Gilead Sciences, Inc. Posted September 8, 2026

Sr Research Associate, FPD

Foster City, United States Full time
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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

Job Description

Small Molecule Formulation and Process Development (FPD) provide formulation, process, and manufacturing support and technical expertise throughout research and development, from pre-exploratory to commercialization. A Sr. Research Associate within FPD may support teams conducting compounding screening to enable drug candidate selection, drug substance physio/chemical property assessment and form selection, development of clinical formulations and manufacturing processes, small molecule drug product manufacturing tech transfer and scale-up at internal and external sites, oversight of small molecule drug product manufacturing, and establishment a robust DP formulation and optimized manufacturing process to enable commercial production. FPD formulation scientists develop the small molecule formulation and manufacturing process control strategies and authors technical reports, risk assessments, and regulatory filings from IND to NDA. FPD supports DP manufacturing process validation and provides technical expertise throughout post-approval commercial manufacturing and life-cycle management.

Job Responsibilities:

Administrative:

Files and retrieves project-related records.

Maintains the proper functions of laboratories.

Technical:

Operates laboratory instrumentation and/or processing equipment and can train others to conduct simple experiments. Executes and may begin designing low complexity experiments in support of cross-functional projects.

Troubleshoots basic analytical methods and instrument operation. Performs drug substance, drug product intermediate and drug product characterization.

May support manufacturing of development batches for drug product.

Works collaboratively with peers from other departments.

May assist in training less experienced colleagues on techniques required for their duties, while ensuring that quality, safety and environmental standards are maintained.

Summarizes experimental results and presents at team meetings and department presentations.

Authors templated memos and reports with limited guidance.

Safety & Compliance:

Follows Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Policies and FPD-specific Maintains workplace compliance to achieve no violations or major observations during EHS or regulatory agency inspections.

Completes all required safety and GMP training by the required due date.

Ensures that standard operating procedures (SOPs) are followed as written, and required information is recorded properly.

Accurately documents results in electronic lab notebook.

General:

Applies Gilead Core Values and Leadership Commitments to job responsibilities.

Demonstrates good verbal communication and interpersonal skills.

Works with a collaborative communication and problem-solving spirit.

Education & Experience Requirements:

2+ years of experience with BS degree in related scientific discipline.

OR

0+ years of experience with MS degree in related scientific discipline.

The salary range for this position is: $94,945.00 - $122,870.00. 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
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Foster City, 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 221 comparable Senior Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 36 biopharma companies.

221Comparable roles tracked
201Currently active
36Companies hiring similar roles
13Countries represented

Salary context

68 of 221 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 $94,945/yr – $122,870/yr
Lowest disclosed · Sr Research Associate, Biology · Gilead Sciences, Inc. $94,945/yr – $122,870/yr
Peer group range $108,908 – $231,700 (median $175,500)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 221 comparable roles

United States179
India12
United Kingdom5
China's Mainland4
Canada4
Switzerland3

+ 7 more countries

Seniority mix

221 of 221 peers have a known seniority level

Senior116
Principal82
Associate Director23

Therapeutic area mix

26 of 221 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology13
Cardiovascular / CVRM5
Neuroscience3
Immunology2
Respiratory1
Gastroenterology1
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1

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
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60%similar
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60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Senior
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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.

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%
Scientist/Sr Scientist, Discovery Strategy and Operations
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Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
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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.