Associate Director, End-to-End Commercial Supply Chain Planner

Gilead Sciences • Foster City, CA

3d

About The Position

The Associate Director, End-to-End Commercial Supply Planner develops and executes supply plans for commercial small-molecule and biologics products. The role partners with regional commercial supply chain leads to understand demand trends, market dynamics, market access changes, promotional activity, and product lifecycle events, and incorporates these inputs into global supply plans. Reporting to the End-to-End Commercial Supply Chain Product Lead, the position uses SAP ERP and Kinaxis Rapid Response to support accurate, responsive planning and product availability across markets. The posting states that there are two openings.

The role plans across API, Drug Substance, Drug Product, and Finished Goods, accounting for demand, manufacturing capacity, end-to-end lead times, and minimum remaining shelf-life requirements at batch release and market delivery. It monitors and scenario-tests plans, manages supply constraints and expiry risks, and supports inventory positioning and allocation decisions. The position also works with internal and external manufacturing sites and partners across Commercial Operations, Quality, Manufacturing, and Finance.

The role includes leadership and people-management responsibilities, including providing direction, supervision, training, guidance, and performance management to department personnel; developing strategies and goals; and maintaining a positive, productive working environment. It may also involve supplier and contract management, outsourced manufacturing, regulatory documentation, and coordination of production schedules.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and ten years of experience, or a master's degree and eight years of experience, or a PhD/PharmD and five years of experience.
• Experience in pharmaceutical operations or a cGMP environment.
• Experience purchasing custom chemicals, planning pharmaceutical development activities, and managing third-party synthesis of intermediates or Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients.
• In-depth understanding and application of relevant principles, concepts, practices, and standards, with in-depth knowledge of industry practices.
• Working knowledge of relevant regulatory guidance, including pharmaceutical GMPs and ICH Q7A.
• Ability to develop solutions to complex problems using ingenuity and innovation, and to evaluate situations or data involving intangible variables.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to produce clear, concise, well-supported written communications.
• Strong negotiation skills and good organizational and time-management skills, including working knowledge of basic project-management tools and techniques.
• Ability to interact effectively with senior management.
• Ability to apply organizational policies and interpret, execute, and recommend modifications to department policies and procedures.
• In-depth understanding of financial aspects of Supply Chain operations and proficiency across multiple Supply Chain practices.
• Ability to provide leadership, direction, supervision, training, guidance, and performance management to a team.
• Ability to develop and implement policies, procedures, strategies, and goals and to ensure regulatory requirements are met.
• Ability to create and communicate supplier, subcontractor, or vendor agreements; negotiate large contracts; monitor cost, schedule, and performance; and manage against contract goals.
• Ability to implement and maintain material and production control systems and processes.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with the technologies, strengths, and weaknesses of a wide variety of fine chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturers worldwide.
• Experience with SAP ERP and Kinaxis Rapid Response is referenced in the job description as part of the role, but is not explicitly stated as a qualification.

Responsibilities

• Partner with regional commercial supply chain leads to understand demand trends, market access changes, promotional campaigns, and product lifecycle events.
• Integrate regional demand signals into end-to-end supply plans covering API, Drug Substance, Drug Product, and Finished Goods; validate assumptions, reconcile forecast discrepancies, and adjust plans.
• Develop, maintain, and execute detailed commercial supply plans that account for demand insights, manufacturing capacity, end-to-end lead times, and minimum remaining shelf-life requirements.
• Perform API detailed planning activities, including reviewing part setups and effective dates, monitoring new-product supply setup updates, and reviewing API retest, expiry, inventory health, and MoH.
• Manage system FPOs, including allocation of ICNs; review demand and Drug Product supply-plan outliers, Drug Product five-year and API four-year supply plans, shipping quantities and requirements, and lot-level restrictions for Drug Product firm orders.
• Create and provide API change-analysis materials, review the SRM API change analysis slide, and provide four-year budget volumes during LE.
• Use SAP ERP and Kinaxis Rapid Response to build, monitor, and scenario-test supply plans, proactively managing demand changes, supply constraints, expiry risk, and shelf-life-driven trade-offs.
• Coordinate with internal and external manufacturing sites on production schedules and batch strategies, aligning them with demand, lead times, and minimum remaining shelf-life expectations while minimizing write-off risk and supporting service commitments.
• Optimize global inventory positioning with regional supply leads, balancing customer service and cost efficiency; analyze demand trends to support allocation decisions during constrained supply.
• Partner with Commercial Operations, Quality, Manufacturing, and Finance to ensure supply plans support business objectives.
• Maintain visibility to supply status, risks, and escalations with regional market leads, supporting product availability in market.
• Support change management initiatives affecting supply plans due to commercial or regulatory changes.
• Track and report supply-plan adherence, inventory levels, and service performance; provide timely updates and escalations to leadership and stakeholders.
• Provide leadership, direction, supervision, training, guidance, and performance management to department personnel; support execution of Supply Chain strategy and foster an engaged, productive work environment.
• Develop and implement Supply Chain policies, procedures, strategies, and goals while ensuring relevant regulatory requirements are met.
• Create and communicate supplier, subcontractor, and vendor agreements and opportunities; negotiate contracts, drive cost savings, conduct business reviews, and monitor contract performance.
• Implement and maintain material and production control systems, policies, processes, and procedures.
• May liaise with governmental or audit agencies, review controlled documents, author regulatory-document sections, manage outsourced manufacturing, compile market and competitor information, and coordinate multiple production schedules.

Benefits

• Discretionary annual bonus may be available.
• Discretionary stock-based long-term incentives may be available, with eligibility varying by role.
• Paid time off.
• Company-sponsored medical insurance.
• Company-sponsored dental insurance.
• Company-sponsored vision insurance.
• Company-sponsored life insurance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior