Sr. Director, Public Affairs: Strategy, Analytics & Communication Operations

Job Description

Gilead Sciences seeks an exceptional business-focused communications executive to lead the global planning for the public affairs function and to direct the development of functional excellence programs for this team. This role covers planning, strategic operations and excellence for all disciplines of public affairs including therapeutic area communications, patient advocacy, corporate communications, internal communications, corporate citizenship and Health and Black equity.

This role requires an influential, effective and bold leader who is able to work with the Senior Vice President Public Affairs, the Public Affairs Leadership Team and cross functional leaders such as Commercial, Government Affairs and Medical Affairs, to set the strategic priorities for the function and bring it all together into a coherent public affairs strategic plan that drives our business goals and enhances and protects our brand and company reputation.

This role will be based in Foster City, California, reports to the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs (SVP), and will be an integral member of the Global Public Affairs Leadership Team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the development of the Global Strategic Public Affairs plan, setting annual strategic priorities aligned to our business strategy, defining areas where public affairs can have the greatest impact on our business and reputation, and working synergistically with the SVP and Public Affairs Leadership Team to implement this strategy to public affairs teams across the world.
• Ensure public affairs strategy and planning occurs in synergy with the commercial business planning cycle, (global to local), ensuring that individual public affairs teams are coordinated with each other and that affiliates are briefed in a timely manner to develop their local executional plans.
• Build powerful two-way relationships with the Public Affairs Leadership Team and key cross-functional business leaders, and bring in broader internal and external insights to ensure the function is responding in a coherent, coordinated way to address immediate and long term
• Develop dashboards, processes and systems to enable integrated operations for communications and public affairs channels.
• Identify areas where public affairs counsel and influence can be strengthened within internal teams such as R&D Development, Medical, Commercial and Government Affairs.
• Drive efficiency, excellence and scalability in the public affairs function by overseeing priority function-wide projects such as improved planning and processes, metrics and evaluation, and people/culture development. Including the research, benchmarking and analysis of data to optimize program outcomes.
• Aid the SVP PA with preparation for the Public Affairs Leadership Team meetings, including agenda development, speaker briefings and managing meeting outputs. Manage the cadence for Leadership Team meetings and other communications touchpoints.
• Ensure SVP PA is prepared for key meetings with essential information and the detail to answer critical questions. Represent the SVP PA at senior meetings, as required.
• Partner with HR to develop competency development plans, in areas such as community engagement, advocacy, digital/social, therapy area science, media relations skills and business acumen.
• Develop metrics for success, monitoring progress and outcomes. Apply data and insights to drive key objectives and establish reputational KPIs across our public affairs program.
• Leverage data and insights to advise and influence business and reputation decisions in real time. Experience in digital analytics and AI empowered processes is preferred.
• Collaborate with functional leaders and Finance to develop and manage the annual budget planning for the function, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and efficient resource allocation across teams.
• Lead change management initiatives within the function, ensuring smooth transitions during organizational shifts or strategic pivots. This includes aligning the Public Affairs team with the evolving business needs, technologies, or market conditions.

Knowledge, Experience and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree plus minimum of 15+ years of business transformation, strategy and operations experience. Some relevant experience in public affairs and communications is preferred.
• Demonstrated track record of Leadership Team expertise, managing high profile programs and issues, partnering with senior leaders to drive business goals. Including the ability to build consensus and to listen and challenge appropriately.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, to draw out diverse views, and to show tact and discretion in challenging situations.
• Proven ability to effectively manage complex and ambiguous projects, influence stakeholders without authority, effectively network across the organization and communicate with senior leaders all within a fast moving, challenging and dynamic commercial environment.

Comprehensive understanding of the biopharmaceutical industry, R&D and product commercialization, including the regulatory framework