Schedules

Flexibility is available not just in career choices but in the schedule veterans opt for as well. Being a biologics manufacturing facility, there are plenty of different options for how and when one works.

“Being a large, well-established company, BMS has a very competitive benefits package,” said Sam. “And coming out of the military, where I wasn’t used to private insurance coverage, our HR partners made it very easy for me. I had a lot of questions and the benefits team made it easy to understand, easy to find doctors and dentists.”

“With a variety of employee benefits, you can customize your Total Rewards to your needs," noted Sophia. “Across the board, we are competitive with base salary, annual bonus percentages, 401k with match, vacation, holidays, and the Annual Global Shutdown days between Christmas and New Year’s Day. We also offer summer hours for some roles, paid sick time and a 'quiet week' in 2023 with very limited meeting time. All these and much more add up to a package that’s more flexible than most.”

Welcoming Resource Groups

Both Sam and Sophia spoke of the vibrant BMS network of People Business Resource Groups (PBRGs) available to all employees within the organization, with Sam mentioning his involvement in the Veterans Community Network (VCN).

“There’s a large military and veteran-related community in the greater Devens area, due to the Fort Devens military base,” he said. “I’ve done some volunteering at the veterans lunch and it’s right here in the community, so we don’t have to go far to make an impact.”

In 2022, BMS was #1 on the Military Times Best for Vets Employer List, due to our commitment to supporting veterans, transitioning military members and reservists in building successful careers.

“Once you get involved in a PBRG, you’re getting exposure to people at different sites on different levels,” Sophia added. “They’re not location specific, and they’re a great way to meet people and network where you’re not just talking about work. And once I got involved in talent acquisition at BMS, I felt it had a real startup feel to it, and I mean that in a good way. You’re getting asked for feedback. You might have an opportunity to contribute that’s a bit outside your scope. And that makes the work exciting.”

From an enthusiastic recruiter to an engineering colleague, both Sophia and Sam are growing and developing personally and professionally after just a little over a year at BMS Devens. Our Militaires et anciens combattants web page gives an idea of that sense of community, groups and initiatives. If an inclusive and diverse workplace overflowing with opportunities to challenge yourself, while at the same time offering a positive work-life balance sounds appealing, look into the careers offered at our biologics manufacturing operations site in Devens today.