Senior Manager, Supply Chain

Kite Pharma, Inc.; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 143,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus potential

Stock-based incentives

Paid time off

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Life insurance

Job summary

Kite Pharma, Inc. in Santa Monica, CA, seeks an External Manufacturing Scheduler to translate demand plans into executable forecasts, align schedules with CDMO partners, and secure material readiness across the external network.

You will own the end-to-end external production schedule, manage POs and invoicing, monitor KPIs, and drive continuous improvement with IT tools and governance forums.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or higher required with relevant experience.
• Experience in external manufacturing (CDMO/CMO) and network/site planning.
• Knowledge of GMP operations, external manufacturing, and global distribution flows.
• Experience issuing and managing POs and invoicing with external partners.
• Proficiency with ERP and advanced planning systems (SAP, IBP, OMP, Kinaxis).

Responsibilities

• Own, build, and maintain the production schedule across external manufacturing nodes with partner calendars.
• Validate slot reservations, campaign timing, yield expectations, testing sequences, and release timelines with partners.
• Protect schedule stability within the frozen window while enabling longer-horizon agility.
• Reconcile forecasted demand against contracted capacity and escalate gaps.
• Own forward planning for plasmid and cell banks ahead of campaigns.
• Coordinate procurement strategies with material availability and safety stock.
• Issue and manage purchase orders to external partners and track through closure.
• Manage invoicing, including validation and reconciliation against POs/deliveries.
• Track KPIs across the external network (OTIF, forecast accuracy, inventory).
• Lead governance forums and drive corrective actions with partners.
• Develop and maintain dashboards and data flows for visibility across the network.

Skills

Supply chain planning

External manufacturing coordination

Analytical skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Life Sciences, or related field

Master’s degree or PhD with correspondingly less experience

Tools

SAP

IBP

OMP

Kinaxis

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

• As the External Manufacturing Scheduler at Kite, you are responsible for building and maintaining executable production schedules across our external manufacturing (CDMO/CMO) network. You act as the primary planning conduit between Kite Network Planning, Site Supply Chain and our external partners, translating demand plans into contractually-aligned external forecasts, securing plasmid, vector and other critical material availability, managing purchase orders and invoicing, and governing schedule performance. This role ensures that external partner capacity, slot reservations, material readiness and release convert into stable, reliable supply across all external manufacturing nodes.

Responsibilities:

External Production and Release Scheduling

• • Own, build, and maintain the production schedule across all external manufacturing nodes, maintaining synchronized calendars with partners for end-to-end visibility.
  • Validate slot reservations, campaign timing, yield expectations, testing sequences, and release timelines with external partners.
  • Protect schedule stability within the frozen window while enabling agility in the longer horizon. Manage exceptions through established supply governance forums and provide partners with rolling 6–24 month visibility to enable proactive contracting, capacity planning, and risk mitigation.
  • Reconcile forecasted demand against contracted capacity, escalating gaps or over-commitments for resolution.

Plasmid & Critical Material Management

• • Own forward CMO planning for plasmid and Cell Banks confirming supplier feasibility and readiness ahead of scheduled campaigns.
  • Partner with Procurement, Materials, and External Quality to align material availability, safety stock, and procurement strategies with the schedule.
  • Proactively identify material constraints and drive mitigation to prevent disruption.

Purchase Order & Invoicing Management

• • Issue and manage POs to external partners in alignment with the schedule, forecast, and contract terms, tracking status through the full lifecycle to closure.
  • Manage invoicing with partners, including validation, reconciliation against POs/deliveries, and resolution of discrepancies.
  • Partner with Finance, Procurement, and Accounts Payable for timely financial processing, budgeting, accruals, and spend visibility.

Performance Management & Reporting

• • Track, analyze, and report KPIs across the external network: schedule adherence, capacity utilization, supply reliability/OTIF, forecast accuracy, inventory health, and PO/invoicing accuracy.
  • Partner with Quality to capture deviations, understand root-cause drivers, and drive corrective actions with partners.
  • Ensure adherence to plan stability metrics, managing exceptions through established governance processes.

External Tools & Maintenance to Support Daily Operations

• • Partner with system/IT teams to establish and maintain robust, efficient systems, tools, and data structures for managing external information.
  • Establish standardized reporting, dashboards, and data flows for accurate, timely visibility across the network.
  • Lead continuous improvement initiatives to strengthen planning discipline, reduce cycle time, and improve integration.

Cross-Functional & Partner Coordination

• • Serve as the central scheduling interface between Kite and the External Manufacturing organization and external partners.
  • Coordinate shipments with internal sites, logistics and trade compliance to assure timely supply across Kite’s network.
  • Lead recurring scheduling forums with External Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory, Technical Operations, and Supply Chain to align on feasibility, constraints, and assumptions.
  • Assure variation management is aligned with external manufacturing schedule including part number management

Qualifications

• • Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Life Sciences, or related field with relevant experience; OR Master’s degree with correspondingly less experience; OR PhD with correspondingly less experience.
  • Supply chain planning experience with strong exposure to external manufacturing (CDMO/CMO) and network/site planning.
  • Deep understanding of GMP operations, external manufacturing, batch-based production, and global distribution flows.
  • Experience translating demand plans into supplier forecasts and managing supply within contractual frameworks.
  • Experience issuing and managing purchase orders and invoicing with external partners.
  • Proficiency with ERP and advanced planning systems (SAP, IBP, OMP, Kinaxis).
  • Strong influencing skills across global, matrixed organizations and external partners.

Preferred

• • APICS CPIM/CSCP certification or MBA (advanced degree).
  • Experience with cell & gene therapy, commercial biologics, or sterile injectables.
  • Experience with plasmid / critical raw material planning.
  • Experience with S&OP/S&OE processes and supply governance frameworks.

Key Capabilities

• • Strong ability to translate strategy and demand into executable external production plans.
  • Excellent communication, alignment, and stakeholder engagement skills across internal teams and external partners.
  • Highly analytical with advanced scenario planning capability.
  • Effective at navigating complex external networks, contracts, and competing priorities.
  • Calm, structured, and decisive during supply escalations.

The salary range for this position is: $143,225.00 - $185,350.00. 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.

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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.