Senior Director, Project Management Group Lead (Early Phase) – Foster City

Gilead Sciences • Foster City, CA

22h

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 a Senior Director, Project Management Group Lead (Early Phase), at Gilead you will ... KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Reporting to the Executive Director of Product & Project Management and operating within the broader Pharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing (PDM) organization, the Senior Director, Project Management Group Lead will lead a team of product and project management professionals. This team partners closely with PDM Product Strategy Team Leads to support a diverse portfolio of small molecule and biologics drug candidates across development and commercial stages. There will be three Senior Directors serving as Project Management Group Leads, each bringing deep expertise in a specific phase of the biopharma lifecycle: early development, late-phase and commercialization, and commercial. The Senior Director, Project Management Group Lead (Early Phase) will have experience serving as project manager for early phase biopharma molecules and will serve as a subject matter expert on products in this phase for PMs across the Product & Project Management group. The PMs reporting to this role will not be specialized by molecule phase and will stay with a program across all lifecycle phases, relying on the expertise of the respective Group Leads as programs progress from early phase to late phase / commercialization to commercial. In addition to product-related responsibilities, the Director-level PM reporting to this role will also lead non-product strategic initiatives, contributing to broader organizational priorities.

Requirements

• BS/BA with 14+ Years experience OR MS/MA or MBA with 12+ Years experience OR PhD with 10+ Years experience

Nice To Haves

• Proven track record of successfully PM’ing early phase biopharma programs, working with Research and Clinical Development teams
• Deep understanding of all aspects of early drug development
• Early-stage development: IND-enabling studies, translational science, biomarker strategy, and early clinical trial design.
• Regulatory knowledge: Familiarity with FDA/EMA guidance for preclinical and early clinical phases.
• CMC awareness: Understanding of drug substance/product development and manufacturing timelines.
• Possess strong business acumen to align drug development and launch strategies with commercial goals, assess financial implications, and support data-driven decision-making across the portfolio.
• Demonstrated strong business acumen to evaluate R&D investments through market potential, competitive landscape, and ROI, while balancing scientific innovation with strategic and financial priorities.
• Proven experience in tech transfer activities.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex tech transfers to and between CDMOs, including oversight of timelines, risk mitigation, documentation, and cross-functional coordination.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with product / project leaders to set vision and strategy for cross-functional teams
• Demonstrated capability to navigate and lead in a highly networked environment and experienced with the required elevated level of influencing skills.
• Expertise in developing and managing project scope, deliverables, risks and resource requirements
• Excellent analytical skills with an ability to summarize and present complex information in a clear and concise manner
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively interact with all levels within the organization
• Must be able to understand and communicate scientific and business elements associated with pharmaceutical / biotech products
• Experience leading PM teams
• Leadership qualities of the successful candidate include the following: collaboration, building and developing high performing teams, accountability, cross-functional engagement and influence, program management, strategic vision, executive presence, coaching, goal setting and performance management.
• Demonstrated ability to lead without authority, influence and motivate teams
• 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

• Lead team of PMs to support our PDM Product Strategy Leads and Product Teams. This includes identifying and sharing best practices across the Product Strategy Teams
• Serve as SME on early phase PM, drawing upon deep knowledge of early phase product milestones
• Use and provide feedback on a set of templated tools and processes for the PDM Team System, e.g. tools for capturing a product’s strategy on a single page
• Work in partnership with the PDM Product Strategy Leads to develop, gain approval for, and execute on the product strategy for our products, including key milestones, budgeting and resource allocation
• Support PDM Operations Management’s implementation and iteration of G.Plan (Planisware) and G. Plan product templates.
• Support the flow of accurate data into PDM milestone planning and resource-allocation tools (G.Plan)
• Support PDM Operations Management’s and PDM Finance’s collection of product budget information by implementing processes for PMs to collect budget info on a per product basis
• Support PDM Operations Management’s product portfolio reporting & analytics
• Support and manage Director-level PM’s work on non-product projects
• Lead, coach and develop PMs at various career levels

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