The posting
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 Associate Director, Project & Portfolio Management will provide strategic leadership for project and portfolio management capabilities across Tech Ops. This role will focus on building, reshaping, and advancing a PPM Center of Excellence by defining fit-for-purpose methodology, standards, tools, templates, training, and adoption strategies that enable consistent and practical ways of working across cross-functional teams.
This individual will not simply manage project reporting or timelines. They will be expected to design future-state PPM practices, improve portfolio visibility, and influence a dotted-line network of PPM representatives across the organization. Success in this role will require strong change leadership, practical process design, and the ability to build buy-in with stakeholders before implementing new standards or ways of working.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of project and portfolio management methodology, standards, and operating practices across Tech Ops.
- Build and scale a PPM Center of Excellence by creating practical tools, templates, playbooks, training, and guidance that teams can adopt and use effectively.
- Assess current PPM maturity across functions and identify the highest-value improvements to strengthen planning quality, execution discipline, portfolio visibility, and decision-making.
- Design future-state ways of working that create consistency while allowing flexibility for different initiative types, team needs, and business priorities.
- Drive adoption of new PPM practices through stakeholder engagement, change management, training, coaching, and practical implementation support.
- Influence and align a dotted-line network of PPM representatives and cross-functional partners in a matrixed environment, without direct people management authority.
- Partner with leaders and teams to translate complex PPM frameworks into clear, actionable guidance that supports business-relevant execution.
- Define and monitor portfolio metrics that measure process effectiveness, identify risks and trends, and highlight opportunities for continuous improvement.
- Foster a collaborative culture of accountability, learning, continuous improvement, and capability-building across Tech Ops.
Basic Qualifications
- PhD / Doctorate with 2+ years of relevant experience OR
- Master's Degree with 8+ years of relevant experience OR
- Bachelor's Degree with 10+ years of relevant experience OR
- High School Diploma/GED with 14+ years of relevant experience.
Preferred Qualifications
- 10+ years of relevant experience preferred, with a strong background in project management, portfolio management, PMO, PPM Center of Excellence, or operating model design.
- Biotech or pharma experience preferred, but not required if the candidate has strong PPM capability-building experience.
- Experience building, improving, or maturing PPM capabilities, not only managing project execution, timelines, or reporting.
- Demonstrated experience creating methodology, governance models, standards, frameworks, tools, templates, playbooks, training, and adoption plans.
- Strong ability to assess PPM maturity and identify practical, high-value improvements across teams or functions.
- Experience leading change in a matrixed environment, including driving adoption, managing stakeholder impact, and helping teams adjust to new ways of working.
- Strong influence without authority, with the ability to align cross-functional stakeholders and dotted-line partners around shared PPM practices.
- Ability to translate complex frameworks, processes, and portfolio insights into clear, practical guidance for leaders and teams.
- Experience defining portfolio visibility, metrics, and reporting that show process effectiveness, risks, trends, and improvement opportunities.
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: $177,905.00 - $230,230.00. 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.
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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 [email protected] 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.
