BMS’ Jack Kneafsey offers his advice on how young people and career starters can maximise the intern experience.
Jack Kneafsey, a senior manager for sterile drug product operations and co-lead of the BMS Intern Programme, joined Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) in January of 2024, at a time when the team was relatively small.
He told SiliconRepublic.com: “When the opportunity arose to co-lead the BMS intern programme as part of the University Relations team, I saw it as a valuable way to connect with colleagues across the campus and support a ‘one campus’ approach to developing early-career talent, including future talent who may contribute to our evolving site operations over time.”
He explained that one of the most rewarding aspects of his role is when there is tangible evidence of an intern’s progress and professional development, particularly when they have the opportunity to explain the projects they have worked on to colleagues, senior leaders and university representatives.
He said: “It gives our colleagues the chance to see first-hand the skills and confidence the interns develop through meaningful project work. It’s also a valuable opportunity to engage with university representatives and students, gather feedback on the programme experience and identify practical ways to continue strengthening future internship programmes.”
How critical is it that interns and early career starters are supported at the beginning of their professional lives?
It is very important. The habits, confidence and technical grounding people build in their first professional experience can shape how they approach their early career. That is why the BMS intern programme is structured around the 70:20:10 model, a learning and development approach that combines practical experience, support from others and formal training.
In practice, this combines day-to-day experience through project work and cross-functional collaboration, as well as feedback and mentorship from hiring managers, the intern team and graduate mentors and formal learning opportunities such as presentation workshops, CV and interview preparation and Lean Six Sigma training.
Does this early support translate to permanent positions down the line?
The internship programme is an important part of how we build early-career capability and strengthen our future talent pipeline. Interns who complete the programme gain hands-on industry experience, exposure to live projects and opportunities to develop their professional judgement in a real operational environment.
That experience can help them build confidence and capability as they progress in their studies and consider future career opportunities. While outcomes can vary from year to year, the programme contributes to our graduate and early-career hiring pipeline. For BMS, this reinforces the value of investing in meaningful experiences, structured support and long-term development for early-career talent.
In what other ways can an organisation create a welcoming, productive environment for early career starters?
For us, it comes down to structure and intention. For many interns this is their first professional role, so we build a framework around that transition.
Most join in January with a dedicated induction to BMS, the campus and the University Relations team, followed by coffee mornings to get to know their peers and hiring managers. Every intern is paired with a graduate buddy for the questions they might not want to raise with a manager and managers themselves receive formal training on setting interns up for success, with any concerns fed back to our team so we can step in.
That support continues throughout the year, from our ‘Day in the Life’ series, which encourages interns to present to their peers and build communication confidence, to social and networking moments such as pizza evenings and poster presentations. The aim is to create an environment where students feel comfortable asking questions, engaging with colleagues across the business and building relationships with peers, managers and senior leaders, while also developing communication, networking and technical skills that support early-career growth.
How should an early career starter engage with the intern programme, so that they get the full benefit of it?
Come in with a curious mindset. Ask questions and be comfortable doing so. It can feel intimidating at first, but we welcome that engagement. One of the most valuable things interns can gain from an internship in biopharma is an appreciation of the range of career paths available, so they should take opportunities to learn about different areas of the business. Our ‘Day in the Life’ series is one way to understand what different departments do day to day, and where appropriate, interns can speak to peers and managers about opportunities to learn more.
I would also encourage every intern to step away from the desk and learn more about the wider Cruiserath Campus when they can. Seeing different parts of the site first-hand gives interns a broader appreciation for the scale, collaboration and expertise involved in our work. Most importantly, they should use their time here to build their CV, learn to talk confidently about their experiences and seek feedback from their hiring manager. Having the internship is one thing, being able to clearly articulate the experience is what helps them present themselves confidently once they graduate.
Have you any personal experience of engaging in a workplace progression initiative, to move along your own career?
Career progression is something I take seriously and I see it as something that benefits from both personal ownership and the right support. BMS has provided a number of opportunities to gain experience, develop as a leader and receive feedback that helps me continue to grow. A large part of that development comes through the work itself.
I lead operations support activities for the vial stream and benefit from regular feedback and support through formal one on one’s with my manager, quarterly skip-levels with the senior director of operations for the SDP project and our mentorship programme. I am mentored by a member of site senior leadership and also mentor a colleague in supply chain, which reinforces the value of connection, development, and collaboration across the campus.
Formal learning is another important part of that development, from digital learning resources to classroom-based sessions and leadership development opportunities. These experiences have helped me build leadership skills, broaden my network, and learn from colleagues across the organisation. In short, whatever stage you are at, if you bring curiosity, ambition and self-motivation, BMS provides opportunities to learn, grow and contribute through a genuinely multifaceted approach to development.
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