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
We have the following exciting opportunity for an Associate Director, Legal on our global employment law team. This role directly reports to our Senior Associate General Counsel, Global Head of Employment Law within our Global Litigation and Investigations (L&I) Team.
Gilead Sciences
Gilead’s mission is to innovate and deliver transformative therapies to create a healthier world for all people. This mission drives our litigation, investigation, and risk assessment strategies. This lawyer will help direct, manage, and execute our complex, high-profile and sophisticated portfolio of matters toward optimum results while leveraging innovation, incorporating a keen understanding of Gilead and industry dynamics, and applying a sophisticated knowledge of the law and external dynamics.
Gilead is a very collaborative and people-focused environment. Therefore, this lawyer will need a high level of emotional intelligence. The role requires excellent judgment and experience demonstrating the ability to understand and adapt to highly complex and evolving legal issues and external dynamics in a way that furthers effective communication, advice, decision-making and execution in both independent and collaborative workstreams. This lawyer will also be expected to effectively manage outside counsel and other legal service providers in a manner that brings out the highest caliber of legal advice, work product, advocacy, and results with maximum efficiency. There will be opportunities to counsel and present to our business leaders including executive management across the company and serve as a representative in external forums.
The Position
Employment Counsel at Gilead are responsible for providing legal advice and guidance on a wide range of employment matters in a fast-paced environment, including day-to-day management of employment litigation, key internal investigations and employee disputes, as well as work closely with Human Resources, Total Rewards, Employee Resources, country/affiliate counsel, and other functions to assist with employment issues that arise from the Company’s operations of 18,000+ employees worldwide.
This role is located in Gilead’s Stockley Park office in Uxbridge, UK. The position is part of a two-attorney team working outside of the U.S. and closely collaborates with the Senior Director, Legal (International Employment Counsel) also located in Uxbridge, UK. This role reports to the Senior Associate General Counsel, Global Head of Employment Law located in the U.S. This position should enjoy working collaboratively and closely with colleagues; align with L&I’s culture of respect, support, high standards, and affability; and demonstrate Gilead’s Core Values of Integrity, Inclusion, Teamwork, Excellence, and Accountability.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as one of two lawyers for the employment law function outside of the U.S., with a focus on Gilead’s ACE Region (Australia, Canada, & Europe) as well as support for LatAm, Middle East, APAC, and any of Gilead’s other 30+ global sites or affiliates.
• Provide advice and counsel on a broad range of employment issues, including recruitment, hiring, employee discipline and disputes, performance management, terminations, reorganizations and restructurings, complex leaves of absence and accommodations issues, HR compliance, compensation, contingent workers, and key internal investigations of potential violations of Company policies, among others.
• Partner and coordinate on matters with country/affiliate counsel, HR Business Partners, Employee Relations, and local external counsel
• Provide employment law advice related to Works Council matters in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and Austria.
• In coordination with HR and Employee Relations, assist with drafting and reviewing agreements, policies, standards and business procedures designed to foster compliance with various employment laws and regulations.
• Stay up to date with relevant legal developments across the regions.
• Enhance and develop organizational knowledge of employment law matters through trainings or updates.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior business leaders, other members of the Gilead Legal team, the HR and Employee Relations teams, and other internal clients to support employment law compliance and manage employment law risk.

Knowledge, Experience & Skills

• UK qualified employment lawyer with significant experience practicing global employment law at a reputable law firm and/or in-house in the UK with global responsibility.
• The position will require strong expertise in UK employment law and a knowledge of European employment law and regulations.
• Excellent project management skills and sound judgment in delivering legal advice, managing matters, and interacting with internal business clients and stakeholders.
• Experience in coordinating legal advice on matters across multiple jurisdictions, including across European region.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work well with a variety of different personalities.
• Ability to understand and evaluate risk, and provide practical, clear, and commercial legal guidance to help reach alignment and solutions with cross-functional stakeholders.
• High influencing and persuasion skills including ability to negotiate with opposing counsel.
• Demonstrated client service orientation and ability to recognize and respond quickly and pragmatically to urgent situations.
• Exceptional and demonstrated written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment is critical. The position requires setting appropriate priorities with clients, and delivering results within the reasonable agreed timelines.
• The candidate must demonstrate ability to learn, think creatively, and devise solutions to challenging problems and must exercise mature and reliable judgment.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
It is the policy of Gilead Sciences, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively “Gilead” or the “Company") to recruit select and employ the most qualified persons available for positions throughout the Company. Except if otherwise provided by applicable law, all employment actions relating to issues such as compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, returns from layoffs, company-sponsored training, education assistance, social and recreational programs are administered on a non-discriminatory basis (i.e. without regard to protected characteristics or prohibited grounds, which may include an individual’s gender, race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, medical condition, veteran status, and age, unless such protection is prohibited by federal, state, municipal, provincial, local or other applicable laws). Gilead also prohibits discrimination based on any other characteristics protected by applicable laws.
For Current Gilead Employees and Contractors:
Please apply via the Internal Career Opportunities portal in Workday

• Serve as one of two lawyers for the employment law function outside of the U.S., with a focus on Gilead’s ACE Region (Australia, Canada, & Europe) as well as support for LatAm, Middle East, APAC, and any of Gilead’s other 30+ global sites or affiliates.
• Provide advice and counsel on a broad range of employment issues, including recruitment, hiring, employee discipline and disputes, performance management, terminations, reorganizations and restructurings, complex leaves of absence and accommodations issues, HR compliance, compensation, contingent workers, and key internal investigations of potential violations of Company policies, among others.
• Partner and coordinate on matters with country/affiliate counsel, HR Business Partners, Employee Relations, and local external counsel
• Provide employment law advice related to Works Council matters in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and Austria.
• In coordination with HR and Employee Relations, assist with drafting and reviewing agreements, policies, standards and business procedures designed to foster compliance with various employment laws and regulations.
• Stay up to date with relevant legal developments across the regions.
• Enhance and develop organizational knowledge of employment law matters through trainings or updates.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior business leaders, other members of the Gilead Legal team, the HR and Employee Relations teams, and other internal clients to support employment law compliance and manage employment law risk