Job DescriptionWe are seeking an accomplished Senior Director, Global Medical Affairs to provide strategic and operational leadership for Kite’s auto immune portfolio, and pipeline assets in solid tumors. In this highly visible, matrix leadership role, you will shape and execute global Medical Affairs strategy across the product lifecycle, ensuring scientific excellence, patient‑centric decision‑making, and compliant engagement with the medical community.
You will partner closely with Clinical Development, HEOR, Market Access, Government Affairs, Marketing, and regional Medical Affairs teams, serving as a trusted scientific and strategic leader internally and externally. This role plays a critical part in evidence generation, insight capture, medical education, and launch readiness, with a clear mandate to translate science into real‑world impact for patients.
This role will be office-based/hybrid (3 days onsite) in Santa Monica, CA.
Kite is transitioning from its current Santa Monica headquarters, with employees expected to relocate to our El Segundo or Thousand Oaks office beginning in January 2027. While this role will be based in Santa Monica through 2026, applicants should take this planned relocation into consideration. Kite supports a flexible working policy, offering a balanced approach with two days of remote working and three days working onsite
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership & Disease Area Ownership
- Provide a clearvision and strategic directionfor the assigned disease areas, driving integrated cross‑functional product and disease strategies.
- Set and oversee the globalMedical Affairs strategy, including medical plans of action (POAs) and priority cross‑functional initiatives.
- Serve as a senior medical thought partner, ensuring strategies are grounded in science, clinical practice, and patient need.
Evidence Generation & Launch Excellence
- Providestrategic direction, medical monitoring, and operational oversightfor evidence generation activities, in close collaboration with cross‑functional partners.
- Lead Medical Affairs contributions tolaunch planning, ensuring scientific readiness and excellence in execution across regions.
- Provide medical expert input intoglobal product developmentto support robust, differentiated data packages.
Insights, Scientific Exchange & External Engagement
- Systematically capture and synthesizeinternal and external insights, translating them into actionable strategies and activities.
- Engage with the global medical community, building and maintaining a strongthought leader and expert network.
- Represent Global Medical Affairs atnational and international scientific congresses, professional societies, and stakeholder forums.
Team Leadership & Operational Management
- Ensure thecontinuous development and trainingof Medical Affairs team members, strengthening disease‑area and functional expertise.
- Provide oversight of thedisease area budget, ensuring appropriate investment and resource stewardship.
- Contribute to and lead broaderorganizational initiativesat departmental, national, and international levels.
Cross‑Functional & Regional Collaboration
- Collaborate effectively and compliantly with colleagues inClinical Research, Sales, Marketing, Market Access, and PVE, supporting shared objectives.
- Contribute to the development and execution ofregional and country Medical Affairs plans, providing global strategic guidance where required.
- Stay current withMedical Affairs best practices and scientific advances, applying learnings to continuously elevate team performance.
Knowledge, Experience and Skills:
- Doctorate degree (MD, PhD, PharmD or equivalent).
- 12+ yearsof experience in Medical Affairs and/or clinical research.
Preferred Qualifications
- Strong clinical and/or scientific expertise inauto immune diseases, and/or cellular therapies.
- Demonstrated success leading in aglobal, matrix environment.
- Proven commitment topatient‑centric values, ethics, and compliance.
- Strategic mindset with a collaborative, results‑driven leadership style.
- Excellent organisational, prioritisation, and communication skills.
- Ability to work independently in a fast‑paced, international setting.
- Willingness to travel approximately35%.
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 themoncurrent performance and future potential. They ensure employees are receivingthe feedbackand 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: $255,425.00 - $330,550.00. 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
* Eligible employees may participate in benefit plans, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.
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. Sign up to follow @KitePharma on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kitepharma.
