Associate Director, Strategy, Process & Systems - Supply Chain

Gilead Sciences•Foster City, CA

About The Position

The Associate Director, Strategy, Process & Systems – Supply Chain serves as the business process and systems owner for SSM activities supporting clinical and commercial small molecule, biologics, clinical packaging, direct materials, and devices. The role establishes scalable, compliant, and data-driven ways of working across sourcing, contracting, supplier risk management, governance, segmentation, performance monitoring, and strategic initiatives. It acts as a cross-functional integrator and gatekeeper, partnering with Legal, Finance, Quality, Strategy, Global External Manufacturing, Treasury, Global Trade Compliance, Global Procurement, and other stakeholders. The role combines strategic program leadership with disciplined execution and provides backup support to modality leaders as needed. The position owns and improves end-to-end SSM processes and systems, leads digital and systems initiatives, and develops standards, controls, documentation, training, and continuous-improvement plans. It leads the CMO Risk Management Program, supplier segmentation and governance, and reporting on risk, contracts, supplier performance, and strategic initiatives. It also represents SSM in enterprise initiatives and compliance programs, supports ESG Scope 3 supplier activities, and leads or supports audits and remediation. As a People Leader, the role is expected to create inclusion, develop talent, and empower teams by fostering diverse perspectives, coaching employees, aligning goals with organizational objectives, and removing barriers to team success.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and 10 years of experience, or master's degree and 8 years of experience, or PhD/PharmD and 5 years of experience.
Strategic systems thinking and ability to connect processes, risk, contracts, supplier performance, and business outcomes.
Executive presence and sound judgment when acting as a gatekeeper, facilitator, and escalation point.
Ability to influence without direct authority and align diverse stakeholders around decisions and accountabilities.
Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, including the ability to turn complex issues into concise executive recommendations.
Ability to manage ambiguity, competing priorities, and sensitive issues in a fast-paced environment.
High standards for integrity, compliance, data quality, operational discipline, and follow-through.
Practical change leadership, including process design, stakeholder engagement, training, and adoption.
Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional processes, governance forums, and transformation or continuous-improvement initiatives.
Experience with strategic sourcing, contracting, contract lifecycle governance, and negotiations involving complex external partners.
Experience designing or operating supplier/CMO risk-management, segmentation, governance, and performance-management processes.
Project or program management experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience in commercial and clinical external manufacturing involving one or more of small molecule/API or OSD, biologics, clinical packaging, direct materials, devices, or combination products.
CMO/CDMO relationship management and governance experience.
ESG Scope 3 supplier engagement, tender surveys, or supplier audits experience.
Experience with analytics and visualization tools for operational and executive reporting.
Relevant experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, external manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, supplier management, business operations, or another regulated environment.
Working knowledge of regulated manufacturing and quality environments; familiarity with GMP expectations and relevant controls is strongly preferred.
Experience serving as a business process owner or business lead for enterprise systems, digital tools, analytics, or SAP-enabled processes.
Lean, Six Sigma, PMP, or comparable certification.

Responsibilities

Own and continuously improve end-to-end SSM business processes and enabling systems across commercial small molecule, biologics, clinical packaging, direct materials, and devices.
Serve as Global Process Owner for the SSM process library, working across GSC and PDM to optimize processes and systems.
Define standardized workflows, decision rights, controls, templates, and escalation paths for contracting, risk management, supplier governance, segmentation, pricing, and performance monitoring.
Lead SSM digital and systems initiatives, including business representation for SAP and other enterprise or functional tools, and translate business requirements into process and system solutions.
Establish process documentation, training, adoption measures, and continuous-improvement roadmaps.
Lead or support strategic initiatives across Product Development & Manufacturing and Global Procurement and Operations, serving as the SSM point of contact when assigned.
Provide backup contract-negotiation support to modality managers and other SSM leaders as needed.
Lead the CMO Risk Management Program and ensure quarterly operational, quality, delivery, organizational, and financial risk assessments are completed and reported to senior management.
Facilitate cross-functional risk reviews, assign ownership of mitigation actions, and escalate material risks through established pathways.
Lead the annual supplier segmentation and governance process, including operating calendars, governance expectations, and alignment of supplier-management intensity to strategic value and risk.
Develop and maintain SSM metrics, dashboards, and executive reporting for contract governance, risk, supplier performance, and strategic initiatives.
Monitor pricing trends and coordinate system updates to support supplier strategy and fact-based decisions.
Update PIR pricing in SAP, support the should-cost modeling database, and support contract compliance.
Represent SSM in enterprise and cross-functional initiatives, including SAP, CTPAT, ESG audits, due diligence, and other strategic or compliance programs.
Lead ESG Scope 3 target support, supplier tender surveys, and supplier audits with sustainability and functional stakeholders.
Lead or support internal audits and remediation activities, ensuring clear process evidence, accountability, and follow-through.
Provide project leadership for departmental strategic-roadmap initiatives and capability-building priorities.
Create inclusion, develop talent, and empower teams through inclusive management, coaching, goal alignment, and barrier removal.