Senior Director, Clinical Development - Dermatology (MD)

Gilead Sciences•Foster City, CA

11d•$302,005 - $390,830•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director, Clinical Development provides clinical and scientific leadership for inflammation development programs, with particular emphasis on immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and dermatology. The role defines development strategy, translates emerging biology into clinical hypotheses, and designs programs intended to generate clear, decision-enabling evidence. It contributes to individual asset strategies and the broader inflammation portfolio, with a focus on establishing and leading Phase 2 development programs that can transition efficiently into Phase 3 and support registration. The position requires regular on-site presence in Foster City, California and is not eligible for remote or hybrid work. Applicants must reside in the area or be willing to relocate there before starting; local candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. The role also includes people leadership responsibilities, including creating an inclusive team environment, developing talent, and empowering teams.

Requirements

MD, DO, PhD, or equivalent advanced scientific or medical degree.
10 or more years of relevant clinical, scientific, and/or drug-development experience in industry, academia, or a combination of both.
Substantial clinical development experience and demonstrated leadership establishing and executing Phase 2 clinical development programs.
Experience contributing to or leading Phase 3 development.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience developing Phase 2 clinical strategy and protocols, initiating and conducting Phase 2 interventional trials, and interpreting Phase 2 data to inform Phase 3 strategy.
Experience providing clinical input into investigator and site selection, study initiation, and ongoing medical leadership during trial execution.
Expertise in immunology, inflammation, dermatology, or immune-mediated disease.
Strong command of clinical trial design, endpoints, statistics, safety assessment, dose selection, benefit-risk evaluation, and drug-development principles.
Ability to critically evaluate emerging biological and clinical data and translate them into clear development decisions.
Success leading multidisciplinary teams and influencing senior stakeholders without direct authority.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including clear communication of complex science and development recommendations to senior leaders and non-specialist audiences.
Clinical training, board certification, or substantial drug-development expertise in dermatology, allergy/immunology, rheumatology, pulmonary medicine, or a related specialty.
Clinical development experience in atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriasis, or related inflammatory diseases; experience in asthma, COPD, or other immune-mediated diseases is also relevant.
Experience building Phase 2 programs from strategy and protocol development through study initiation and execution, and advancing programs from Phase 2 proof-of-concept or dose finding into Phase 3.
Experience with global Phase 3 programs and regulatory interactions supporting late-stage development.
Experience developing small molecules, biologics, and/or novel targeted modalities in immune-mediated disease.
Experience developing and applying pharmacodynamic, translational, patient-selection, or disease biomarkers.
Established relationships with investigators and external scientific experts in dermatology, immunology, or inflammatory disease.

Responsibilities

Provide clinical and scientific leadership for one or more inflammation development programs, including programs in dermatologic, respiratory, and other immune-mediated diseases.
Lead development and ongoing refinement of Clinical Development Plans, covering indication strategy, target populations, clinical sequencing, differentiation, success criteria, and key development decisions.
Lead the strategy, design, initiation, execution, and interpretation of Phase 2 programs, including proof-of-concept and dose-ranging studies, while preparing for Phase 3 and registration.
Own key Phase 2 development elements, including clinical strategy, protocols, patient populations, endpoints, dose and regimen selection, and medical input into site and investigator selection.
Provide medical and scientific leadership during study start-up and execution, including site initiation, investigator engagement, enrollment, protocol interpretation, and assessment of study conduct.
Use emerging Phase 2 data to refine development strategy and prepare successful programs for Phase 3 and registrational development.
Translate immunology, human genetics, translational science, and disease biology into testable clinical hypotheses and development strategies.
Integrate clinical, translational, biomarker, pharmacologic, competitive, and external data to inform asset and portfolio strategy.
Provide senior medical leadership on protocols, eligibility criteria, endpoints, safety monitoring, dose selection, benefit-risk assessment, and clinical data interpretation.
Apply dermatologic disease biology and clinical development expertise to conditions such as atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriasis, and related immune-mediated diseases, while contributing across the inflammation portfolio.
Identify differentiation opportunities based on mechanism, patient population, endpoints, treatment setting, and standards of care.
Partner with Clinical Operations, Biostatistics, Clinical Pharmacology, Translational Medicine, Research, Regulatory Affairs, Safety, Medical Affairs, and Commercial colleagues.
Lead Clinical Development contributions on cross-functional asset teams and help drive strategy, development recommendations, and governance decisions.
Develop scientific relationships with investigators, external experts, and key opinion leaders and use them to refine clinical strategy and evidence-generation plans.
Provide clinical leadership for regulatory strategy and health authority interactions across Phase 2 and the transition to Phase 3, including end-of-Phase 2 discussions and clinical components of regulatory submissions.
Mentor and develop clinical scientists and physicians and contribute to a strong scientific and clinical development culture.
Create inclusion by modeling inclusive leadership and embedding the value of diversity in team management.
Develop talent through coaching, feedback, and support for employees’ growth and potential.
Empower teams by aligning goals with organizational objectives, holding teams accountable, removing barriers, and connecting them to the broader organization.