Senior Director, Clinical Development (MD) Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Gilead Sciences • Foster City, CA

5d • $302,005 - $390,830 • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director, Clinical Development (MD), Inflammation and Immunology is a physician-leadership role responsible for shaping and advancing clinical development strategies across inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) programs. As Clinical Development Lead and Physician Responsible, the role defines clinical vision for assigned molecules and products, guiding programs from early strategy through regulatory engagement and lifecycle execution. The position works with global cross-functional leaders to accelerate therapies, generate clinical evidence, and address unmet needs among patients with IBD.

The role requires regular on-site work in Foster City, California; remote and hybrid arrangements are not available. Candidates must live locally or relocate before their start date.

The Senior Director leads clinical strategy and execution, including protocol design, study conduct, medical monitoring, data interpretation, reporting, and trial quality, compliance, patient safety, and operational excellence. The role provides clinical leadership in regulatory strategy and submissions, scientific communications, and interactions with global health authorities, while influencing cross-functional teams and engaging external experts. It also supports resource planning and may lead and develop direct reports.

Requirements

• MD.
• 10+ years of relevant clinical, scientific, and/or drug-development experience in industry, academia, or a combination of both.
• Substantial experience in clinical development.
• Demonstrated leadership in establishing and executing Phase 2 clinical development programs, with experience contributing to or leading Phase 3 development.
• Regular on-site work in Foster City, California; must live locally or relocate before the start date.

Nice To Haves

• Clinical training, board certification, or substantial drug-development expertise in dermatology, allergy/immunology, rheumatology, pulmonary medicine, or a related specialty.
• Significant clinical development experience across inflammatory and immunologic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriasis, IBD, asthma, COPD, or related immune-mediated diseases.
• Experience developing Phase 2 clinical strategy and protocols, initiating and executing interventional trials, interpreting proof-of-concept and dose-finding data, and translating Phase 2 findings into Phase 3 strategies.
• Experience leading global Phase 3 development programs, including clinical strategy, trial design, protocol development, study initiation and execution, medical monitoring, data interpretation, reporting, and benefit-risk assessment.
• Strong knowledge of clinical trial design, endpoints, statistics, safety assessment, dose selection, and drug-development principles; ability to evaluate biological and clinical data and translate findings into development decisions.
• Experience providing clinical and scientific leadership across investigator and site selection, study initiation, trial execution, and ongoing medical oversight.
• Experience engaging global regulatory authorities and contributing to regulatory strategies, interactions, and submissions for late-stage development.
• Experience developing small molecules, biologics, and/or novel targeted modalities for immune-mediated diseases.
• Experience developing and applying pharmacodynamic, translational, patient-selection, and/or disease biomarkers to support clinical development decisions.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional drug-development programs in a global, matrixed environment and influencing senior stakeholders without direct authority.
• People-leadership experience, including managing organizational resources and significant program budgets.
• Experience presenting clinical development strategies, data, and recommendations to executive leadership and governance committees.
• Extensive experience authoring, reviewing, or overseeing clinical publications and scientific presentations.
• Established relationships with investigators, key opinion leaders, and external scientific experts in dermatology, immunology, inflammation, or related disease areas.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex scientific and clinical information into clear recommendations for senior leaders, cross-functional partners, and non-specialist audiences.

Responsibilities

• Define clinical development strategies and plans for assigned IBD assets.
• Provide physician leadership across programs, ensuring scientific rigor and patient-centered decisions.
• Represent clinical development in governance, steering, and portfolio-review forums.
• Shape development priorities, risk assessments, and investment decisions.
• Lead protocol design, study conduct, medical monitoring, data interpretation, and reporting.
• Oversee trial execution to ensure quality, compliance, patient safety, and operational excellence, including site engagements.
• Provide clinical expertise on eligibility criteria, safety assessments, toxicity management, and benefit-risk evaluation.
• Guide development teams in achieving key milestones, deliverables, and reporting of clinical results.
• Lead clinical strategy discussions with global health authorities.
• Direct clinical development content for regulatory submissions, investigator brochures, and related documents.
• Advance scientific communications, publications, congress presentations, and investigator meetings.
• Ensure development activities meet regulatory expectations and Good Clinical Practice standards.
• Lead and influence global, cross-functional development teams.
• Build relationships with key opinion leaders, investigators, and external scientific experts.
• Provide clinical input on business development opportunities, as appropriate.
• Communicate program strategy and progress to senior leaders and executive stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with Gilead SOPs, regulatory requirements, and industry standards.
• Support effective resource planning and responsible stewardship of development investments.
• May lead and develop direct reports while fostering a high-performance culture.
• Create inclusion by modeling inclusive behavior and embedding diversity in day-to-day people leadership.
• Develop talent through coaching, feedback, and support for employee growth.
• Empower teams by aligning goals and objectives, reinforcing accountability, removing barriers, and connecting the team to the broader organization.

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, dental, vision, and life insurance plans.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree