Senior Director, Business Strategy and Operations

Job Description

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

Gilead's mission is to discover, develop, and deliver therapies that will improve the lives of patients with life-threatening illnesses worldwide. As a Senior Director, Business Strategy and Operations, reporting to the Vice President & Head of the U.S. Commercial HIV business. The incumbent will serve as a key business partner to the U.S. Commercial HIV leadership team and be immersed in strategic and operational elements, leading and driving cross-functional activities and projects within the business, providing insights and alignment to the organizational strategy and direction.

The successful candidate will be a dynamic, experienced individual with a strong track record of strategic and operational work experience across various settings and topics in the pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical industry. They must have the proven ability to manage complex and ambiguous projects effectively, influence stakeholders without direct authority, effectively network across the organization, and communicate with senior leaders in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Directly manage and develop a team of three direct reports, setting clear priorities, coaching for impact, and fostering high performance and cross‑functional collaboration
• Serve as a strategic advisor and primary point of contact for leadership on high‑priority business questions, developing clear, aligned, and decision‑ready responses in partnership with cross‑functional teams. Lead structured work planning for key initiatives with defined milestones, ownership, resources, timelines, and performance tracking
• Partner with the U.S. HIV cross‑functional leadership team and key stakeholders to shape leadership agendas, curate high‑value discussions, and develop cohesive internal and external communication strategies. This includes executive presentations, QBRs, earnings preparation and debriefs, leadership forums, customer engagements, and enterprise meetings, with accountability for follow‑through on decisions and actions
• Drive enterprise strategic initiatives through operational rigor, cross‑functional alignment, and leadership engagement, with a focused mandate on improving pipeline execution, portfolio prioritization, and business outcomes
• Serve as the U.S. point of contact for global ecosystem and pipeline‑related initiatives, identifying enterprise decisions requiring U.S. market input and coordinating cross‑functional engagement to develop a clear, aligned U.S. perspective. Translate global priorities into U.S. implications, socialize trade‑offs and recommendations, and enable informed portfolio, sequencing, and investment decisions
• Drive account effectiveness and competitive fitness for priority healthcare delivery organizations by identifying accounts with unmet performance opportunities and partnering cross‑functionally to develop targeted engagement strategies. Lead the development of strategic narratives, situational assessments, action plans, and measurement frameworks; establish recurring account effectiveness business reviews; and synthesize performance insights to inform commercial execution and leadership decisions
• Identify and lead opportunities to improve commercial performance and organizational efficiency by diagnosing gaps, redesigning processes, and supporting execution of initiatives aligned to U.S. Commercial and brand objectives.
• Develop KPIs and track progress

Capabilities & Requirements

• Highly resourceful and strategic thinker with strong emotional intelligence, operational rigor, and project management capabilities. Works with a sense of urgency but in a highly organized and structured manner
• Possesses a strong team-oriented mindset and embraces a collaborative working style.
• Demonstrated consistent cross-functional collaboration and business partnering, directly contributing to teams to achieve overall objectives.
• Strong communication skills; comfort in executive, business, and technical discussions.
• Able to understand the motivations and priorities of colleagues and able to influence without direct authority.
• Self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative, and innovative high-growth environment
• Experience driving large initiatives, from framing the problem and conducting research/analysis to building the business and operational plans to driving execution to success.
• Depth of understanding of the function’s financials; in partnership with finance partners, identifying initiatives to support commercial opportunities for growth.
• Demonstrated proficiency in enterprise-level thinking and strategy.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree and Fourteen Years’ Experience OR Masters' Degree and Twelve Years’ Experience OR PhD and Twelve Years’ Experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong enterprise thinking and approach.
• International work experience helpful.
• Depth of understanding of the function’s financials; in partnership with finance partners, identifying initiatives to support commercial opportunities for growth and returning shareholder value.
• Experience driving large initiatives from framing the problem, conducting research / analysis to building the business and operational plans through to driving execution to success is needed.
• Self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative, and innovative high-growth environment
• 15+ years of growing responsibility with broad exposure to multiple pharmaceutical functions
• Willingness to travel as needed (up to 30%)

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: $261,375.00 - $338,250.00. 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:

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

For jobs in the United States:

Gilead Sciences Inc. 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 [email protected] for assistance.

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

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Gilead provides a work environment free of harassment and prohibited conduct. We promote and support individual differences and diversity of thoughts and opinion.

For Current Gilead Employees and Contractors:

Please apply via the Internal Career Opportunities portal in Workday.