Gilead Sciences, Inc. Posted July 17, 2026

Senior Director, Gilead Patient Solutions Public Affairs

Foster City, United States Full time
Communications & Public Affairs Senior Director

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

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

At Gilead, our pursuit of a healthier world for all people has led to transformative advances in HIV treatment and prevention, a cure for hepatitis C, and important progress across viral, inflammatory, and oncology diseases. We   set   bold ambitions in our work to address some of the world’s most urgent public health challenges and improve the lives of patients around the globe.

Position Overview

The Gilead Patient Solutions (GPS) team   operates   in almost 140 low-and lower-middle income countries across the world to champion innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes, promote health system sustainability, strengthen   infrastructure   and uplift communities.   The Senior Director, Gilead Patient Solutions Public Affairs, will develop and execute an integrated communications and advocacy strategy that advances   company   priorities, supports sustainable access to innovation for patients, and strengthens Gilead's reputation across a diverse set of countries . You will report to and serve as a trusted deputy and strategic thought partner to the Executive Director, Intercontinental Public Affairs, helping shape priorities across the GPS region, connecting insights across functions and geographies, and ensuring coordinated responses to emerging opportunities and challenges.

The role ensures that patient needs ,   public health , and

Gilead’s   priorities   remain   at the center of communications,   advocacy,   and stakeholder engagement strategies.   It   operates   with a   distinct   global mandate, partnering closely with regional, market, and functional leaders as well   as   international NGOs,   and   patient organizations . This is a high-impact, externally   facing,   and internally connected role for a seasoned public affairs leader. The ideal candidate will bring strong instincts from a complex, regulated, global biotechnology environment and will be comfortable operating across corporate reputation, advocacy, global NGO engagement, internal and external communications, media, issues management and crisis response.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Public Affairs Leadership

Serve as the public affairs partner to GPS leadership, l ead ing   strategies that support patient-centered access to innovation, advance public health priorities, and align communications, advocacy, NGO engagement, and stakeholder outreach for   GPS.

Identify   connections and emerging themes across markets, functions,   stakeholders   and external environments, translating insights into coordinated public affairs strategies and practical action .

Serve as a senior counselor to the Executive Director, ICR and Regional Cross Functional Leadership teams, providing clear recommendations, direct feedback, and practical communications guidance on complex internal and external matters.

Partner closely with colleagues across Public Affairs, Patient Advocacy, Government Affairs,   Value & Access,   Corporate Communications, Commercial,   Medical   and other functions to align strategies and stakeholder engagement approaches .

Bring a global, enterprise-level lens to public affairs planning across   nearly 140   countries, ensuring strategies are locally relevant, culturally informed, and aligned with broader corporate priorities.

External Communications 

Lead external communications strategy for Gilead Patient Solutions reinforcing Gilead’s role as a trusted partner in global health, while ensuring message discipline across and alignment across the enterprise,   regions   and markets.

Create clear, credible, and compliant communications that explain Gilead’s commitments, partnerships, access initiatives, and public health impact to external audiences.

Build proactive storytelling opportunities including executive visibility, thought leadership, milestones, partnerships, and reputation-building initiatives.

Prepare senior leaders for external engagements, media interviews, conferences, panels, NGO meetings, and stakeholder forums.

Global NGO, Advocacy and Stakeholder Engagement

Partner with cross-functional teams on engagement strategies with global NGOs, patient organizations, advocacy coalitions, and other external stakeholders.

Develop and sustain trusted relationships with organizations advancing public health, patient support, healthcare   delivery   and broader community health priorities .

Co-create education, engagement, and capacity-building initiatives with external partners where   appropriate   and compliant.

Partner across markets to ensure stakeholder engagement is coordinated, purposeful, and aligned with local needs, enterprise priorities, and applicable laws and industry standards.

Issues,   Crisis   and Reputation Management

Proactively  identify  and manage potential global and regional issues;  establish  governance, protocols, and response frameworks.

Embed reputation management into program design and apply  data ‑ driven  insights to  monitor  risk and sentiment across geographies.

Draft, review, and guide external statements, press releases, Q&A documents, holding statements, leadership messages, briefing materials, and reactive communications.

Internal Communications and Enterprise Alignment

Partner with global corporate and internal communications teams to integrate GPS priorities into enterprise narratives and employee engagement efforts.

