At Gilead, we’re creating a healthier world for all people. For more than 35 years, we’ve tackled diseases such as HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19 and cancer – working relentlessly to develop therapies that help improve lives and to ensure access to these therapies across the globe. We continue to fight against the world’s biggest health challenges, and our mission requires collaboration, determination and a relentless drive to make a difference.
Every member of Gilead’s team plays a critical role in the discovery and development of life-changing scientific innovations. Our employees are our greatest asset as we work to achieve our bold ambitions, and we’re looking for the next wave of passionate and ambitious people ready to make a direct impact.
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 Gilead and help create possible, together.
Job Description
The Senior Director of Applied AI Engineering has a critical leadership role within Team ARC (AI Research Center), Gilead’s Center of Excellence for AI and advanced analytics. ARC operates within the Clinical Data Science (CDS) organization, which is part of the broader Drug Development organization led by the Chief Medical Officer.
The Senior Director of Applied AI Engineering will lead the development and deployment of advanced AI applications within Gilead’s drug development portfolio. This leader will focus on translating AI research—particularly in generative AI, LLMs, and autonomous agents—into scalable, production-ready tools. They will drive collaboration across clinical operations, regulatory, medical writing, and RWE, working closely with peers in AI Acceleration (AIx), Delivery & Product Management Experiences (DPMx), IT, and Development Systems (DevSys).
- Design, deploy, and maintain machine learning and generative AI systems that address real-world challenges in drug development (e.g., trial optimization, regulatory authoring, medical review automation).
Translate cutting-edge research into practical tools that impact the business.
- Partner with AIx and DPMx to define, build, and integrate AI-powered solutions into key processes.
Engage with IT and DevSys to ensure secure, scalable infrastructure and seamless handoffs from prototyping to production.
- Architect and optimize AI/ML pipelines across model training, inference, and monitoring.
Define engineering best practices for LLMOps and applied AI across therapeutic areas.
- Build and lead a team of applied AI engineers.
Foster a culture of ownership, speed, and continuous learning.
Mentor AI engineers, and champion strong coding, testing, and documentation standards.
- Track usage, performance, and business impact of deployed AI systems.
Partner with domain experts to calibrate model outputs and continuously improve system behavior.
Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, or related field
14+ years of experience in AI/ML engineering, with at least 5 years in leadership roles
Proven track record of deploying AI systems at scale in high-stakes domains (e.g., life sciences, healthcare, finance)
Expertise in deep learning and large language models (e.g., transformers, RAG, distillation)
Proficiency in frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow
Strong engineering foundation (data structures, architecture, testing, CI/CD)
Excellent communicator with the ability to navigate ambiguity and drive alignment across science, engineering, and operations
Experience working in or alongside clinical, regulatory, or medical affairs functions
Familiarity with GxP, 21 CFR Part 11, and other relevant compliance frameworks
Experience with AI agents, model evaluation for healthcare, and multimodal data integration
The opportunity to define the engineering blueprint for applied AI in drug development
Direct impact on how generative AI and automation can transform how trials are designed, conducted, and reviewed
A collaborative environment where research and application meet to deliver innovation at scale
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.
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For more information about equal employment opportunity protections, please view the 'Know Your Rights' poster.
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Top Skills
What We Do
The way we see it, the impossible is not impossible. It’s simply what hasn’t been achieved yet. For more than 30 years, we’ve pursued it, chased it down, tackled it for answers and surrounded it for a way in. We have worked tirelessly to bring forward medicines for life-threatening diseases.
Creating Possible drives everything we do. It’s evident in our mission and core values. This is how we built a culture of excellence that is fueled by a passion for improving lives of people around the world.
For us, nothing is impossible – because of the people we work with, the communities we stand with and the partners we push forward with. Our ~12,000 employees band together through science, grit, compassion and courage to prove the impossible wrong.
At Gilead, the tangible results of your contributions are evident. Where every individual matters. Where all employees can enhance their skills through ongoing development. And where we start every day with one question: “What’s next?”
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