Associate Director, Medical Affairs

Gilead Sciences • Parsippany, NJ

3d • $177,905 - $253,220

About The Position

Kite is seeking an experienced and highly motivated Associate Director to join Global Medical Affairs. The role will initially support early lifecycle and pipeline programs across multiple disease areas, with scope potentially evolving as portfolio and organizational priorities change. The Associate Director will own defined scientific communication and publication workstreams, including publication strategy and execution, scientific narrative development, evidence translation, congress activity, and Medical Affairs content. The balance of work will depend on program maturity, available data, and business needs.

Working in a complex matrix, the Associate Director will translate scientific evidence, external landscape developments, and stakeholder needs into communication priorities and high-quality deliverables. The role calls for scientific judgment, strategic thinking, adaptability, independent execution, stakeholder influence, and effective management of competing priorities. Responsibilities include developing and maintaining evidence-based scientific narratives; creating and reviewing Medical Affairs and congress materials; supporting scientific meeting strategy and execution; and ensuring accurate, balanced, audience-appropriate, and consistent communications in accordance with company policies, review processes, and external standards.

The Associate Director will also lead defined publication strategy and dissemination workstreams, with strategic oversight from the Senior Director, Scientific Communications. This includes translating program objectives and evidence into publication priorities and plans; guiding development and delivery of manuscripts, abstracts, posters, and oral presentations; partnering with authors and internal and external stakeholders; representing Publications in cross-functional forums; maintaining publication-plan documentation; and overseeing external vendors and medical writing partners.

Requirements

• BA/BS and 10 years of relevant experience, MA/MS and 8 years of relevant experience, or PhD and 2 years of relevant experience.
• Relevant experience in Scientific Communications, Publications, Medical Affairs, or a closely related discipline within the biopharmaceutical industry, academia, or a medical communications environment.
• Demonstrated experience independently leading complex scientific communication deliverables or workstreams in a regulated environment.
• Demonstrated ability to critically evaluate scientific, clinical, translational, and/or real-world evidence and communicate its implications accurately and clearly.
• Demonstrated experience developing and reviewing scientific publications and Medical Affairs content.
• Experience working effectively in multidisciplinary and matrix teams.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced scientific or clinical degree, or an equivalent combination of relevant scientific education and substantial professional experience.
• Experience contributing to integrated scientific communication and/or publication strategies.
• Experience working across multiple assets, programs, disease areas, or lifecycle stages.
• Strong knowledge of publication standards and scientific communication best practices, including ICMJE and Good Publication Practice.
• Knowledge of Medical Affairs content development, governance, and review processes, including Medical, Legal, and Regulatory review.
• Ability to critically evaluate clinical, translational, and real-world evidence and communicate its implications accurately and clearly.
• Excellent scientific writing, editing, presentation, and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior, cross-functional, and external stakeholders without direct authority.
• Strong planning, prioritization, and decision-making skills, including the ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and operate effectively in ambiguity.
• Experience managing external vendors, agencies, budgets, or complex external partnerships.
• Experience working in global, regional, or multi-country Medical Affairs environments.
• Experience in cell therapy, oncology, hematology, or another complex specialty therapeutic area.
• Experience with publication planning, content management, or medical review systems.

Responsibilities

• Own defined components of integrated scientific communication strategy for assigned programs, connecting evidence, external landscape, stakeholder needs, publications, congress activity, scientific narratives, and field medical content.
• Develop and maintain evidence-based scientific narratives as clinical evidence, the external scientific landscape, and program priorities evolve.
• Develop and review field medical resources, FAQs, congress materials, and other scientific communication assets, ensuring accuracy, balance, appropriate references, and suitability for their intended purpose.
• Adapt communication depth, format, and channel to audience needs while maintaining scientific accuracy, balance, and consistency.
• Partner with field medical teams and other stakeholders to understand scientific exchange needs, identify content gaps, and translate complex evidence into practical, scientifically balanced resources.
• Monitor and synthesize developments in the external scientific, clinical, and treatment landscape and identify implications for communication priorities and content.
• Translate scientific and stakeholder insights into recommendations for communication strategy, content development, and evidence dissemination.
• Support congress strategy, planning, and execution, including developing and reviewing materials used before, during, and after scientific meetings.
• Maintain alignment across publications, scientific narratives, congress activity, and Medical Affairs content while accounting for their distinct purposes and audiences.
• Ensure scientific communications comply with company policies, governance processes, applicable Medical, Legal, and Regulatory review requirements, and relevant external standards.
• Lead defined publication strategy and scientific dissemination workstreams for assigned programs and disease areas, with appropriate strategic oversight from the Senior Director, Scientific Communications.
• Translate development program objectives, Medical Affairs priorities, scientific evidence, and external landscape developments into publication priorities and executable plans.
• Recommend communication priorities, sequencing, channels, resource needs, and appropriate trade-offs based on scientific evidence.
• Guide development, scientific review, and delivery of peer-reviewed manuscripts, congress abstracts, posters, oral presentations, and related publication deliverables with agency partners.
• Partner with internal subject-matter experts, external authors, investigators, alliance partners, and other stakeholders to develop and execute publication tactics.
• Represent Publications in cross-functional forums for assigned programs, providing updates, recommendations, and escalation of material issues.
• Contribute to Global Publication Planning Team discussions and maintain accurate, transparent, current documentation of publication plans, decisions, and status.
• Ensure publication activities comply with company policies and external standards, including ICMJE, Good Publication Practice, and congress requirements.
• Oversee publication vendors, medical writing partners, and other external resources, including scope, timelines, scientific quality, and performance.

Benefits

• May be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus.
• May be eligible for discretionary stock-based long-term incentives; eligibility may vary 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