Associate director, medical affairs

We’re here for one reason and one reason only – to cure cancer. Every moment is dedicated to developing treatments and every action moves us one step closer to our goal. We’ve made incredible scientific breakthroughs and our pioneering personalized CAR T-cell therapies have changed the paradigm. But we're not finished yet. Join Kite, as we make even bigger advances in cancer therapies, and help shape where our business and medical science goes next. We believe every employee deserves a great leader. People Leaders are the cornerstone to the employee experience at Gilead and Kite. As a people leader now or in the future, you are the key driver in evolving our culture and creating an environment where every employee feels included, developed and empowered to fulfil their aspirations. Join Kite and help create more tomorrows.

Job Description

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.

The Associate Director of Operations supporting US Medical Affairs will play a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth execution of operational activities within the US Medical Affairs department. This individual will oversee the planning, coordination, and management of processes, systems, and resources that support medical strategies, initiatives, and compliance. In addition, this role will lead and oversee operational activities supporting field-based teams such as Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) and Clinical Value MSLs. This role ensures that field medical teams are equipped with the resources, tools, and strategies to achieve their goals, while maintaining compliance with regulatory and company standards.

This role is within the Kite Global Medical Affairs Excellence, Strategy, Training and Operations team (MAESTRO) and works closely with the Director, US Medical Operations and Head of US Medical Affairs.

Key responsibilities:

Operations / Field Operations Leadership:

• Develop and implement operational frameworks that drive transformation and innovation across field medical teams and US Medical Affairs, with direct accountability for launch readiness and long-term capability-building.
• Ensure alignment between strategic goals and operational execution at the field level ensuring operational execution not only aligns but proactively advances Medical Affairs objectives, especially for high-impact launches like anito-cel.
• Serve as a strategic partner to leadership, driving cross-functional alignment and representing field operations in enterprise-wide strategic planning and decision-making.
• Develop solutions to a wide range of complex problems.
• Draft FMLT agendas, setting agendas that drive innovation, accountability, and measurable outcomes for field medical operations.

Resource and Tool Management

• Ensure field teams have access to up-to-date tools, platforms, and data to engage healthcare professionals effectively.
• Review the selection, implementation, and optimization of advanced tools, platforms, and analytics, ensuring field teams are equipped for digital engagement and data-driven decision-making.
• Champion the adoption of emerging technologies and digital solutions, evaluating ROI and driving continuous improvement in operational efficiency and field engagement.

Project Management

• Monitor and report on the progress of Medical Affairs projects and programs.
• With minimal direction provide support to complex, multi-stakeholder projects and programmes, providing strategic oversight, risk management, and executive-level reporting on progress, impact, and outcomes.
• Support executive director in planning and budget management for field operations, including forecasting, variance analysis, and optimization of spend for maximum impact.
• Drive the development and execution of multi-year field plans, ensuring business processes are future-ready and scalable for new product launches and therapeutic expansion.

Collaboration and Vendor Management

• Collaborate and partner with cross functional internal and external stakeholders, ensuring contracts and vendor relationships support strategic objectives and deliver value.
• Oversee and optimize administrative processes, ensuring efficiency and compliance in contract execution and resource allocation.
• Oversee financial governance and compliance for field operations, ensuring robust controls and transparency in all financial processes.
• Provide oversight and strategic resolution of complex operational issues, ensuring business continuity and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Answer contracting and purchasing inquiries by clarifying desired information; researching, locating, and providing information, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and compliance standards.
• Lead strategic problem-solving and escalation processes, ensuring timely resolution and continuous improvement.

Process Improvement, Compliance & Governance

• Champion process improvement and change management initiatives, driving operational excellence and innovation.
• Maintain process integrity & internal controls; ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations., ensuring field operations exceed regulatory standards and are audit-ready for launches and ongoing activities.
• Establish and monitor strategic field KPIs, leveraging advanced analytics to generate actionable insights and inform executive decision-making.

Budget and Vendor Management

• Own strategic budget and vendor management for field medical operations, ensuring alignment with launch priorities and long-term business goals.
• Oversee field resource allocation to ensure efficient use of internal and external resources for maximum operational impact.
• Oversee and optimize budgets for technology and vendor partnerships, ensuring investments support strategic objectives and innovation.
• Lead high-value vendor negotiations, ensuring contracts deliver strategic value and support launch and operational priorities.

