Sr Director, Head of Strategy and Operations, GCSO

At Gilead, we’re creating a healthier world for all people. For more than 35 years, we’ve tackled diseases such as HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19 and cancer – working relentlessly to develop therapies that help improve lives and to ensure access to these therapies across the globe. We continue to fight against the world’s biggest health challenges, and our mission requires collaboration, determination and a relentless drive to make a difference.
 

Every member of Gilead’s team plays a critical role in the discovery and development of life-changing scientific innovations. Our employees are our greatest asset as we work to achieve our bold ambitions, and we’re looking for the next wave of passionate and ambitious people ready to make a direct impact.
 

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 Gilead and help create possible, together.

Job Description
 

As a Senior Director, Head of Strategy and Operations, Global Commercial Strategy & Operations (GCSO), you will be reporting to the Senior Vice President, GCSO and will serve as a key business partner to the GCSO Leadership Team (LT). You will be immersed in strategic and operational elements of the business. This role acts as a 'linking pin' between multiple functions, leads and drives tactical and strategic projects, provides analytical and operational insights, and ensures coordinated communication across functions in alignment with the unit's strategic priorities and direction. 

 

The successful candidate will be a self-starting project manager extraordinaire with a strong track record of strategic and operational work experience across various settings and topics in the pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical industry. Candidates must have a track record of driving project success without direct authority, effectively network across the organization, and communicate across all levels in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. 

 

 

Key Responsibilities: Join and support the GCSO LT by organizing meetings, participating in decision making and strategy development, and ultimately ensuring the SVP and their team operate effectively.  

• Serve as a strategic advisor and confidant; a highly trusted person with whom to discuss and pressure‐test ideas. A thought partner for business strategy, and a key contributor who facilitates/leads strategic projects.  

• Provide an extra set of hands to help with or lead strategic priorities and special projects, as defined by the LT, guaranteeing that agreed work is done in a proactive and timely manner.   

• A critical organizer who helps manage the GSCO LT, including curating agendas, writing minutes, and supporting in setting priorities, projects, decisions, and actions and ensuring follow up.  Proactively identify opportunities for organizational impact.   

• Effectively network across the organization, building collaborative relationships, and communicate with senior leaders and their teams to connect projects and workstreams that would otherwise remain siloed; particularly with GCSO’s key partners i.e., R&D, Medical, US Commercial and G8 plus other key markets.  

• Facilitating LT to LT interactions and leading on actions and follow-up items. 

• Serve as a key business partner and conduit to the leader ensuring that work within the team flows smoothly by driving operational efficiency and effectiveness, strategic alignment and integration of activities. This includes leading the newly established GCSO SharePoint site. 

• Providing key project management support to drive efficiency improvements, business performance, and to execute on the strategic priorities of the SVP and the GCSO LT.   

• Acts as an amplifier for the SVP GCSO; will prepare and deliver presentations, manage existing communications strategies and innovate new ones, e.g., amplifying Commercial AI aspirations. 

• Working directly with the G.Ecosystem office to support the ongoing evolution and operations of our Commercialization teams, plus supporting tracking of KPIs and accountability metrics.  

• Leading thought partner and facilitator for Commercial AI aspirations, supporting cross-functional initiatives, gathering and sharing feedback, and ensuring rapid and successful adoption of approved tools across the enterprise. 

 

 

Key competencies: Relevant professional experience in the Pharmaceuticals/Biotechnology industry, ideally in multiple parts of the value chain (e.g. Global strategy, Commercial, R&D, PM).  

• Super Organizer: able to stay personally organized while managing the priorities of the executive. Able to help bring order and effectively manage complex and ambiguous projects  

• Collaborative, empathetic: assists in building the networked organization, bringing down silos so teams communicate better while maintaining a constant eye on team/unit morale.   

• Sense of Urgency: self-starter acts with an entrepreneurial spirit, identifying opportunities and acting on them. A highly resourceful PM with operational rigor and intelligence. 

• High EQ: displays humility and adopts a mature approach to feedback and open to learning from any member of the team and other key stakeholders. Can lead without direct authority. 

• Strategic Thinker: able to see the big picture of things.  A strategic, enterprise mindset helps align detailed work to the overall strategy, as well as evaluate what is urgent versus important.  

• Strong accountability: getting things done and not dropping the ball.  From framing the problem, conducing analysis/research, to planning and driving to executional success. 

• Trusted Operator: able to work with and manage the dissemination of sensitive and confidential information with the utmost discretion.  

• Facilitator: a day-to-day part of the role requires managing conversations, synthesizing multiple points of view, and aligning on direction, all in an impartial and professional way.  

• Strong Communication: has effective communication skills across different channels, can influence and connect with key stakeholders and use these skills to move work forward.  

• Enterprise and Functional Mindset:  Aligns priorities and projects to the broader Gilead vision and strategy. Uses peripheral vision instead of focusing only on what is in front of them.  

• Adaptability:  Adopts a positive approach when faced with change, complexity and uncertainty and able to adjusts thinking and approach based on new information or events.  

• Strategic Planning: Formulates clear, practical approaches to help meet strategic objectives; anticipates future issues and adapts plans accordingly  

• Systemic Thinking: Recognizes interdependencies of different elements of a process and identifies opportunities to make improvements to processes and systems  

• Political Savvy: Understands internally sensitive issues and navigating an organizational matrix to get things done; identifies and successfully influences key decision makers  

• Thought Partner: Asks powerful questions and evaluates new ideas thoroughly. Shares ideas and experiences to help navigate complex challenges.  

• Business Acumen: Understands risks/opportunities and uses analytical skills to interpret, translate and simplify complexity to others. Provides analyses, explores a range of solutions and makes recommendations to drive business growth.  

• Innovative: Hands-on experience with (and curiosity for) adoption of novel AI tools, both for personal productivity, and unit- or enterprise-wide tools to enhance efficiency/outcomes. 

• Financial Prowess: Good understanding of the function’s financials; in partnership with finance partners, identifying initiatives to support commercial opportunities for growth  

• MS literate: High proficiency with Microsoft tools including Word, PowerPoint and Excel  

• AI literate and creative: High proficiency at using AI tools, especially Microsoft Copilot, and a thought partner for how to leverage AI further.  

• Flexibility: Willingness to travel as needed within and outside the US (up to 20%)  

• Inclusive: knowing the business value of diverse teams, modelling inclusion and embedding the value of diversity in the way they manage their teams. 

 

 

Basic Qualifications: Bachelor's Degree and Fourteen Years' Experience OR Masters' Degree and Twelve Years' Experience OR PhD and Twelve Years' Experience 

 

 

Preferred Qualifications: MBA or higher degree preferred. 

 

The salary range for this position is: $243,100.00 - $314,600.00. Gilead 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

* Eligible employees may participate in benefit plans, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.

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