Senior Business Unit Director, Oncology & Cell Therapy - UK & Ireland

at  Gilead Sciences

For Current Gilead Employees and Contractors:
Please log onto your
Internal Career Site
to apply for this job.
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
Senior Business Unit Director, Oncology & Cell Therapy - UK & Ireland
Across Gilead & Kite Pharma (a Gilead company), Oncology and Cell Therapies are key areas of focus, and we are advancing a pipeline of novel investigational agents for solid tumours as well as haematological cancers. This is an exciting opportunity for a Senior Business Unit Director to lead the Oncology and Cell Therapy franchise for the UK & Ireland.
This role will be based in Holborn (Central London), reporting directly to the Gilead General Manager with an indirect reporting relationship to the KITE European Regional Head and will become a member of the UK & Ireland Leadership Team. The Sr. Business Unit Director will be accountable for the strategy, planning and implementation of all commercial activities across the portfolio while managing a team of marketing and sales professionals (~35 team members) and leading the cross functional team (~70-80 team members) to drive operational excellence across the franchise. The Sr. Business Unit Director will be accountable to deliver the P&L, OPEX management, and relevant business and financial planning cycles.

Specific responsibilities:

• Maximize the commercial potential of Gilead and Kite Pharma’s assets through the development and implementation of strategic/operational plans in collaboration with local and regional cross functional teams.
• Lead the cross-functional team providing vision, motivation, support and coaching as well as infrastructure to drive the business and achieve portfolio objectives.
• Partner with market access to identify, develop, propose and execute local reimbursement plans, including alignment with appropriate adaptation of European and US pricing, reimbursement and access strategies.
• Recruit, hire and ensure training for country-specific staff who will execute the cross functional company plan in the UK & Ireland.
• Take responsibility and accountability to deliver against the agreed commercial and strategic objectives, as well as quality, compliance and risk management.
• Contribute to the execution of a flawless supply chain process – customer service par excellence – supporting the administration of Kite Pharma’s technology to patients.
• Establish strong, effective, and optimal working relationships with external bodies (incl. Payers, Patient Associations, and Thought Leaders).
• Foster an environment of strong collaboration across the local, regional, and global organization, balancing the needs of Kite Pharma in the UK & Ireland with those of the broader corporate objectives.
• Lead the future indication/asset planning team to evaluate commercialization potential and make recommendations on go-to-market models for the UK & Ireland.
• Build and execute highly successful launch plans in the UK & Ireland.
• Ensure that all business activities are in line with company policies, procedures, and local guidelines.
• Facilitate market learning and knowledge sharing to accelerate commercialization throughout the ACE organization.

Knowledge, Experience and Skills:

• Undergraduate degree is required, MBA and/or post graduate preferred or advanced life science degree (MD, Pharm D, PhD).
• The successful candidate will be a recognized leader with excellent communication skills. The role requires being comfortable at working in a high-growth environment where influencing and negotiating across an organization are a prerequisite.
• Must have recent experience in oncology with specific experience in Haematology and/or orphan/rare diseases as a significant advantage.
• Demonstrable commercial leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry such as a highly successful Business Unit Lead or a strong sales & marketing leader within the specialty therapeutics arena.
• Strong leadership qualities such as having the ability to attract, motive and retain talent and drive a culture of collaboration, engagement and motivation.
• Must have a track record of successful budget management with an understanding of revenue forecasting and expense budget planning and tracking.
• Must demonstrated excellence in project management and effectively managing multiple projects/priorities.
• Preferably, previous experience in negotiating with key pricing and reimbursement agencies, and involvement in successful access and reimbursement strategies and their execution.
• You will need to demonstrate the ability to manage complexity, ambiguity, and paradoxes through thinking outside of the box with a collaborative, constructive and solution-oriented approach.
• Strong understanding of the complexity of transplant arena is highly advantageous.
• Must be good at building new relationships rapidly with KOLs and other stakeholders such as industry associations. A strong already established network is preferable.
• Knowledgeable in technical development of commercially successful biopharmaceutical, cell therapy or gene therapy products is preferred.
• Must have the ability to build and drive a business, whilst possessing innate ‘market-making’ capabilities with natural self-starter, hands-on, entrepreneurial, and innovative attitude.
• Strong learning agility and willingness to take on increasing responsibility.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.
• Ability to provide strategic input at an ACE level and occasionally on global level.
• International experience, either working in a Global or Regional role or in the context of above country project teams is desirable.
• Openness to travel is required – approximately 60% domestically and some internationally.

Core Values

• Integrity
• Inclusion
• Teamwork
• Excellence
• Accountability

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 log onto your
Internal Career Site
to apply for this job

• Maximize the commercial potential of Gilead and Kite Pharma’s assets through the development and implementation of strategic/operational plans in collaboration with local and regional cross functional teams.
• Lead the cross-functional team providing vision, motivation, support and coaching as well as infrastructure to drive the business and achieve portfolio objectives.
• Partner with market access to identify, develop, propose and execute local reimbursement plans, including alignment with appropriate adaptation of European and US pricing, reimbursement and access strategies.
• Recruit, hire and ensure training for country-specific staff who will execute the cross functional company plan in the UK & Ireland.
• Take responsibility and accountability to deliver against the agreed commercial and strategic objectives, as well as quality, compliance and risk management.
• Contribute to the execution of a flawless supply chain process – customer service par excellence – supporting the administration of Kite Pharma’s technology to patients.
• Establish strong, effective, and optimal working relationships with external bodies (incl. Payers, Patient Associations, and Thought Leaders).
• Foster an environment of strong collaboration across the local, regional, and global organization, balancing the needs of Kite Pharma in the UK & Ireland with those of the broader corporate objectives.
• Lead the future indication/asset planning team to evaluate commercialization potential and make recommendations on go-to-market models for the UK & Ireland.
• Build and execute highly successful launch plans in the UK & Ireland.
• Ensure that all business activities are in line with company policies, procedures, and local guidelines.
• Facilitate market learning and knowledge sharing to accelerate commercialization throughout the ACE organization