Senior Director, Digital Strategy, Governance & Operations

Gilead Sciences • Foster City, CA

2d

About The Position

At Gilead, we are driven by our mission to discover, develop, and deliver therapies that change lives. Public Affairs plays a critical role in shaping and elevating Gilead’s global narrative through clear, credible, and modern communications. The Senior Director, Digital Strategy, Governance & Operations is a senior enterprise leader responsible for shaping and executing Gilead’s channel and platform strategy across all owned and paid channels — both external and internal. This role defines how Gilead shows up in digital spaces: which platforms we activate, how we govern and publish across them, and how we measure and report on performance. Critically, this role is the operational backbone of the Public Affairs digital team. The Senior Director builds and owns the governance model and operating system that drives cross-functional collaboration, project workflow, measurement, and resource accountability — ensuring the team executes with clarity, consistency, and speed. Content creation and editorial direction remain owned by the Senior Director, Content Strategy; this role is accountable for channel activation, governance, and performance — not content production. This role reports to the Executive Director, Omnichannel Strategy & Digital Transformation, and serves as a point of integration between communications, brand, marketing, and enterprise functions on digital content initiatives.

Requirements

• High School Degree and Eighteen Year's Experience OR Associates Degree and Sixteen Years Experience OR Bachelor's Degree and Fourteen Years’ Experience OR Masters' Degree and Twelve Years’ Experience OR PhD and Twelve Years’ Experience

Nice To Haves

• 12 years of experience in digital communications, channel strategy, digital marketing, or digital operations — preferably in a corporate, agency, or matrixed environment.
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement team operating models, governance frameworks, and cross-functional workflow systems at scale.
• Expertise in platform strategy and publishing across LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, X, Meta/Facebook, intranets, and/or emerging platforms.
• Proven ability to translate corporate or business strategy into channel activation and publishing plans.
• Experience building measurement and reporting frameworks that connect digital performance to business outcomes.
• Comfortable navigating complex, matrixed organizations — aligning stakeholders and working cross-functionally with executives, creative teams, and agency partners.
• Deep understanding of SEO, GEO, audience engagement, and content lifecycle management.
• Experience with paid media strategy and oversight is a plus.
• Familiarity with AI tools and their compliant application in regulated or corporate communications environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own Gilead’s channel and platform strategy across external channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, X, Meta, and emerging platforms) and internal channels (intranet, employee platforms) — defining where the brand shows up, with what frequency, and to which audiences.
• Guide publishing cadence, channel governance, and platform activation for enterprise social and web properties, ensuring clarity of purpose and consistency of voice across all channels.
• Translate corporate narrative and messaging priorities into platform-appropriate execution plans, working in partnership with the Senior Director, Content Strategy.
• Serve as an expert advisor on digital platform best practices, innovation, and evolving trends — internally and externally.
• Partner with brand, design, and communications teams to ensure visual and verbal coherence across all digital executions.
• Design and own the team’s operating model — defining how work is briefed, staffed, reviewed, approved, and published across the digital team.
• Build and enforce governance frameworks for cross-functional digital projects, including stakeholder alignment, decision rights, and escalation paths.
• Lead operating committees in partnership with the Public Affairs Strategy and Operations team, driving structured collaboration across communications, marketing, brand, and enterprise functions.
• Develop and manage budgeting proposals for digital infrastructure, agency support, and platform investments.
• Proactively identify process inefficiencies and implement scalable workflow solutions that reduce bottlenecks and increase team velocity.
• First 90-day priority: audit current workflows and design a clear team operating model.
• Partner with analytics teams to define KPIs, build reporting frameworks, and continuously refine channel strategy based on data and insights.
• Own the measurement narrative for the Public Affairs digital team — translating platform data into strategic insights and executive-ready reporting.
• Establish a test-and-learn culture, ensuring channel and platform decisions are informed by performance data.
• Manage and inspire direct reports including the Director of International Channel Strategy & Publishing.
• Continuously up-skill the digital team, improving efficiency, collaboration, and digital fluency across functions.
• Proactively identify and integrate compliant AI tools into Public Affairs digital workflows, partnering with the Strategy and Operations team on rollout and training.
• Oversee integrated digital campaigns in close collaboration with the content team, subject matter experts, creative agencies, and media partners.

Benefits

• This position may also be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus, discretionary stock-based long-term incentives (eligibility may vary based on role), paid time off, and a benefits package.
• Benefits include company-sponsored medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans.
• For additional benefits information, visit: https://www.gilead.com/careers/compensation-benefits-and-wellbeing
• Eligible employees may participate in benefit plans, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: High school or GED
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees