Associate Director, Supply Chain

Kite Pharma, Inc.; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 165,000 - 214,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus eligibility

Stock-based incentives

Paid time off

Benefits package

Job summary

Kite Pharma, Inc. is seeking a senior program manager to lead external supply enablement and governance across CTLs, CMOs, and partnerships in a California setting. You will drive budgets, risk management, and cross-functional plans with executive visibility and disciplined execution.

The role demands strong communication, stakeholder management, and familiarity with GMP and supplier networks; a proven PM track record is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Life Sciences, Engineering or related field with progressive program/PM experience.
• Demonstrated project/program management experience including governance facilitation and cross-functional plan integration.
• Experience with budget planning and financial tracking processes.

Responsibilities

• Support CTL, CMO, and Partnerships Teams through Project Management with risk tracking and RAID logs.
• Manage performance reporting for CTLs/CMOs/Partnerships and deliver dashboards for reviews.
• Develop and manage annual budgets and escalate overages.
• Coordinate ES&P goals with leadership and track progress across initiatives.
• Lead internal governance forums and maintain meeting materials and follow-ups.
• Drive Operational Excellence using Lean principles across ES&P processes.

Skills

Project management

Budgeting

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Governance facilitation

Reporting

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Tools

Power BI

Smartsheet

Excel

PowerPoint

SharePoint

Job description

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

Key Responsibilities – External Supply Enablement & Program Management

• Support CTL, CMO, and Partnerships Focus Factory Teams (FFTs) through Project Management, including reporting and developing/enabling tools to manage risk, escalations, decisions, and tracking of activities. This includes maintaining integrated plans, timelines, and RAID (Risks, Actions, Issues, Decisions) logs to ensure timely execution and leadership visibility.
• Manage and report overall performance for Contract Testing Laboratories (CTLs), Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs), and Partnerships, consolidating KPI data into executive-ready dashboards and scorecards for monthly/quarterly business reviews. Establish and maintain standardized reporting, dashboards, and data flows that provide accurate, timely visibility across the external network.
• Develop and manage annual budget cycles, coordinating with Finance, Focus Factory Team Leads, and functional owners to consolidate submissions, align to spend targets, and elevate risks or overages.
• Develop and manage overall ES&P goals in alignment with Kite, Tech Ops, and Supply Chain (SC) goals, partnering with the ES&P Functional Leadership Team to cascade strategic priorities and track progress throughout the year.
• Manage risk and the business continuity program for the External Manufacturing, External Testing, and partnership network, ensuring mitigation and contingency plans are in place where required.
• Act as the point of contact for managing internal audits, coordinating audit readiness activities, document requests, and response tracking across ES&P functions.
• Support/lead preparation for and facilitation of internal governance forums (e.g., internal Joint Steering Committees (JSCs), internal performance reviews), workshops, and staff meetings, ensuring pre-reads, minutes, and follow-up actions are captured and closed out on time.
• Serve as a trusted operational partner to the ES&P Executive Director and Functional Leadership Team, providing structure, discipline, and connective tissue across FFTs, Workstreams, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Drive Operational Excellence by applying Lean principles and continuous improvement methodologies across ES&P processes.
• Communicate effectively with senior management through clear, concise written and verbal updates.
• Apply sound organizational and time management skills to manage multiple priorities effectively across a broad, matrixed set of stakeholders.

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Life Sciences, Engineering, or another relevant discipline with at least 10+ years of relevant, progressively responsible experience in program/project management, business operations, or supply chain.

OR

• Master’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Life Sciences, Engineering, or another relevant discipline with at least 7+ years of relevant, progressively responsible experience in program/project management, business operations, or supply chain.
• Demonstrated project/program management experience, including risk/issue management, governance facilitation, and cross-functional plan integration.
• Experience with budget planning and financial tracking processes (Latest Estimate/Budget/Long-Range Plan cycles).
• Proven ability to interact effectively with senior management and cross-functional teams.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• APICS CPIM/CSCP certification or MBA (advanced degree).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting or partnering with external manufacturing (CMO), contract testing (CTL), or strategic partnership relationships, ideally within cell & gene therapy or broader biopharma manufacturing.
• Advanced expertise in stakeholder management, executive communication, and governance facilitation.
• PMP certification or equivalent formal project/program management training.
• Advanced proficiency with reporting and collaboration tools (Power BI, Smartsheet, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint).
• Experience supporting internal or external audits/inspections in partnership with Quality.
• Working knowledge of pharmaceutical GMPs and the CMO/CDMO landscape.

The salary range for this position is: $165,495.00 - $214,170.00. 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 [e-mail] 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.