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Lead / Manager

Executive Director, Talent Acquisition

Confirmed live in the last 24 hours

Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences

Compensation

$281,010.00 - $363,660.00

United States - California - Foster City
On-site
Posted May 6, 2026

Job Description

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
 

Reporting to the Gilead Vice President Global Talent Acquisition, the Executive Director Talent Acquisition will carve the path for TA in our transformation to a leading-edge, scalable, flexible, and efficient function, while continuing our commitment to high-performance and delivery in attracting and recruiting top talent, with a lens toward diversity, across the enterprise.

The Exec. Director will serve as a key Talent Acquisition business partner to business leaders across functions and regions, including Kite, as well as VPs of HR. The Exec. Director will be a member of the Gilead Talent Acquisition Leadership Team (TALT), and will lead the following teams:

  • Capability Recruiting Team (Global) of full-cycle recruiters responsible for high-impact, challenging-to-fill roles across the enterprise (4 FTE – 3 US and 1 Stockley Park)

  • Strategic Talent Sourcing Team (US) focused on pipelining and sourcing diverse talent for roles in the US, with a focus on sourcing top Female, Black and Hispanic/Latino talent in service of our enterprise Aspirational Goals (5 FTE: Lead plus team of 4)

  • Early Talent & University Relations (US) executing Gilead’s US early talent strategy, including summer internship program and intern-FTE conversions (1 FTE)

  • Employer Brand & Talent Attraction (Global) focused on building and executing Gilead’s global employer brand strategy as a competitive differentiator (1 FTE)

  • Candidate Experience (Global) designing and implementing Gilead’s global candidate experience strategy as a value driver (1 FTE)

The Role:

Co-located in Foster City with the VP Talent Acquisition, senior leader clients, and CHRO/VP HR leaders, responsibilities of this of the Exec. Director include, but are not limited to:

  • Serve as a key Talent Acquisition business partner to senior business leaders across functions and geographies, including Kite, as well as VPs of HR

  • Bring forward business insights, workforce/hiring plans long term talent needs partnering with the TALT to translate insights from the business and other stakeholders, including workforce/hiring plans, builds etc. into action with the Core Recruiting Lead and their recruiting team, along with other TA teams (Capability, sourcing, Executive).

  • Lead and develop a team of full-cycle recruiters responsible for high-impact, challenging-to-fill roles across the enterprise, with a strong emphasis on diverse talent, efficiency, and results delivery

  • Lead a significant portion of Gilead’s global Talent Acquisition capabilities and strategy including:

    • Partner with Global Employer Brand Lead with a focus on establishing recruiting advertising campaigns leveraging our EVP for challenging-to-fill roles

    • Partner with Global Candidate Experience Lead to envision impactful and differentiated candidate experience across the enterprise

    • Partner with sourcing lead and develop a highly impactful sourcing team focused on pipelining and sourcing diverse talent for roles in the US, with a focus on sourcing top Female, Black and Hispanic/Latino talent in service of our enterprise Aspirational Goals.

    • Partner with Early Talent University Relations capability lead in the US, delivering pipeline of talent for early career opportunities.

  • Envision and establish new ways of working in partnership with TALT and stakeholders to bring our new model to life.

  • Embed the transformation of our new model and structure, spearheading the streamlining and simplifying of processes to orient focus on the candidate experience.

  • Partner with VP TA, TALT, HRSS, PMO etc. in envisioning the future, and developing and putting plans in place to make this vision a reality

  • Partner with TALT members, People Technology, HRSS and others related to both transformational and continuous improvement process and technology opportunities

  • Identify, share and action talent insights and trends in the external talent marketplace

  • Partner with I&D on diverse events strategy

  • Come to every engagement with an enterprise mindset with an eye toward the future while ensuring team delivery in the moment/near term

  • Build an AI-ready TA Team globally, assessing learning gaps and implementing plans to upskill our TA workforce in AI

Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree with 16+ years of HR experience (in healthcare/biopharma industry preferred), including HR leadership roles at scale,

  • OR

  • Master’s degree/ PhD/PharmD with 14+ years of HR experience (in healthcare/biopharma industry preferred), including HR leadership roles at scale

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience leading teams in remote/hybrid and/or geographic disparate locations in a highly matrixed organization

  • TA leadership experience

  • Demonstrated transformational, enterprise and growth mindset

  • Experience leading and managing with an inclusive approach and high cultural awareness and sensitivity demonstrating a strong degree of emotional intelligence

  • In-depth knowledge of HR and Talent Acquisition nuances and best practices in life sciences, healthcare, or biotech is preferred.

  • Demonstrated passion and commitment to diversity recruitment, including results delivery

  • Demonstrate strong business acumen with the ability to translate business objectives into Talent Acquisition priorities

  • Model strong leadership, accountable for coaching, developing, progressing, and retaining employees and managed services teams while ensuring an inclusive team environment

  • A business partner with the experience and confidence necessary to work with senior executives, HR leaders, and employees at all levels to deliver results

  • Ability to exercise judgment and independently determine and take appropriate action where precedent may not exist

  • AI-ready aptitude to learn, grow, and lead team into an AI enabled future

  • Inspire culture and institute key processes necessary to achieve long and short-term strategic goals

  • Role model for Gilead core values and Leadership Commitments in all actions

  • Comfortable working with ambiguity

People Leader Accountabilities: 

•Create Inclusion - knowing the business value of diverse teams, modeling inclusion, and embedding the value of diversity in the way they manage their teams. 

•Develop Talent - understand the skills, experience, aspirations and potential of their employees and coach them on current performance and future potential. They ensure employees are receiving the feedback and insight needed to grow, develop and realize their purpose. 

•Empower Teams - connect the team to the organization by aligning goals, purpose, and organizational objectives, and holding them to account. They provide the support needed to remove barriers and connect their team to the broader ecosystem. 


 

The salary range for this position is: $281,010.00 - $363,660.00. Gilead 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.


For jobs in the United States:

Gilead Sciences Inc. 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


Gilead Sciences 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.


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


For Current Gilead Employees and Contractors:

Please apply via the Internal Career Opportunities portal in Workday.