Executive Director, R&D Program Finance - Foster City, CA

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
 

The Executive Director, R&D Program Finance, serves as the senior finance leader responsible for shaping and driving financial strategy across Gilead’s oncology and inflammation portfolio. This leader acts as the strategic business partner to the R&D organization, ensuring that financial insights, rigorous business case evaluations, and value focused decision frameworks meaningfully influence pipeline investment, portfolio optimization, and long range planning.  This role leads and develops a high performing Program Finance organization that partners directly with senior executives and their teams across Development, Commercial, PDM, and Finance.

Office Location: Foster City, CA

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Establish and deliver on vision to position the Program Finance team as a critical strategic partner enabling high‑quality, value‑based decisions across the development portfolio.

• Lead the evolution from study‑level cost support to end‑to‑end business case leadership with a focus on value creation.

Stakeholder Influence & Executive Engagement

• Build trusted partnerships with SVP/VP stakeholders across Development, Commercial, PDM, and Finance.

• Ensure Finance is recognized as a critical and required voice in PC materials, BD materials, and strategic reviews.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Build and develop a diverse, high‑impact team capable of influencing senior R&D leaders and challenging assumptions with data‑driven insights.

• Set a high bar for People Leader accountabilities—fostering inclusion, proactive coaching, and rigorous talent development for all leaders in the Program Finance LT.

• Assess team capabilities regularly and address gaps related to financial modeling, strategic thinking, communication, and cross‑functional influence.

Operational & Process Excellence

• Oversee high‑quality financial assessments for PC decisions, BD evaluations, Portfolio Review, and Long Range Planning —ensuring financial insights are material, timely, and influence outcomes.

• Embed standardized methodologies (e.g., NPV, risk‑adjusted frameworks, scenario modeling) across all program teams.

• Drive continuous simplification and automation of financial processes, enabling faster and more reliable insights (e.g., IPE simplification, rolling forecast enablement).

• Ensure robust financial governance, policy adherence, and audit‑ready processes (e.g., SOX, EY compliance).

Basic Qualifications:

• 15+ years in R&D Finance or related strategic finance roles in biopharma.

• Strategic, systems‑level thinker who distills complexity into clear, actionable decisions, enabling teams and senior leaders to navigate ambiguity with confidence.

• Builder of high‑performing teams and talent, with a strong track record of coaching, elevating emerging leaders, and cultivating an inclusive environment where people can grow and excel.

• Executive presence with exceptional storytelling and influence skills, capable of framing insights in a way that shapes decisions, aligns stakeholders, and accelerates enterprise impact.

• Proactive change leader who challenges the status quo constructively, inspires continuous improvement, and leads teams through transformation with optimism, resilience, and clarity.

• Collaborative, solutions‑oriented partner grounded in Gilead’s Core Values, fostering trust, accountability, and cross‑functional alignment to deliver outcomes that advance the enterprise.

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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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 ApplicantAccommodations@gilead.com for assistance.

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

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Gilead Sciences will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, (c) consistent with the  legal duty to furnish information; or (d) otherwise protected by law.
 

Our environment respects individual differences and recognizes each employee as an integral member of our company. Our workforce reflects these values and celebrates the individuals who make up our growing team.

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.

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