Director, Corporate Storytelling and Editorial Strategy

Gilead Sciences•Foster City, CA

About The Position

At Gilead, our pursuit of a healthier world for all people has yielded a cure for hepatitis C, revolutionary improvements in HIV treatment and prevention as well as advancements in therapies for viral and inflammatory diseases and certain cancers. We set and achieve bold ambitions in our fight against the world’s most devastating diseases, united in our commitment to confronting the largest public health challenges of our day and improving the lives of patients for generations to come. As aThe Director, Corporate Storytelling & Editorial Strategy at Gilead, you will shape Gilead’s editorial strategy and storytelling approach across enterprise content initiatives. The individual will oversee editorial planning, story development and content programming across the Content Lab while partnering closely with teams across Public Affairs, including Therapeutic Area Communications, Corporate Communications, Social Media, Internal Communications and Corporate Brand, as well as HR and external agency partners. Overview Gilead was built to take on serious diseases with serious science. As we strengthen our corporate brand and storytelling capabilities, we are building a more visual, more scalable approach to how we show who we are, what we do, and why it matters. The Content Lab is Gilead's centralized corporate storytelling capability, translating complex science, innovation, culture, and impact into stories audiences can see, feel, and remember. We are seeking a Director, Brand Storytelling and Content Production to lead how those stories are identified, shaped, and brought to life across video, photography, design, and digital experiences. The leader will direct multimedia storytelling that amplifies enterprise priorities, partnering closely with teams across Public Affairs (Therapeutic Area Communications, Media, Omnichannel, Internal Communications), HR, and external creative partners. They will translate Gilead's brand platform and enterprise narrative into a distinctive visual storytelling system that scales across channels, formats, and audiences. The ideal candidate is a creative leader with deep experience shaping stories and directing video, photography, design, and digital content in complex organizations, with a strong understanding of how to build modern production capabilities in an AI-enabled environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 12+ years of experience required OR Masters degree and 10+ years of experience required OR PhD and 8+ years of experience required
Experience in creative direction, brand storytelling, content production, or related disciplines
Experience leading multimedia storytelling programs inside healthcare, biopharma, technology, media, or other large, matrixed organizations
Portfolio required with application, demonstrating creative range across video, photography, design, and digital experiences

Nice To Haves

Experience directing photographers, videographers, designers, editors, and motion designers, both in-house and through agency or freelance networks
Experience building brand identity, visual systems, and storytelling frameworks at enterprise scale
Editorial instincts for evaluating stories and translating complex topics into accessible, visually rich narratives
Fluent across a full range of modern storytelling formats: documentary-style and high-production video, nimble social-first video, photo essays and photography-led storytelling
Ability to create compelling content in both high-production and agile production environments, with strong instincts for capturing effective stories using lightweight, fast-moving formats when appropriate
Experience operating inside highly regulated or matrixed organizations
Familiarity with audience analytics, modern creative operations, and AI-enabled production workflows
Collaborative, entrepreneurial mindset, with comfort building new capabilities from the ground up
People Leader Accountabilities: Create Inclusion - knowing the business value of diverse teams, modeling inclusion, and embedding the value of diversity in the way they manage their teams.
Develop Talent - understand the skills, experience, aspirations and potential of their employees and coach them on current performance and future potential. They ensure employees are receiving the feedback and insight needed to grow, develop and realize their purpose.
Empower Teams - connect the team to the organization by aligning goals, purpose, and organizational objectives, and holding them to account. They provide the support needed to remove barriers and connect their team to the broader ecosystem.

Responsibilities

Brand Storytelling and Creative Direction: Set the creative vision and visual standard for Gilead's corporate storytelling, translating the brand platform and enterprise narrative into integrated, multi-format story programs.
Evaluate enterprise stories for their narrative potential and direct human-centered storytelling that connects science, culture, innovation, and impact.
Lead the visual translation of "one big idea" into multi-format content packages, extending hero stories into films, features, photo series, social cuts, and serialized content that compounds brand equity over time.
Build scalable creative frameworks (visual systems, content templates, story formats) that strengthen recognition of the Gilead brand.
Content Lab Production and Operations: Help establish intake, prioritization and editorial governance processes for the Content Lab.
Direct in-house and external creative teams: videographers, photographers, designers, editors, motion designers, and producers.
Build repeatable production workflows that support high-craft hero content and agile, lightweight formats.
Partner with social, digital, and channel teams to extend stories across formats and platforms.
Own the visual quality bar across Gilead's corporate storytelling hub and owned channels.
Story Sourcing and Editorial Judgement: Apply strong editorial judgment to identify which stories to invest in, how to shape them, and how they ladder to enterprise priorities.
Collaborate with scientists, researchers, and subject matter experts to translate technical content into accessible, visually rich narratives.
Establish a clear, consistent voice and visual point of view for Gilead's corporate storytelling.
Audience, Reputation & AI-Era Storytelling: Use audience insights, social listening, and reputation intelligence to inform creative priorities.
Introduce AI-enabled workflows that accelerate production, expand creative range, and strengthen collaboration.
Monitor visual storytelling trends, peer creative work, and platform shifts to identify opportunities for differentiation.
Partner with analytics teams to measure creative performance and refine the approach over time.
Cross-Functional Partnership: Coach internal stakeholders on visual storytelling, creative standards, and modern content production.
Manage external agencies, production companies, and freelance creative talent.