Sr IT Engineering Specialist

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

We are seeking a Solutions Engineer who is responsible for designing, evaluating, and implementing technology solutions that align business objectives with enterprise architecture standards. This role works closely with business stakeholders, application teams, infrastructure engineers, security teams, and vendors to develop scalable, secure, and supportable solutions across Windows, Linux, database, cloud, and container platforms.

They will bridge business requirements and technical implementation by designing secure, scalable, supportable solutions that align with enterprise architecture, governance, and operational standards. It is well suited to complex environments including manufacturing, quality, and large-scale enterprise IT.

Key Responsibilities

Business Engagement

• Partner with business stakeholders to understand requirements and translate them into technical solutions.

• Act as the primary liaison between business teams and IT organizations.

• Facilitate technical discussions, architecture reviews, and solution assessments.

• Develop cost-effective and supportable technology recommendations.

Solution Architecture & Design

• Create architecture diagrams, data flow diagrams, and solution design documents.

• Evaluate new technologies and recommend platforms that align with enterprise standards.

• Ensure solutions comply with security, governance, and architecture policies.

• Define integration patterns between applications, databases, infrastructure, and cloud services.

Infrastructure Engineering

• Design and support solutions across Windows Server and Linux environments.

• Collaborate with infrastructure teams on compute, storage, networking, and virtualization platforms.

• Evaluate high availability, disaster recovery, and system resiliency requirements.

• Support hybrid cloud and on-premises deployments.

Database & Data Management

• Design and support database solutions including Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and Oracle.

• Understand database architecture, backup and recovery strategies, replication, and performance tuning.

• Work with data integration, ETL, reporting, and analytics teams.

• Ensure data security, integrity, and compliance requirements are met.

Container & Cloud Platforms

• Design and deploy applications on container platforms such as Red Hat OpenShift and Kubernetes.

• Support container orchestration, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure automation.

• Collaborate with DevOps teams to improve deployment reliability and scalability.

• Evaluate cloud-native architectures and modernization opportunities.

Operational Excellence

• Support the transition of solutions into production operations.

• Develop implementation plans, operational procedures, and support documentation.

• Participate in troubleshooting complex infrastructure and application issues.

• Drive standardization, reuse, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Minimum Required Education and Years of Experience

Bachelor's Degree and Five Years’ Experience OR

Masters' Degree and Three Years' Expereince

Required Qualifications & Technical Skills

• Strong knowledge of Windows Server administration, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, IIS, and enterprise infrastructure.

• Strong knowledge of Linux administration, including RHEL, Ubuntu, or similar distributions.

• Experience with database platforms including SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or Oracle.

• Experience with container platforms such as Kubernetes, OpenShift, Docker, EKS or NKP.

• Familiarity with virtualization technologies such as VMware, Nutanix, or Hyper-V.

• Understanding of networking concepts including TCP/IP, load balancing, firewalls, and security architecture.

• Understanding of manufacturing related systems: MES, SDH, or PCS.

• Understanding of quality related systems: QMS, LIMS, ELN, LES, SDMS

• Experience with scripting and automation using PowerShell, Bash, Python, or Ansible.

Professional Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.

• Ability to lead technical discussions across multiple IT disciplines.

• Experience balancing business requirements with technical and operational constraints.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in regulated environments such as healthcare, biotechnology, manufacturing, or pharmaceuticals.

• Knowledge of cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure or AWS.

• Familiarity with CI/CD tools, Git, and Infrastructure as Code. Experience with manufacturing systems (MES), SAP integrations, and enterprise application architectures.

Typical Deliverables:

Architecture & Design

Solution architecture diagrams

• Infrastructure design

• Database designs

• Data flow diagrams

• Architecture Design Specifications (ADS)

Assessment & Delivery

Technical assessments

• Cloud and container platform designs

• Deployment documentation

• Operational readiness documentation

• Disaster recovery and high availability designs

The salary range for this position is: $115,260.00 - $149,160.00. 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:

* 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 Sign up to follow @KitePharma on Twitter at

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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 View email address on aiapply.co 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.