Associate Director, Commercial Excellence IT

Getting Hired; Uxbridge; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A global biopharmaceutical company seeks an experienced Associate Director, Commercial Excellence IT to support affiliates globally. This key role involves serving as a technology partner, driving innovation in CRM, and managing cross-functional initiatives to improve commercial operations. Candidates should have extensive experience in commercial IT, particularly with CRM platforms like Veeva. Strong leadership and technical skills are essential for success in this transformative role.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5+ years’ experience in a similar role, ideally within commercial IT or life sciences.
• Extensive experience with Veeva CRM and Events Management.
• Strong understanding of sales operations processes.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic technology advisor to business partners.
• Lead the delivery of complex technology initiatives.
• Define and maintain the strategic roadmap for CRM capabilities.

Skills

CRM implementation

Cross-functional team management

Technical solution design

Agile methodologies

Vendor management

Education

Bachelor's Degree

PhD

Tools

Veeva CRM

Salesforce

AWS

RESTful APIs

Job description

Overview

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

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a leading biopharmaceutical company dedicated to advancing global health through scientific innovation. For over three decades, Gilead has been at the forefront of developing transformative therapies for life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis, and cancer. Headquartered in Foster City, California, Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide.

As part of our commitment to improving lives, we foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment where every individual is valued and empowered to contribute meaningfully. At Gilead, you will join a mission-driven team focused on discovering, developing, and delivering innovative therapeutics that make a real difference.

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Associate Director, Commercial Excellence IT (Ex-US) to join our Commercial IT organization. This strategic role will serve as the Capability Lead for Commercial Excellence, supporting affiliates across Australia, Canada, Europe (ACE), Asia, and Latin America. The successful candidate will act as a trusted technology partner to the business, driving innovation and enabling key capabilities—primarily focusing on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Events Management.

This role will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including Global Commercial Operations, Marketing, Medical Affairs, Business Conduct, and IT. It will be instrumental in shaping and executing technology strategies from ideation through delivery, ensuring alignment with business objectives and maximizing value.

The ideal candidate will bring deep technical expertise, a problem-solving mindset, and a forward-thinking approach to technology. This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of commercial excellence at Gilead, contributing to our mission of creating a healthier world for all. Gilead is currently in the process of selecting its Next Generation Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution, a strategic initiative aimed at transforming commercial capabilities across its global operations. This role will play a leading part in the implementation of the new CRM platform across all ex-US affiliates, ensuring alignment with business needs, innovation and driving operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic technology advisor to cross-functional business partners—including Commercial, Marketing, Medical Affairs, and Compliance—across ex-US affiliates, translating complex business priorities into scalable, high-impact technology solutions that drive measurable value
• Lead the end-to-end delivery of complex technology initiatives, from ideation and architecture through deployment and sustainment, ensuring alignment with enterprise strategy and business needs.
• Define and maintain the strategic roadmap for CRM and Events Management capabilities, collaborating with business stakeholders, product owners, and ecosystem teams such as Data & Analytics.
• Partnering with CRM and Events Management Capability Managers, serve as the focal point for IT within the Commercial Excellence ex-US, consolidating regional business needs into prioritized technology roadmaps and actionable delivery plans
• Oversee the technical design, development, and implementation of integrated solutions, ensuring adherence to architectural standards, regulatory requirements, and delivery methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid).
• Manage cross-functional teams and vendor partnerships to deliver new platforms and features with agility, velocity, and quality, while optimizing cost and operational efficiency.
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies and practices to enable innovation, competitive differentiation, and strategic capability enablement across the Commercial ecosystem.
• Guide solution architecture and delivery planning, ensuring appropriate project governance, resource allocation, and risk mitigation across multiple concurrent initiatives.
• Collaborate with sourcing and procurement teams on RFPs, vendor evaluations, contract readiness, and capability assessments, ensuring alignment with Gilead’s standards for quality, security, and compliance.
• Monitor industry trends in CRM, HCP engagement, and digital engagement platforms, translating insights into product strategies and adoption plans that drive measurable business value.
• Lead strategic planning and budgeting for Commercial IT portfolios, ensuring alignment with regional business strategies and global IT frameworks.
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement and change management, ensuring successful adoption of new technologies through training, communication, business change management and post-deployment optimization.
• Represent Commercial IT in governance forums, architecture reviews, and external briefings, advocating for scalable, standardized solutions that support global-to-local harmonization.
• Mentor and develop team members, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous learning.

Requirements

We are all different, yet we all use our unique contributions to serve patients. Please see the following for the qualifications and skills we seek for this role.

Basic Qualification

• Associates Degree and Twelve Years Experience OR Bachelor\'s Degree and Ten Years’ Experience OR Masters\' Degree and Eight Years’ Experience OR PhD and Two Years’ Experience.

Preferred Qualification

• Minimum 5+ years’ experience in a similar role, ideally within commercial IT or life sciences, with a strong track record of delivering major programmes and managing cross-functional teams.
• Extensive experience with Veeva CRM and Veeva Events Management, with exposure to Vault Platform and the Salesforce ecosystem.
• Strong understanding of field force effectiveness and sales operations processes, with the ability to translate business needs into scalable IT solutions.
• Strategic IT planning experience, including development of technology roadmaps aligned with business goals and priorities.
• Experience delivering cross-functional and cross-geographical IT solutions, with comfort engaging senior leadership and business stakeholders across a matrixed organisation.
• Familiarity with SDLC methodologies, including Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid, and product-centric approaches, and experience applying DevOps principles and CI/CD practices.
• Experience with integration tools such as Informatica and AWS AppFlow, and a solid understanding of solution architecture and integration protocols.
• Proficiency in API technologies, including RESTful APIs and platforms such as Apigee, with the ability to lead teams in designing robust and secure integration architectures.
• Strong enterprise technology knowledge, including cloud computing (e.g., AWS), platform architecture, and system integration, with the ability to assess capabilities and limitations.
• Proven ability to manage Managed Service Providers and Systems Integrators, ensuring delivery quality, governance, and vendor accountability.

Gilead Core Values:

• Integrity (Doing What’s Right)
• Inclusion (Encouraging Diversity)
• Teamwork (Working Together)
• Excellence (Being Your Best)
• Accountability (Taking Personal Responsibility)

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

It is the policy of Gilead Sciences, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively "Gilead" or the "Company") to recruit select and employ the most qualified persons available for positions throughout the Company. Except if otherwise provided by applicable law, all employment actions relating to issues such as compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, returns from layoffs, company-sponsored training, education assistance, social and recreational programs are administered on a non-discriminatory basis (i.e. without regard to protected characteristics or prohibited grounds, which may include an individual’s gender, race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, medical condition, veteran status, and age, unless such protection is prohibited by federal, state, municipal, provincial, local or other applicable laws). Gilead also prohibits discrimination based on any other characteristics protected by applicable laws.

For Current Gilead Employees and Contractors: Please apply via the Internal Career Opportunities portal in Workday.