Project Controls and Governance Manager

This position resides within Gilead’s Corporate Engineering and Facilities (CEF) Department, located in Foster City, California, and supports Gilead’s headquarters, international sites, and affiliated Kite Pharma research and manufacturing facilities.

As a Project Controls and Governance Manager, you will develop and execute project governance processes to drive successful capital project outcomes for small and large capital projects across a diverse project portfolio. Focus areas will include definition and documentation of optimal project execution practices and tools, risk management, scope and cost change control, reporting / auditing, and client stakeholder engagement. This role is highly collaborative and works cross-functionally with project teams, construction partners, financial analysts, and senior leaders. It requires a dynamic problem solver with a robust process improvement toolset, a good understanding of project execution and governance processes, and the ability to comfortably engage both functional leadership and project team members.

Responsibilities

Project Execution Governance and Tools

• Maintain Gilead CEF Capital Projects Guide (CPG) with current process guidance, standard templates, and best-in-class shared example documents.

• Engage with project teams to identify process gaps and opportunities for improvement or application of best practices.

• Drive processes for capture and sharing of project lessons learned.

• Leverage process improvement tools and methodologies to facilitate process redesign or refinement.

• Manage communication and training for revised processes.

• Manage CEF new staff onboarding program for CEF processes and norms.

Project Risk Management

• Define and drive processes for project risk identification, assessment, mitigation, and communication.

• Facilitate project risk register reviews and mitigation action plan definition.

• Summarize top risks and mitigation actions across Gilead CEF project portfolio

• Analyze project contingency allocation vs. assessed budget risks, including use of probability modeling / Monte Carlo tools.

Project Scope and Cost Change Control

• Ensure project teams have clearly defined scope and charter relevant to the project size and complexity.

• Drive standard governance processes for scope change control and management (e.g., scope change log and budget / cost impact reporting).

• Review project cost estimates to confirm that defined project scope has been fully incorporated in the project basis of estimate.

• Provide guidance to project teams on required scope elements / costs based on project experience and lessons learned.

• Develop standard practices for team review of contractor invoices and potential change requests.

Reporting / Auditing

• Produce portfolio-level financial dashboards, KPIs, and standardized reports to communicate total project cost and risk performance to executive stakeholders.

• Assist project teams with developing Project Execution Plans (PEP) with defined deliverables and stage gate reviews appropriate for project cost and complexity.

• Develop and maintain metrics to assess conformance with expected project controls governance processes (e.g., funding, sourcing/procurement, contract review, invoice review and approval, change order approval).

• Review project stage gate conformance summary reports.

• Assist project teams with self-assessment of financial audit readiness.

• Develop and maintain program for internal financial audit readiness assessment (e.g., “spot check” compliance audits and reporting for portfolio leads).

• Assist project teams with collecting required documents and responses during financial audits.

Client Stakeholder Management

• Establish and attend CEF “Deep Dive” reviews at the project or portfolio level.

• Assist teams with establishing appropriate client stakeholder governance for large / complex projects.

• Facilitate portfolio / program level coordination meetings (e.g., International Projects Portfolio coordination, capital planning process, annual budget updates).

Process Improvement and Data-Driven Insights

• Spearhead process improvement initiatives involving project cost workflows, system integration, and contracting strategies to enhance cost governance and reporting across the portfolio.

• Research and integrate industry-best practices, lessons-learned, and retrospective financial analysis into ongoing processes.

• Maintain interactive dashboards or reports using business intelligence (BI) tools, including Tableau, Power BI, or similar platforms, to improve portfolio reporting techniques.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless use of Project Management Information Systems (PMIS) and Business Intelligence (BI) platforms for data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree and Seven Years’ Experience

OR

Masters' Degree and Five Years’ Experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Economics, Finance, Statistics, Information Technology, or a related discipline.

• 7+ years of experience in project cost controls, portfolio management, or similar roles within the construction, engineering, or facilities domain.

Proven experience with:

• Portfolio cost and risk management techniques across multiple projects.

• Data analytics, business intelligence platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, SQL), or project management systems (PMIS).

• Risk management software (e.g., Monte Carlo solutions)

Skills and Competencies

• Strong foundational knowledge of cost management principles, financial reporting, and accounting practices specific to capital projects.

• Proficient in application of process improvement methodologies and tools to facilitate process improvement initiatives.

• Demonstrated leadership in process improvement initiatives, data systems optimization, and tracking/reporting tool development.

• Familiarity with construction/engineering project workflows, including contract administration, procurement, and earned value management.

• Excellent organizational and communication skills

Preferred Experience

• Experience with integrating PMIS and BI systems to enhance reporting capabilities across project portfolios.

• Familiarity with the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries, including facilities development or operations.

• Strong analytical curiosity and the ability to execute new initiatives independently with minimal guidance.

Key Success Factors

• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams across geographies and disciplines.

• Strong analytical capabilities with a proactive approach to problem-solving and process improvement.

• Proficient in managing competing priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment while delivering high-quality results.

• Demonstrated enthusiasm for leveraging data and technology to drive better decision-making and process efficiency.

This role provides an exciting opportunity to contribute to Gilead’s mission by driving effective portfolio cost management and capital planning for innovative projects that shape the future of the organization’s facilities and operations.

Job Requirements:

• Job Type: Full-time, On Site 5 days a week

• Work Location: CA - Foster City

• Physical requirements: Candidate must be comfortable working in construction sites wearing required PPE and must be able to lift up to 25 lbs. Must be able to climb construction ladders or stairs. Must be able to visually inspect construction job site routinely and compare against target milestones.

• Travel Requirements: < 5% as needed only for projects outside of Foster City