Gilead Sciences, Inc. Posted October 27, 2026

Sr Director, Quality Control

La Verne, United States Full time
Quality Senior Director
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Gilead Sciences, 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

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

Key Responsibilities

QC Strategy & Operations

Lead and oversee all Quality Control functions at the site, including analytical, microbiology, raw materials, in-process, drug substance, drug product, and stability programs across small molecule and biologics platforms

Define and execute the site QC strategy, aligned with global quality and business objectives

Ensure effective support of commercial manufacturing, PPQ, technical transfers, and new product introduction

Ensure QC operations meet global GMP requirements and maintain a continuous state of inspection readiness

Represent QC during regulatory inspections and audits, ensuring strong compliance and data integrity standards

Technical Capability Strengthening & People Leadership

Build and strengthen technical capabilities across the QC organization, including analytical expertise, method lifecycle management, and adoption of advanced technologies

Establish and drive capability development strategies, including structured training, knowledge management, and technical succession planning

Build, develop, and lead a high-performing QC organization with strong engagement and accountability

Foster a quality culture emphasizing scientific rigor, continuous learning, collaboration, and accountability

Ensure the organization is equipped to support evolving portfolio needs across small molecule and biologics

Global Alignment, Lean Labs & Continuous Improvement

Contribute to and lead QC network harmonization and global initiatives, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards and practices

Drive adoption of global QC policies, systems, and best practices at the site

Partner with global QC leadership and cross-site teams to enable standardization and capability building

Lead and embed Lean Laboratory principles to improve workflow efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance throughput

Establish the strategic direction for QC technology, innovation, digitalization, automation, and continuous improvement

Partner cross-functionally (Manufacturing, MSAT, QA, Regulatory, Supply Chain) to ensure aligned execution and reliable product supply

Knowledge:

Experience providing strategic oversight for commercial manufacturing, PPQ, new product introduction, and method transfers, ensuring robust analytical capabilities across the product lifecycle

Experience contributing to or leading global QC initiatives, network harmonization, and cross-site collaboration efforts, with an enterprise mindset

Proven ability to balance technical rigor, compliance, and business needs, ensuring effective and timely decision-making

Strong people leadership and talent development capabilities, including building high-performing teams, developing future leaders, and strengthening organizational capability

Excellent cross-functional leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence at both site and executive levels

Required:

Bachelor’s degree in a scientific discipline and 14+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical industry, with significant leadership experience in Quality Control within a GMP-regulated environment required OR

Masters degree in a scientific discipline and 12+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical industry, with significant leadership experience in Quality Control within a GMP-regulated environment required OR

PhD in a scientific discipline and 12+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical industry, with significant leadership experience in Quality Control within a GMP-regulated environment required

Recognized technical leader with deep expertise in analytical sciences and Quality Control across small molecule and biologics, and a demonstrated ability to make sound, science-based decisions in complex and ambiguous situations

Proven experience building and leading strong, technically capable QC organizations, with a focus on developing scientific depth, critical thinking, and problem-solving capabilities across teams

Strong knowledge of global GMP regulations, inspection management, and data integrity (ALCOA+), with a proven track record supporting regulatory inspections (FDA, EMA, PMDA)

Demonstrated ability to drive Lean Laboratory principles and a continuous improvement mindset, including process optimization, digitalization, and automation to enhance lab efficiency and performance

Preferred:

MS, PhD (advanced degree) in a scientific discipline preferred

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

Job details

Seniority
Senior Director
Function
Quality
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
La Verne, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Quality role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 77 comparable Senior Director Quality roles across 29 biopharma companies.

77Comparable roles tracked
73Currently active
29Companies hiring similar roles
16Countries represented

Salary context

40 of 77 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject $221,000/yr – $286,000/yr
Lowest disclosed · Sr. Director - Quality Control Laboratories · Lilly $163,500/yr – $239,800/yr
Highest disclosed · VP, Quality Assurance · City Therapeutics $340,000/yr – $360,000/yr
Peer group range $201,650 – $350,000 (median $241,313)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 77 comparable roles

United States61
Japan2
Croatia1
Germany1
Belgium1
Italy1

+ 10 more countries

Seniority mix

77 of 77 peers have a known seniority level

Director46
Senior Director24
Executive/VP7

Therapeutic area mix

0 of 77 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

No peers with a known therapeutic area yet.

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Lilly Huntsville, Alabama, United States of America Senior Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Huntsville, Alabama, United States of America Senior Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) Boston, United States Senior Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) Boston, United States Senior Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Vertex UK Int'l HQ/R&D Boston, United States Senior Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) Boston, United States Senior Director
Same function Same seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

Or follow a whole field: get every new Quality job in the United States, and choose locations and companies.

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.

60%
Sr. Director - API Manufacturing Quality Assurance
Lilly · Huntsville, Alabama, United States of America · Senior Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior Director, GCP Quality
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) · Boston, United States · Senior Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Sr. Director, Clinical QA
Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. · US CA San Diego, United States · Senior Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Sr Director, ERP GMP Quality Lead
Gilead Sciences, Inc. · Foster City, United States · Senior Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
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.