Director, Supply Chain - APAC Regional Supply Chain Head

Kite Pharma•Santa Monica, CA

7d•$191,250 - $247,500•Hybrid

About The Position

Everyone at Kite is grounded by one common goal – curing cancer. Every single day, we seek to establish a direct line between that purpose and our day-to-day work. Join us in our mission! We are looking for a Director of APAC Regional Supply Chain to manage our APAC Supply Chain operations across Australia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan. This role ensures seamless, patient-centric delivery of Kite’s cell therapies by bridging Commercial Operations with Technical Operations to enable a world-class customer and patient experience across more than 90 Authorized Treatment Centers (ATCs) in the APAC region. The Director APAC Regional Supply Chain is responsible for guaranteeing uninterrupted patient supply, strengthening operational resilience, and driving continuous improvement across a diverse and fast-growing region. This position requires strategic leadership, deep operational expertise, and the ability to operate effectively across diverse cultures, multiple time zones, and regulatory frameworks. This individual leads a team of Supply Chain professionals located across 3 countries and 4 time zones (PST+3 to PST+17), with 6 direct reports leading Launch Management, Cell Order Management, Japan Supply Chain Operations (including Japan Depot Material Management), Logistics, Trade Compliance, and Change Control. This role is a member of the Global Supply Chain Leadership Team as well as of the International Kite Leadership Team (IKLT). In the latter representing Global Supply Chain for the commercial International Region, including Brazil, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, and additional countries preparing for launch. This position is based in Santa Monica, Oceanside, Thousand Oaks or El Segundo and reports to the Vice President, Global Supply Chain. Kite is transitioning from its current Santa Monica headquarters, with employees expected to relocate to our Oceanside, Thousand Oaks, or El Segundo, CA office beginning in January 2027. While this role will be based in Santa Monica through 2026, applicants should take this planned relocation into consideration. Kite supports a flexible working policy, offering a balanced approach with two days of remote working and three days working onsite.

Requirements

PhD with 8+ years of Supply Chain and/or Operations and/or External Manufacturing experience OR MA / MS with 10+ years of Supply Chain and/or Operations and/or External Manufacturing experience OR BA / BS Degree with 12+ years of Supply Chain and/or Operations and/or External Manufacturing Experience OR Associate Degree with 14+ years of Supply Chain and/or Operations and/or External Manufacturing Experience OR High School Diploma / GED and 16+ years of Supply Chain and/or Operations and/or External Manufacturing experience

Nice To Haves

Strong experience with People Leadership & Development as well as cross-cultural fluency.
Demonstrated knowledge of E2E Supply Chain Management and Commercial Operations.
Proven ability designing and deploying fit-for-purpose supply chain solutions.
Comfortable with Budget Management and Business Process management.
Experience instituting risk mitigations plans and responding to potential supply disruptions.
Cross-Functional Team Leadership and a demonstrated leadership presence among executives.
Superior business & scientific acumen.
Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
Able to develop complex concepts, techniques, and standards.
Able to develop solutions to complex problems which require an in-depth degree of ingenuity, creativity and innovation.
Demonstrated history of leaning into professional challenges which, based on the nature of our work, are frequently unique and solutions may serve as precedent for future decisions, which affect the entire organization.
Recommends organizational objectives and interprets company policies.
Establishes organizational policies in a major segment of the company.
Able to interpret, execute, and recommend modifications to department policies.
Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the financial aspects of Supply Chain operations.

Responsibilities

Lead and be accountable for end-to-end APAC Regional Supply Chain Operations, including Regional Cell Order Management, Launch Management, Japan Depot Material Management, Regional Logistics, Trade Compliance, and Change Control.
Ensure excellent regional operational performance in line with targets and guarantee uninterrupted, reliable patient supply.
Further develop and optimize the APAC regional operating model to support regional scale expansion, continue to improve efficiency, reduce cost, and enhance customer experience.
Partner with Network Planning and Product Supply Chain Leads to optimize supply allocation across Kite’s global manufacturing network.
Regularly reassess and optimize APAC shipping lanes to ensure compliance, cost efficiency, and adherence to Trade Compliance and Kite’s Quality standards.
Strengthen APAC regional operational resilience by ensuring robust, regularly tested Business Continuity Plans aligned to identified risks (rated on likelihood/impact).
Lead, inspire, grow, and retain the high-performing APAC Regional Supply Chain team across multiple countries, cultures, and time zones using people centric leadership tools, including regular 1:1s, skip-levels, Individual Development Plan conversations, bi-weekly Pulse meetings with APAC RSC LT, and quarterly APAC RSC All Staff meetings.
Establish clear priorities, ensure effective workload management, and foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Maintain and reinforce established strong relationships with Business Unit Directors (BUDs) and senior Commercial leaders across the APAC region.
Serve as the primary Global Supply Chain representative to the International KLT and for APAC BUDs.
Partner closely with the Regional Supply Chain Leads from Americas and Europe/Middle East to share best practices and ensure globally aligned and efficient operations (where relevant).
Act as the voice of the region to other teams and functions within Commercial and Technical Operations, providing actionable operational insights, country feedback, and risk assessments.
Support business case development for new country launches, product expansions, and other strategic initiatives within the APAC region and the broader International Region.
Evaluate and advance opportunities for regional improvement, digital enablement, automation, and future capability building.
Champion a continuous improvement mindset across APAC Regional Supply Chain and drive the team to strengthen customer experience, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.
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.