Director, Scientific Communications

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 fulfill their aspirations. Join Kite and help create more tomorrows.

Job Description

The Director, Global Publications leads portfolio-level publication strategy and compliant execution for a complex, high-priority cell therapy program across multiple assets, disease areas and lifecycle stages. The role defines integrated publication plans that support scientific exchange, medical strategy, and evidence dissemination in the CAR T space.

As the principal Publications adviser to cross-functional teams, senior stakeholders, external experts, investigators, and collaborators, the Director operates with a high degree of independence. The role sets publication and downstream communication strategy, resolves competing priorities, and defines the recommended course of action where scientific, clinical, competitive, resource, and compliance considerations intersect. This position leads through scientific expertise, judgment, and matrix influence and reports to the Senior Director, Global Publications.

Responsibilities

• Define, own, and proactively refresh an integrated publication strategy across assets, disease areas, and lifecycle stages, balancing launch, lifecycle-management, and pipeline priorities.
• Own the scientific platform and ensure consistent, differentiated narratives across publications, congress disclosures, and related deliverables.
• Integrate asset positioning, evidence assessment, external insights, and the evolving treatment landscape into publication strategy.
• Identify evidence and communication gaps and partner with Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, Biostatistics, Strategy, and other functions to address them.
• Lead portfolio strategy and sequencing for high-impact clinical, real-world, translational, and other scientific publications and data disclosures.
• Determine the recommended congress, encore, and downstream externalization approach across the portfolio, anticipating scientific, operational, and compliance risks and dependencies.
• Prioritize publication investment and vendor capacity across competing needs and make cross-asset trade-off recommendations when timing, positioning, budget, or resources conflict.
• Decide which activities should be initiated, accelerated, combined, deferred, or discontinued within the approved strategy and budget, escalating only matters requiring governance approval.
• Bring governance-ready recommendations that clearly explain the scientific rationale, options, implications, and risks.
• Serve as the principal Publications adviser across Programme Teams, Global Brand Teams, evidence-generation forums, and senior governance bodies.
• Lead complex cross-functional discussions, constructively challenge assumptions, and drive alignment and decisions without formal authority.
• Own portfolio publication budget planning, resource allocation, vendor strategy, capacity planning, and performance oversight.
• Ensure publication activities meet applicable scientific, authorship, ethical, legal, compliance, and company standards, including GPP and ICMJE principles.

Required Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience with BS/BA
• 10+ years of experience with MS/MA
• 8+ years of experience with PhD/PharmD

Preferred Qualifications

• 8+ years of scientific or medical publications experience in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry, including significant hematology/oncology and/or cell therapy experience.
• Demonstrated ability to set publication priorities, resolve complex planning issues, and make sound recommendations with incomplete or evolving data.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, influence senior stakeholders and external experts, facilitate discussion, and resolve differences without direct authority.
• Strong working knowledge of Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, Legal, Intellectual Property, and other functions affected by Publications.
• Strong commitment to publication ethics and knowledge of relevant guidelines, laws, industry standards, and corporate policies, including GPP and ICMJE principles.
• Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, communication, and collaboration skills, with the ability to operate independently in a complex matrixed environment.
• Ability to travel up to 15%, including weekends.

People Leader Accountabilities:

• Create Inclusion - knowing the business value of diverse teams, modeling inclusion, and embedding the value of diversity in the way they manage their teams.
• Develop Talent - understand the skills, experience, aspirations and potential of their employees and coach them on current performance and future potential. They ensure employees are receiving the feedback and insight needed to grow, develop and realize their purpose.
• Empower Teams - connect the team to the organization by aligning goals, purpose, and organizational objectives, and holding them to account. They provide the support needed to remove barriers and connect their team to the broader ecosystem.

The salary range for this position is:

Other US Locations: $221,000.00 - $286,000.00.

Bay Area: $243,100.00 - $314,600.00.

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 .

For jobs in the United States:

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 gilead.yello.co for assistance.

For more information about equal employment opportunity protections, please view the 'Know Your Rights' poster.

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.