Kite Pharma, Inc. Posted September 11, 2026

Lab Ops Specialist I

Frederick, United States Full time
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Kite Pharma, Inc. is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

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

Everyone at Kite is grounded by one common goal – curing cancer. Every single day, we seek to establish a direct line between that purpose and our day-to-day work. Join us in our mission!

**** NOTE: Overnight Shift  ****

Responsibilities (include but are not limited to):

Perform testing of raw materials, intermediates, and final products by following analytical methods: Cell based bioassays, Flow Cytometry, ELISA and qPCR assays.

Work with internal and external resources to maintain lab in an optimal state.

Assist with monitoring and trending data, complete routine record review of test data and related documents for in-process testing, drug substance and drug product release. Supply information to support generation of CoAs for product release.

Maintains laboratory instruments for calibration and routine maintenance

Author or revise SOPs, qualification/validation protocols and reports.

Asist with lab investigations regarding out of specifications (OOS) results. Participate in determination of root cause for deviations related to analytical procedures.

Provide updates at daily and weekly meetings.

Monitor the GMP systems currently in place to ensure compliance with documented policies.

Review proposed changes to systems, procedures, methods, and submissions to regulatory agencies, as appropriate.

Gather metric information for use in continuous improvement of areas of responsibility.

Perform other duties as required.

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree OR

AA Degree and 2+ years’ experience in biotechnology or related field and Quality Control experience OR

High School Degree and 3+ years’ experience in biotechnology or related field and Quality Control experience

Preferred Qualifications:

Thorough knowledge of GMP, SOPs and quality control processes.

Identifying, writing, evaluating, and closing OOS’s and investigations.

Proficient in MS Word, Excel, Power Point and other applications.

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Ability to communicate and work independently with scientific/technical personnel.

Well versed in various analytical techniques such as Flow Cytometry, ELISAs, PCR, and cell bioassays and other applicable methods to the testing of biopharmaceuticals.

Working knowledge of quality systems and regulatory requirements (21 CRF Part 11/210/211).

Preferred: Experience in the biotech and/or pharmaceutical industry.

Potential shifts are Sunday – Wednesday or Wednesday – Saturday. Business need may require alternate work schedule.

The salary range for this position is: $69,445.00 - $89,870.00. 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.

Job details

Seniority
Not listed
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Frederick, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 466 comparable Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 63 biopharma companies.

466Comparable roles tracked
415Currently active
63Companies hiring similar roles
19Countries represented

Salary context

156 of 466 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function. This posting doesn't list a seniority level, so peers aren't narrowed by seniority either -- the range below may span more levels than usual.

This roleSubject $69,445/yr – $89,870/yr
Highest disclosed · Executive Director, Biotherapeutics DMPK · Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) $268,000/yr – $402,000/yr
Peer group range $0 – $335,000 (median $169,095)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 466 comparable roles

United States350
Germany18
India18
United Kingdom12
Switzerland11
Canada11

+ 13 more countries

Seniority mix

373 of 466 peers have a known seniority level

Senior117
Principal82
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc52
Director39
Associate25
Associate Director23
Senior Director15
Executive/VP11
Manager9

Therapeutic area mix

61 of 466 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology27
Cardiovascular / CVRM8
Neuroscience8
Immunology7
Vaccines & Infectious Disease3
Respiratory3
Rare Disease3
Ophthalmology1
Gastroenterology1

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How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

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Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.