Develop messages, talking points, employee updates, FAQs, internal briefings, leadership presentations, and toolkits that enable consistent communication across markets.

Enable leaders and managers to activate communications and advocacy strategies locally while reinforcing global alignment.

Measurement, Insights & Governance

Define  objectives , KPIs, and leading indicators across advocacy, NGO engagement, and communications programs.

Build and apply dashboards using qualitative and quantitative insights to  ensure  continuous improvement.

L ead  cross ‑ functional  governance, manage budgets with fiscal discipline, and oversee agency and external partner performance.

Manage agency partners and external consultants and manage budgets and resources with fiscal discipline.

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree and at least 14 years’ experience or

Master’s degree and at least 12 years of relevant experience; or

PhD and at least 12 years of relevant experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Significant in-house public affairs, corporate communications, or external affairs experience within a global pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or other highly regulated healthcare organization.

Deep experience leading reputation, communications, stakeholder engagement, and issues management strategies in complex, matrixed environments.

Demonstrated ability to build alignment, influence decision-making, and drive action across functions, regions, and diverse stakeholder groups without direct authority.

Excellent written and verbal communications skills, with proven ability to develop high-quality executive, internal, and external communications materials, including statements, Q&As, briefing documents, leadership messages, and stakeholder communications.

Experience working across global, regional, and local markets, including low- and lower-middle-income countries and/or complex access and public health environments.

Experience engaging with global NGOs, patient organizations, advocacy groups, multilateral stakeholders, or public health coalitions, with   a track record   of developing partnerships and advocacy strategies that support public health and patient-focused   objectives .

Demonstrated ability to   anticipate   challenges, navigate ambiguity, evaluate competing priorities, and provide sound judgement and clear recommendations in dynamic environments.

Strong executive presence and influencing skills, with the ability to advise senior leaders, constructively challenge assumptions, and manage sensitive issues with diplomacy and credibility.

Ability to   operate   with composure and effectiveness under pressure, including during time-sensitive, high-profile, or evolving situations.

Strong understanding of the legal, regulatory, compliance, and reputational considerations associated with communications and stakeholder engagement in the pharmaceutical industry.

Experience supporting geographically dispersed teams and managing priorities across multiple time zones.

Ability to travel   approximately 30 –40%, based on business   needs .

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: $243,100.00 - $314,600.00. 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:

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.

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.

NOTICE: EMPLOYEE POLYGRAPH PROTECTION ACT

YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT

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.

Job details

Seniority
Senior Director
Function
Communications & Public Affairs
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Foster City, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Communications & Public Affairs role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 15 comparable Senior Director Communications & Public Affairs roles across 9 biopharma companies.

15Comparable roles tracked
14Currently active
9Companies hiring similar roles
6Countries represented

Salary context

5 of 15 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject $243,100/yr – $314,600/yr
Highest disclosed · Senior Director, International Trade and Market Access Policy · Pfizer $214,900/yr – $358,100/yr
Peer group range $241,313 – $286,500 (median $252,000)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 15 comparable roles

United States10
China1
United Kingdom1
Belgium1
Singapore1
Japan1

Seniority mix

15 of 15 peers have a known seniority level

Director8
Senior Director5
Executive/VP2

Therapeutic area mix

2 of 15 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Neuroscience1
Oncology1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Gilead Sciences, Inc. Foster City, United States Senior Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Pfizer Washington, DC, United States Senior Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
E.R. Squibb & Sons,L.L.C. Princeton, United States Senior Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
50%similar
Gilead Sciences, Inc. Foster City, United States Director
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Gilead Sciences, Inc. Foster City, United States Director
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Gilead Sciences, Inc. Washington, United States Executive/VP
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Sr Director, Public Affairs, Global Therapeutic Area Communications, HIV Prevention & Cure
Gilead Sciences, Inc. · Foster City, United States · Senior Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
50%
Director, Corporate Storytelling and Editorial Strategy
Gilead Sciences, Inc. · Foster City, United States · Director
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
50%
Executive Director, Neuroscience Communications
E.R. Squibb & Sons,L.L.C. · Princeton, United States · Executive/VP
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
50%
Director, Issue Advocacy & Portfolio Strategy
Novartis · Washington, DC, United States · Director
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.