Associate Director, Specialty Laboratory Sourcing, Contracting and Category Management

Gilead Sciences • Foster City, CA

7d

About The Position

The Associate Director, Vendor Outsourcing, focused on Specialty Laboratory Sourcing, Contracting and Category Management, serves as the category partner and subject matter expert for Biomarker, Bioanalytical, and Companion Diagnostics across Clinical Development and Research. The role develops and executes category strategy, leads strategic sourcing initiatives, negotiates and executes complex agreements, and manages vendor relationships to deliver quality, compliance, innovation, and value.

The position partners with Biomarker Operations, Clinical Pharmacology, Translational Medicine, therapeutic-area research scientists, Clinical Operations, Legal, Finance, Quality, Compliance, Regulatory, and other stakeholders. It provides strategic consultation, translates scientific and business needs into sourcing and contracting solutions, and influences decisions in a highly matrixed, GxP-regulated environment. The role also supports vendor onboarding, performance management, inspection readiness, and continuous improvement. Experience leading professionals, cross-functional teams, and/or direct reports is expected as applicable, alongside people-leader responsibilities to create inclusion, develop talent, and empower teams.

A bachelor's degree in a relevant scientific, medical, business, finance, supply-chain, or related discipline with 10+ years of experience is listed. Alternatively, an advanced degree is preferred, with an MA/MS and 8+ years of experience or a PhD/PharmD/JD and 5+ years of experience. A relevant professional certification is preferred. Travel may be required.

The salary range is $182,070–$235,620 for the Bay Area and $165,495–$214,170 for other U.S. locations. The position may also be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus, discretionary stock-based long-term incentives, paid time off, and company-sponsored medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.

Requirements

• Demonstrated experience leading a specialty laboratory category, laboratory vendor portfolio, strategic sourcing area, or related function in biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, clinical research, diagnostic, or laboratory services.
• Knowledge of Biomarker, Bioanalytical, Companion Diagnostic, translational medicine, and/or related specialty laboratory services.
• Strong category-management capabilities, including category strategy, marketplace analysis, vendor segmentation, capability mapping, category reviews, benchmarking, governance, and value delivery.
• Strong stakeholder-management and influencing skills across scientific, clinical, operational, legal, financial, quality, compliance, regulatory, and vendor organizations.
• Demonstrated contracting expertise, including negotiation and maintenance of master laboratory agreements or master service agreements, amendments, scopes of work, change orders, budgets, and rate cards.
• Experience onboarding vendors and coordinating qualification, contracting, operational setup, and governance.
• Financial and commercial acumen, including fair-market-value assessment, cost-driver analysis, benchmarking, rate negotiation, cost avoidance, and spend optimization.
• Ability to solve complex problems, manage multiple priorities, communicate recommendations clearly, and maintain momentum in a matrixed global environment.
• Experience leading experienced professionals, cross-functional teams, and/or direct reports, as applicable.
• Bachelor's degree in a scientific, medical, business, finance, supply-chain, or related discipline with 10+ years of experience; alternatively, an MA/MS with 8+ years or a PhD/PharmD/JD with 5+ years of experience.
• Travel may be required.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree in a scientific, medical, business, finance, supply-chain, or related discipline.
• Professional certification in supply management, procurement, contracting, project management, or a related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and execute the Specialty Laboratory category strategy for Biomarker, Bioanalytical, and Companion Diagnostic laboratory services.
• Lead category reviews covering marketplace analysis, demand and spend, vendor segmentation, capability mapping, benchmarking, and core competencies.
• Manage a portfolio of strategic core and niche laboratories based on scientific capability, quality, capacity, geographic reach, innovation, risk, performance, and total value.
• Develop and manage category-level standards for the laboratory portfolio, and monitor market practices, technologies, emerging vendors, and internal demand to recommend portfolio changes and sourcing approaches.
• Serve as the primary Vendor Outsourcing point of contact for specialty laboratory services and provide strategic consultation on vendor strategy and market dynamics.
• Build trusted relationships with scientific, clinical, operational, and other business partners, and translate requirements into sourcing strategies, vendor recommendations, contracting approaches, and implementation plans.
• Influence internal stakeholders and external laboratory partners on contractual, commercial, operational, legal, and regulatory matters.
• Lead contract negotiations with functional leaders and Legal, translating business and scientific requirements into appropriate contractual and commercial terms.
• Develop, negotiate, execute, maintain, and renew master laboratory agreements and master service agreements for core and niche laboratories.
• Lead master agreement amendments for new services, capabilities, technologies, legal terms, compliance requirements, or commercial-framework changes.
• Manage rate cards and pricing structures; use benchmarking and market assessments to assess fair market value in light of scope, service levels, geography, quality, and technical requirements.
• Negotiate Companion Diagnostic agreements with commercialization terms, including milestones and royalty structures, with direction from Legal.
• Oversee scopes of work, change orders, budgets, and related contracting documents to align with governing agreements and approved commercial terms.
• Identify and execute cost-containment and cost-avoidance opportunities through benchmarking, negotiation, demand management, rate-card discipline, and portfolio leverage.
• Maintain contract records and support compliant execution, inspection readiness, and agreement closeout.
• Lead onboarding of new core and niche laboratories in partnership with Vendor Qualification, Quality, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Security, Finance, functional stakeholders, and other required groups.
• Collaborate with Vendor Performance and Relationship Management to address vendor performance, capacity, quality, timelines, compliance, and business-continuity risks.
• Support inspection readiness, audit responses, regulatory and contractual compliance, data privacy, and intellectual-property protection.
• Monitor vendor performance and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Recommend innovative or alternative laboratory sourcing solutions through stakeholder engagement and structured evaluation of vendor capabilities.
• Use benchmarking analytics and industry practices to improve sourcing, contracting, onboarding, governance, vendor performance, and cycle times.
• Support new data sources and technologies that enable efficient clinical-trial and research execution.
• As a people leader, create inclusion, develop employee talent, and empower teams by aligning goals and removing barriers.

Benefits

• Potential eligibility for a discretionary annual bonus.
• Potential eligibility 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: Director