Senior Director, Gilead Patient Solutions Public Affairs
Gilead
London
Position Overview
The Gilead Patient Solutions (GPS) team operates in almost 140 low-and lower-middle income countries across the world to champion innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes, promote health system sustainability, strengthen infrastructure and uplift communities. The Senior Director, Gilead Patient Solutions Public Affairs, will develop and execute an integrated communications and advocacy strategy that advances company priorities, supports sustainable access to innovation for patients, and strengthens Gilead's reputation across a diverse set of countries. You will report to and serve as a trusted deputy and strategic thought partner to the Executive Director, Intercontinental Public Affairs, helping shape priorities across the GPS region, connecting insights across functions and geographies, and ensuring coordinated responses to emerging opportunities and challenges. The role ensures that patient needs, public health, and Gilead’s priorities remain at the center of communications, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement strategies. It operates with a distinct global mandate, partnering closely with regional, market, and functional leaders as well as international NGOs, and patient organizations. This is a high-impact, externally facing, and internally connected role for a seasoned public affairs leader. The ideal candidate will bring strong instincts from a complex, regulated, global biotechnology environment and will be comfortable operating across corporate reputation, advocacy, global NGO engagement, internal and external communications, media, issues management and crisis response. This position is ideally located in Foster City, CA but we are open to candidates in London, UK. Key Responsibilities
Strategic Public Affairs Leadership
The Gilead Patient Solutions (GPS) team operates in almost 140 low-and lower-middle income countries across the world to champion innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes, promote health system sustainability, strengthen infrastructure and uplift communities. The Senior Director, Gilead Patient Solutions Public Affairs, will develop and execute an integrated communications and advocacy strategy that advances company priorities, supports sustainable access to innovation for patients, and strengthens Gilead's reputation across a diverse set of countries. You will report to and serve as a trusted deputy and strategic thought partner to the Executive Director, Intercontinental Public Affairs, helping shape priorities across the GPS region, connecting insights across functions and geographies, and ensuring coordinated responses to emerging opportunities and challenges. The role ensures that patient needs, public health, and Gilead’s priorities remain at the center of communications, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement strategies. It operates with a distinct global mandate, partnering closely with regional, market, and functional leaders as well as international NGOs, and patient organizations. This is a high-impact, externally facing, and internally connected role for a seasoned public affairs leader. The ideal candidate will bring strong instincts from a complex, regulated, global biotechnology environment and will be comfortable operating across corporate reputation, advocacy, global NGO engagement, internal and external communications, media, issues management and crisis response. This position is ideally located in Foster City, CA but we are open to candidates in London, UK. Key Responsibilities
Strategic Public Affairs Leadership
- Serve as the public affairs partner to GPS leadership, leading strategies that support patient-centered access to innovation, advance public health priorities, and align communications, advocacy, NGO engagement, and stakeholder outreach for GPS.
- Identify connections and emerging themes across markets, functions, stakeholders and external environments, translating insights into coordinated public affairs strategies and practical action.
- Serve as a senior counselor to the Executive Director, ICR and Regional Cross Functional Leadership teams, providing clear recommendations, direct feedback, and practical communications guidance on complex internal and external matters.
- Partner closely with colleagues across Public Affairs, Patient Advocacy, Government Affairs, Value & Access, Corporate Communications, Commercial, Medical and other functions to align strategies and stakeholder engagement approaches.
- Bring a global, enterprise-level lens to public affairs planning across nearly 140 countries, ensuring strategies are locally relevant, culturally informed, and aligned with broader corporate priorities.
- Lead external communications strategy for Gilead Patient Solutions reinforcing Gilead’s role as a trusted partner in global health, while ensuring message discipline across and alignment across the enterprise, regions and markets.
- Create clear, credible, and compliant communications that explain Gilead’s commitments, partnerships, access initiatives, and public health impact to external audiences.
- Build proactive storytelling opportunities including executive visibility, thought leadership, milestones, partnerships, and reputation-building initiatives.
- Prepare senior leaders for external engagements, media interviews, conferences, panels, NGO meetings, and stakeholder forums.
- Partner with cross-functional teams on engagement strategies with global NGOs, patient organizations, advocacy coalitions, and other external stakeholders.
- Develop and sustain trusted relationships with organizations advancing public health, patient support, healthcare delivery and broader community health priorities.
- Co-create education, engagement, and capacity-building initiatives with external partners where appropriate and compliant.
- Partner across markets to ensure stakeholder engagement is coordinated, purposeful, and aligned with local needs, enterprise priorities, and applicable laws and industry standards.
- Proactively identify and manage potential global and regional issues; establish governance, protocols, and response frameworks.
- Embed reputation management into program design and apply data-driven insights to monitor risk and sentiment across geographies.
- Draft, review, and guide external statements, press releases, Q&A documents, holding statements, leadership messages, briefing materials, and reactive communications.
- Partner with global corporate and internal communications teams to integrate GPS priorities into enterprise narratives and employee engagement efforts.
- Develop messages, talking points, employee updates, FAQs, internal briefings, leadership presentations, and toolkits that enable consistent communication across markets.
- Enable leaders and managers to activate communications and advocacy strategies locally while reinforcing global alignment.
- Define objectives, KPIs, and leading indicators across advocacy, NGO engagement, and communications programs.
- Build and apply dashboards using qualitative and quantitative insights to ensure continuous improvement.
- Lead cross-functional governance, manage budgets with fiscal discipline, and oversee agency and external partner performance.
- Manage agency partners and external consultants and manage budgets and resources with fiscal discipline.
- Bachelor’s degree and at least 14 years’ experience or
- Master’s degree and at least 12 years of relevant experience; or
- PhD and at least 12 years of relevant experience.
- Significant in-house public affairs, corporate communications, or external affairs experience within a global pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or other highly regulated healthcare organization.
- Deep experience leading reputation, communications, stakeholder engagement, and issues management strategies in complex, matrixed environments.
- Demonstrated ability to build alignment, influence decision-making, and drive action across functions, regions, and diverse stakeholder groups without direct authority.
- Excellent written and verbal communications skills, with proven ability to develop high-quality executive, internal, and external communications materials, including statements, Q&As, briefing documents, leadership messages, and stakeholder communications.
- Experience working across global, regional, and local markets, including low- and lower-middle-income countries and/or complex access and public health environments.
- Experience engaging with global NGOs, patient organizations, advocacy groups, multilateral stakeholders, or public health coalitions, with a track record of developing partnerships and advocacy strategies that support public health and patient-focused objectives.
- Demonstrated ability to anticipate challenges, navigate ambiguity, evaluate competing priorities, and provide sound judgement and clear recommendations in dynamic environments.
- Strong executive presence and influencing skills, with the ability to advise senior leaders, constructively challenge assumptions, and manage sensitive issues with diplomacy and credibility.
- Ability to operate with composure and effectiveness under pressure, including during time-sensitive, high-profile, or evolving situations.
- Strong understanding of the legal, regulatory, compliance, and reputational considerations associated with communications and stakeholder engagement in the pharmaceutical industry.
- Experience supporting geographically dispersed teams and managing priorities across multiple time zones.
- Ability to travel approximately 30–40%, based on business needs.
- 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.
Posted 2026-09-27
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