Senior Manager, IT Finance

Gilead Sciences • Foster City, CA

4d • Onsite

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 Manager – IT Finance you will lead the management and evolution of a broad portfolio of critical finance applications. This role is responsible for end-to-end system ownership, delivery, and optimization across platforms supporting Finance. This leader will oversee strategic initiatives, system lifecycle management, vendor coordination, and program delivery across core ERP platforms and it’s peripheral systems. The role requires strong business partnership, technical understanding, and operational leadership to ensure scalable, compliant, and high-performing solutions across a complex application landscape. This role will report to the Director, IT Finance & Controlling (FICO) lead and is located in Foster City, CA - No Remote available.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree and Eight Years’ Experience OR Masters' Degree and Six Years’ Experience OR Ph.D.
• 8–12+ years of experience supporting finance systems, enterprise applications, or ERP environments.
• Strong experience managing finance-related applications and boundary systems.
• Proven leadership experience managing programs, vendors, and cross-functional teams.
• Deep understanding of finance processes, including reconciliations, journal entries, tax compliance, royalties, leasing, and partner management.
• Experience with application lifecycle management, including onboarding, optimization, and decommissioning.
• Demonstrated ability to lead RFPs, vendor selection, contract negotiation, and implementation governance.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with: BlackLine (Account Reconciliations)
• OneSource Tax
• SAP-integrated tools (e.g., GLSU, 2Klicks)
• Familiarity with SAP S/4HANA finance integrations.
• Experience working in Life Sciences or regulated environments.
• Knowledge of compliance frameworks such as SOX.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, Information Systems, Finance, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of finance and boundary applications, ensuring stability, scalability, and alignment with business needs.
• Drive end-to-end delivery, including enhancements, implementations, and system lifecycle management.
• Serve as system owner across key applications, ensuring effective support, governance, and continuous improvement.
• Lead vendor coordination, including performance management, issue resolution, and roadmap alignment.
• Partner with Finance teams to deliver high-quality solutions.
• Oversee program planning and execution across multiple concurrent initiatives.
• Manage escalations, risks, and dependencies to ensure successful delivery outcomes.
• Provide functional and operational leadership across boundary finance systems and applications.
• Own the BlackLine platform, including: Account Reconciliations module support, enhancements, and roadmap; Transition and optimization of support models; Continuous improvement and adoption of best practices.
• Oversee and guide system capabilities across key applications, including: 2Klicks (SAP Lease master data and correction functionality); GLSU (Journal Entry posting and SAP integration); Alliant Royalties (Royalties management solution); OneSource (Indirect tax compliance and VAT filing); Salesforce PRM (Partner relationship and alliance management).
• Ensure systems effectively support critical finance processes, compliance requirements, and reporting needs.
• Partner closely with stakeholders across Finance to define priorities and deliver solutions.
• Translate business needs into actionable system capabilities and enhancements.
• Act as a trusted advisor to business leaders, providing insight into system capabilities, trade-offs, and opportunities.
• Drive alignment across teams on priorities, timelines, and expected outcomes.
• Maintain strong communication with stakeholders on delivery progress, risks, and system performance.
• Lead program initiation, planning, and execution for boundary application initiatives.
• Establish governance frameworks to support delivery, contract management, and vendor oversight.
• Drive structured processes for: Requirements gathering and prioritization; Solution delivery and release management; Risk and issue management.
• Ensure adherence to enterprise standards, compliance requirements, and audit controls.
• Oversee implementation partner engagement, including selection and performance monitoring.
• Ensure effective escalation management and timely resolution of critical issues.
• Ensure seamless integration between boundary applications and core platforms (e.g., SAP S/4HANA).
• Manage upstream and downstream dependencies across finance, tax, procurement, and partner management systems.
• Collaborate with enterprise architecture and engineering teams to maintain a cohesive application landscape.
• Support data consistency, integrity, and flow across interconnected systems.
• Align with broader IT and Finance initiatives to ensure end-to-end process continuity.
• Drive continuous improvement across application support, delivery models, and system performance.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, and automate finance processes.
• Lead efforts to modernize platforms, including onboarding new applications and sunsetting legacy systems.
• Guide product selection and lifecycle activities, including: RFP processes and vendor evaluation; Contract negotiation and governance; Implementation partner selection.
• Encourage adoption of best practices, scalable solutions, and innovative technologies.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, and operational excellence.
• 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.

Benefits

• company-sponsored medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans
• discretionary annual bonus
• discretionary stock-based long-term incentives (eligibility may vary based on role)
• paid time off

What This Job Offers

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