Learning & Development, Expansion

• Support onboarding processes for new field medical team members.
• Onboarding programmes, building high-performing teams ready for launch and future growth.
• Co-create and execute enterprise-level strategic roadmaps for field medical operations, positioning the organization for sustained success in new product launches and therapeutic areas.
• Lead strategic expansion initiatives, including workforce planning and capability-building for new launches and therapeutic areas.

Performance Monitoring & Reporting

• Establish and monitor strategic KPIs, leveraging advanced analytics to generate actionable insights and inform executive decision-making.
• Lead strategic problem-solving, driving continuous improvement and operational excellence across field medical teams.

Collaboration & Communication

• Act as advisor and strategic liaison, representing field operations at the executive level and driving cross-functional collaboration for launch success.
• Lead enterprise-wide communication strategies, ensuring alignment, transparency, and engagement across all stakeholders for major initiatives and launches.
• Present strategic operational insights and recommendations to executive leadership, influencing decision-making and organizational direction.

Key Attributes

• Strategic thinker with the ability to anticipate launch needs and proactively address challenges.
• High emotional intelligence and influence, able to lead cross-functional teams through complex launches.
• Strong collaboration partner to Field Medical leader, Head USMA, and colleagues.
• Proactive, adaptable, and resilient in a fast-paced, launch-focused environment.
• Demonstrated leadership in driving operational excellence and innovation for new product launches.
• Advanced analytical skills to generate actionable insights from launch data and field feedback.
• Exceptional communication skills for engaging senior stakeholders and presenting launch strategies.
• Proven ability to collaborate and partner across teams.
• Understanding of launch-specific compliance and ability to train teams on new product protocols.

Qualifications

Education:

Advanced degree required (MBA, MPH, PharmD, PhD, or equivalent in Life Sciences, Business, or related field). Additional certification in project management or data analytics is a plus.

Experience:

5+ years in Medical Affairs, field operations, or pharmaceutical/biotech industry, with significant experience in product launch environments preferred. Demonstrated leadership in strategic planning and operational execution for new product launches. Experience with cross-functional launch teams (Medical, Commercial, Regulatory, IT).

Skills & Competencies:

• Advanced strategic thinking and analytical skills, including data-driven decision-making.
• Expertise in CRM, analytics platforms, and digital engagement tools.
• Understanding of compliance, regulatory, and launch-specific requirements.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven ability to drive process improvement and change management.

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.

The salary range for this position is: Other US Locations: $177,905.00 - $230,230.00. Bay Area: $195,670.00 - $253,220.00. Kite considers a variety of factors when determining base compensation, including experience, qualifications, and geographic location. These considerations mean actual compensation will vary. 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

Kite is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development of innovative cancer immunotherapies with a goal of providing rapid, long-term durable response and eliminating the burden of chronic care. The company is focused on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and T cell receptor (TCR) engineered cell therapies designed to empower the immune system's ability to recognize and kill tumors. Kite is based in Santa Monica, CA. For more information on Kite, please visit www.kitepharma.com.

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For jobs in the United States: Kite Pharma is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment, and is dedicated to fostering an inclusive work environment comprised of diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. Employment decisions regarding recruitment and selection will be made without discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, genetic information or characteristic, gender identity and expression, veteran status, or other non-job related characteristics or other prohibited grounds specified in applicable federal, state and local laws.

In order to ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants who require accommodation in the job application process may contact ApplicantAccommodations@gilead.com for assistance.

For more information about equal employment opportunity protections, please view the 'Know Your Rights' poster.

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Our environment respects individual differences and recognizes each employee as an integral member of our company. Our workforce reflects these values and celebrates the individuals who make up our growing team. Kite Pharma provides a work environment free of harassment and prohibited conduct. We promote and support individual differences and diversity of thoughts and opinion.

For Current Kite Pharma Employees and Contractors: Please apply via the Internal Career Opportunities portal in Workday.

Change The World With Us Everyone at Kite is 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. 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.