Director, Analytical Operations

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
 

Job Summary

The Director of Laboratory Automation will serve as a technical and strategic leader within the Analytical Development (AD) organization, responsible for the design, implementation, and management of automated platforms and workflows.  You will be responsible for transforming manual sample preparation schemes, HPLC/GC-MS analysis, and data processing into seamless, continuous high-throughput operations, sustaining an enterprise-wide automation vision that accelerates method development timelines, improves data quality, and enhances laboratory capacity. This individual will partner closely other stakeholders in PDM and  IT/Digital to drive digital transformation across method development, sample management, and high-throughput platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the Analytical Development lab automation strategy and multi-year roadmap aligned to pipeline, capability needs, and digital/IT strategy.

• Lead selection, development, deployment, and lifecycle management of automation platforms (e.g., liquid handlers, robotics, integrated analytical systems) across AD laboratories.

• Partner with AD functional leaders to identify high-value use cases and translate scientific workflows into standardized, scalable automated processes.

• Supervise integration of HPLC, GC, and MS instruments with robotics for continuous automated testing.

• Work closely with Tech Dev and IT stakeholder in the integration of automation with informatics (LIMS/ELN/SDMS), scheduling, data pipelines to enable end-to-end digital workflows and data integrity.

• Establish and maintain governance for automation demand intake, prioritization, standards, and portfolio tracking (value realization, throughput, quality, and cycle time).

• Build and lead a high-performing team (automation engineers, application scientists, and/or system owners); coach, develop, and hire as needed.

• Manage vendor and partner relationships.

• Oversee capital planning and operating budgets for automation investments; develop business cases and ROI models.

• Develop training, support, and sustainment models to ensure robust adoption, uptime, and user satisfaction.

• Promote a culture of safety, quality, and continuous improvement; apply Lean/continuous improvement principles to laboratory workflows.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Engineering, Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or related field; or MS/BS with commensurate experience.

• 8+ years of relevant experience in pharmaceutical/biotech analytical development and laboratory automation with Ph.D., 10+ years with MS and 12+years with BS.

• Demonstrated success delivering automated, integrated laboratory workflows that improve throughput, quality, and cycle time.

• Hands-on experience with common automation and integration technologies (e.g., liquid handling platforms, robotic arms, plate handling, barcode/RFID, vision systems) and laboratory middleware.

• Experience integrating automation with LIMS/ELN/SDMS and data systems; familiarity with API-based integration and data pipelines

• Strong understanding of analytical development workflows (e.g., method development/qualification, characterization, stability, sample management) and associated instrumentation.

• Strong knowledge of data integrity principles

• Proven ability to influence across functions (AD, Process Chemistry, Formulation, IT/Digital, Quality, Procurement, Facilities/EHS) and communicate with executive