Sr Director, Global Commercial Strategy, Franchise & Pipeline Planning & Operations

Kite Pharma • Santa Monica, CA

26d • 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. Kite, a Gilead Company, is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development of innovative cancer immunotherapies. The company focuses on chimeric antigen receptor and T cell receptor engineered cell therapies. Everyone at Kite has been grounded by one common goal – curing cancer. Every day, we aim to establish a direct line between that purpose and our day-to-day work. As our portfolio expands into solid tumors, in vivo modalities, and autoimmune diseases , we continue advancing innovative science that addresses some of the world’s greatest health challenges, in cancer and beyond. We are creating Kite together, with the recognition that the best teams are built by the best people. We maintain an attitude of curiosity, and creativity with each challenge as we develop a new market for cancer therapies. We appreciate and respect one another, and most importantly, we don’t take success for granted. While we’ve come a long way to make what others viewed as impossible, possible, we know one thing is certain. Today is just the beginning. The Sr. Director, Franchise & Pipeline Planning & Operations plays a critical leadership role at the intersection of strategy, operations, and early‑stage commercial insight. This position leads operational excellence, long‑range strategic planning, cross‑functional coordination and execution, and commercial input for Kite’s early‑stage pipeline across Solid Tumor, In Vivo, and Autoimmune opportunities—ensuring future assets are well‑positioned for eventual global commercialization. Reporting to the VP, Global Commercial Strategy , this role is based in Santa Monica, CA and leads a team of marketers overseeing operational excellence in Kite’s OL, Congress and Launch preparation activities and the development of commercial strategy to support pipeline planning activities; balancing early commercial strategy development and marketing execution excellence.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree and Fourteen Years’ Experience OR Master’s Degree and Twelve Years’ Experience OR PhD and Ten Years’ Experience

Nice To Haves

• 14+ years of biotech/pharmaceutical experience across strategic marketing, pipeline strategy, global commercialization, or business operations.
• Oncology experience strongly preferred; experience in solid tumors, immunology/autoimmunity, or emerging modalities (e.g., in vivo, genetic medicines) is highly valued.
• Proven ability to contribute early commercial input into clinical design, evidence planning, and TPP development.
• Strong operational leadership experience, including leading complex cross‑functional initiatives, managing executive‑level communications, and maintaining organizational rhythm.
• Exceptional analytical capabilities, including competitive landscape evaluation, forecasting, and synthesis of complex data into strategic recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without authority and successfully navigate across technical, scientific, and commercial teams.
• Inspiring leadership style with strong communication skills and experience motivating teams toward shared objectives.
• 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

• Build, develop, and mentor a high performing franchise and pipeline team, fostering a culture of strategic rigor and operational excellence.
• Drive operational rigor across strategic franchise priorities by managing planning calendars, identifying critical deliverables, and ensuring cross‑functional alignment to enhance the effectiveness of the Global Commercial Strategy team.
• Lead operational processes such as annual budget planning, resource tracking, strategic initiative management, and status reporting.
• Anticipate organizational needs and proactively address planning and execution gaps to enhance overall productivity and delivery excellence.
• Ensure operational excellence across key franchise activities, including OL & Congress strategy and Launch Excellence.
• Ensure executive‑ready communication through presentations, insights summaries, strategic narrative development, and leadership preparation for internal and external engagements.
• Provide commercial leadership on early asset planning and strategic framing for the Solid Tumor, In Vivo, and Autoimmune (e.g., Rheumatology & Neurology) pipeline to ensure commercial viability and alignment with the broader therapeutic area vision.
• Establish and lead cross‑functional commercial working teams to support integrated global strategies as pipeline assets mature toward registration, approval, and launch, including market shaping strategies and activities in support of adoption drivers and barriers in novel modalities and/or therapeutic areas.
• Partner with Candidate Teams, Product Teams and cross‑functional colleagues to provide commercial input to shape early clinical development, lifecycle opportunities, global value & access considerations and global evidence strategies.
• Lead global commercial strategy input for business development opportunities, including landscape analysis, value assessment, and strategic fit for emerging technologies and assets, particularly in areas where disease area expertise has not been established.

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