Customer Engagement Area Lead - East

We’re here for one reason and one reason only – to cure cancer. Every moment is dedicated to developing treatments and every action moves us one step closer to our goal. We’ve made incredible scientific breakthroughs and our pioneering personalized CAR T-cell therapies have changed the paradigm. But we're not finished yet.

Join Kite, as we make even bigger advances in cancer therapies, and help shape where our business and medical science goes next.

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 Kite and help create more tomorrows.

Job Description

The Zone Director, Cell Therapy Customer Engagement, leads and directs a regional sales organization, setting strategic direction, determining resource needs, and ensuring sustained performance aligned to enterprise and brand objectives. This role requires strong leadership, strategic planning, and effective communication to drive collaboration and deliver results in a field-based environment.

• Reporting relationship: Reports directly to the Head of U.S. Customer Engagement.
• Direct reports: Leads front-line Marketplace Directors who support ATCs and their referral networks.
• Work location: Field-based.

Territory: US East

Candidates should reside within geography

Key Competencies

• Leadership: Builds inclusive, high-performing teams; attracts and develops talent; drives collaboration and accountability.
• Strategic Agility: Develops and executes zone strategies aligned with brand priorities; uses data to track progress and adjust plans.
• Budget Ownership: Plans, forecasts, and manages regional operating budgets; ensures disciplined expense management and optimal allocation of sales resources.
• Execution: Translates strategy into actionable zone plans; optimizes resources; achieves results through disciplined performance management.
• Technical/Clinical Expertise: Possesses a strong understanding of cell therapy, oncology, and field operations (e.g., CRM, compliance); coaches leaders and teams effectively.
• Communication: Communicates clearly and consistently; listens actively; provides direct, constructive feedback.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and Execution

• Lead cross-functional, matrix teams to align execution across Medical, Market Access, Marketing, Operations, and Field.
• Lead priority strategic initiatives that advance organizational objectives.
• Develop and execute zone business plans aligned to brand strategy with matrix partners.
• Cascade strategy to Marketplace Directors; align plans, resources, and activities to territory goals.
• Coach Marketplace Directors; engage key customers to remove barriers and accelerate priorities.
• Provides actionable insights that directly inform national prioritization, resource allocation, and commercial investment decisions.
• Build a high-performing, compliant culture that supports engagement.
• Own readiness and execution for inline and future launches.
• Represents the region/zone at national leadership forums; contributes to enterprise‑level commercialization strategy, organizational capability building, and future‑state planning.
• Serves as a trusted thought partner to peers and senior leadership on evolving market dynamics and future commercial implications.
• Anticipates industry, payer, and treatment paradigm shifts; integrates future trends into regional and national business planning

Team Leadership and Customer Enablement

• Coach and develop first-line leaders; maintain regular field presence with Marketplace Directors and teams.
• Own succession, talent calibration, and readiness planning. Builds a deep bench of promotable leaders through disciplined talent assessment, development planning, and readiness reviews.
• Drive consistent performance management.
• Build an inclusive culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Oversee strategic account plans, support long-term planning and business development
• Plays a key strategic leadership role in cross functional forums with Marketing, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Commercial Operations, CL&D, HR, Legal, and Compliance to ensure successful commercialization, organizational growth, customer engagement, and field effectiveness.
• Standardize performance metrics and operating rhythms to drive execution.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and company policies.
• Partners with HR and senior sales leadership to implement and continuously evolve the customer experience career pathway; develops future regional, zone, and enterprise sales leaders

ATC Expansion

• Align and prioritize ATC expansion with the Head of Customer Engagement and Market Access leadership.
• Support business development by engaging system leaders and identifying new ATC opportunities.

• Legal and Regulatory Compliance
• Ensure ongoing compliance with all laws, regulations, and company policies; confirm required training is completed and current.

Basic Qualifications

• PhD with 12+ years of experience, or

• Master’s degree with 12+ years of experience, or

• Bachelor’s degree with 14+ years of experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Cell therapy/CAR-T commercial experience.15+ years of pharma/biotech (or equivalent) commercial experience in Hematology/Oncology and/or Rare Disease.
• 5+ years of people leadership experience (hiring, development, retention, and succession planning).
• Demonstrated success leading leaders and building high performing regional sales organizations at scale
• Ability to translate brand strategy into zone/marketplace execution; deliver results and adjust using KPIs and insights.
• Deep understanding of the Hem/Onc ecosystem (academic and community), referral dynamics, and complex treatment pathways.
• Track record of leading in a matrix environment and aligning cross-functional partners to drive coordinated execution.
• Demonstrated excellence in performance management and coaching (field presence, observation, feedback, and development planning).
• Working knowledge of compliance, regulatory, and data/privacy requirements for field commercial roles.
• Ability to travel up to 50%.

 

The salary range for this position is: $221,000.00 - $286,000.00. Kite 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.

Kite is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development of innovative cancer immunotherapies with a goal of providing rapid, long-term durable response and eliminating the burden of chronic care. The company is focused on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and T cell receptor (TCR) engineered cell therapies designed to empower the immune system's ability to recognize and kill tumors. Kite is based in Santa Monica, CA. For more information on Kite, please visit www.kitepharma.com. Sign up to follow @KitePharma on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kitepharma.
 

For jobs in the United States:

Kite Pharma 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 ApplicantAccommodations@gilead.com 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

Kite Pharma 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.

Kite Pharma provides a work environment free of harassment and prohibited conduct. We promote and support individual differences and diversity of thoughts and opinion.

For Current Kite Pharma Employees and Contractors:

Please apply via the Internal Career Opportunities portal in Workday.