Senior Director, Quality Control (QC Head)

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 yielded a cure for hepatitis C, revolutionary improvements in HIV treatment and prevention as well as advancements in therapies for viral and inflammatory diseases and certain cancers. 

We set and achieve bold ambitions in our fight against the world’s most devastating diseases, united in our commitment to confronting the largest public health challenges of our day and improving the lives of patients for generations to come.  As the Senior Director, Quality Control (QC Head) at Gilead, you will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and end-to-end oversight of Quality Control operations at the La Verne site across small molecule and biologics products.

This role is accountable for ensuring GMP compliance, inspection readiness, and robust analytical support for commercial manufacturing, pipeline advancement, and lifecycle management. The QC Head partners closely with site and global stakeholders to drive operational excellence, harmonization, and continuous improvement, while ensuring alignment with enterprise quality standards.

The position reports to the Site Head of Quality and is a key member of the site Quality Leadership Team.

This position requires a candidate to be based at our La Verne, CA facility.

Key Responsibilities

1. QC Strategy & Operations

• Lead and oversee all Quality Control functions at the site, including analytical, microbiology, raw materials, in-process, drug substance, drug product, and stability programs across small molecule and biologics platforms

• Define and execute the site QC strategy, aligned with global quality and business objectives

• Ensure effective support of commercial manufacturing, PPQ, technical transfers, and new product introduction

• Ensure QC operations meet global GMP requirements and maintain a continuous state of inspection readiness

• Represent QC during regulatory inspections and audits, ensuring strong compliance and data integrity standards

2. Technical Capability Strengthening & People Leadership

• Build and strengthen technical capabilities across the QC organization, including analytical expertise, method lifecycle management, and adoption of advanced technologies

• Establish and drive capability development strategies, including structured training, knowledge management, and technical succession planning

• Build, develop, and lead a high-performing QC organization with strong engagement and accountability

• Foster a quality culture emphasizing scientific rigor, continuous learning, collaboration, and accountability

• Ensure the organization is equipped to support evolving portfolio needs across small molecule and biologics

3. Global Alignment, Lean Labs & Continuous Improvement

• Contribute to and lead QC network harmonization and global initiatives, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards and practices

• Drive adoption of global QC policies, systems, and best practices at the site

• Partner with global QC leadership and cross-site teams to enable standardization and capability building

• Lead and embed Lean Laboratory principles to improve workflow efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance throughput

• Establish and monitor QC performance metrics (KPIs) and drive continuous improvement, digitalization, and automation

• Partner cross-functionally (Manufacturing, MSAT, QA, Regulatory, Supply Chain) to ensure aligned exec