Sr Director, Head of US Payer, Value, and Access Strategy

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

The Sr Director, Head of US Payer, Value, and Access Strategy reports to the Head of US Market Access and is responsible for leading a newly formed strategic vertical within Kite’s US Market Access organization. This leader will oversee the integrated portfolio-level strategy across provider access marketing, payer and value marketing, new product and launch planning, and ecosystem strategy and market development for Kite’s US cell therapy portfolio. This role is accountable for ensuring US Market Access has a clear, integrated, and future-focused strategy across key access stakeholders, including providers, payers, employers, advocacy organizations, government and policy partners, treatment centers, accreditation bodies, and other external stakeholders critical to enabling appropriate patient access to CAR T and future cell therapies. The individual in this role will lead a team of Directors and be responsible for translating complex market dynamics into actionable strategies, resources, and organizational priorities that support in-line brands, launch assets, and long-range portfolio growth.

The Head of US Payer, Value, and Access Strategy will serve as a key member of the US Market Access Leadership Team and will partner closely with Trade, Pricing & Contracting, Customer Experience & Patient Services, Field Market Access, Brand Marketing, Medical Affairs, HEOR, Government Affairs, Public Affairs, Advocacy, Legal, Regulatory, Compliance, Global Market Access, and other stakeholders to ensure clear strategic alignment and coordinated execution across the enterprise. Kite is relocating its primary office from Santa Monica, CA to new Southern California offices in Thousand Oaks, CA and El Segundo, CA at the end of 2026. This is a hybrid position with three days per week in office; current eligible office locations are Santa Monica, CA; Foster City, CA; Parsippany, NJ. Thousand Oaks, CA and El Segundo, CA will replace Santa Monica, CA as options at the beginning of 2027.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership

• Lead the US Payer, Value, and Access Strategy organization, including Provider Access Marketing, Payer & Value Marketing, New Product & Launch Planning, and Ecosystem Strategy & Market Development

• Partner with the Head of US Market Access and US Market Access Leadership Team to define and execute the overall US Market Access strategy and annual tactical priorities

• Ensure Kite has a clear portfolio-level strategy for provider access, payer and employer engagement, evidence translation, launch readiness, stakeholder education, and external market shaping

• Serve as a strategic advisor to US Market Access and executive leadership on emerging access risks, stakeholder dynamics, launch readiness, payer and provider barriers, policy considerations, and long-range market development opportunities

• Ensure that portfolio-level strategies are translated into high-quality, compliant, customer-relevant tactics and resources by the appropriate teams

​Organizational Leadership and Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of Directors and functional experts across payer, provider, launch, and ecosystem strategy disciplines

• Build a culture of strategic thinking, accountability, collaboration, enterprise partnership, and disciplined execution

• Ensure clear roles, responsibilities, decision rights, and operating models across the new vertical and with adjacent Market Access functions

• Provide leadership, guidance, and mentorship to direct reports while supporting strong succession planning and talent development across the broader US Market Access organization

• Represent the US Payer, Value, and Access Strategy team with credibility, executive presence, and strong partnership across internal and external settings

Provider, Payer, and Value Strategy Integration

• Oversee the development of integrated provider access and payer value strategies for Kite’s portfolio

• Ensure consistency across provider-facing and payer-facing market access narratives, tools, resources, and strategic priorities

• Partner with HEOR, Medical Affairs, Brand, Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance to ensure appropriate evidence translation and value communication across stakeholder audiences

• Ensure that payer, provider, employer, and access stakeholder insights inform portfolio strategy, launch planning, evidence priorities, and lifecycle planning

• Partner with Field Market Access and Strategic Account Management teams to support strong pull-through of national strategies and customer-facing resources 

Launch & Portfolio Readiness

• Oversee US Market Access new product and launch planning activities for current and future pipeline assets

• Ensure US payer, provider, employer, reimbursement, policy, and access considerations are incorporated early into global development, launch planning, evidence generation, and commercialization discussions

• Partner with Global Market Access, Global Commercial, US Brand, HEOR, Pricing & Contracting, Trade, Patient Services, Medical Affairs, and other functions to ensure integrated launch readiness

• Provide senior leadership oversight of access launch readiness plans, milestone tracking, and executive updates

• Ensure the organization anticipates and mitigates launch-related access risks before approval and during early launch execution

Ecosystem Strategy & Market Development

• Oversee long-range market development strategies designed to improve patient access to CAR T and future cell therapies

• Ensure Kite has a clear and coordinated strategy across employers, advocacy, public affairs, government affairs, FACT, accreditation-related considerations, treatment ecosystem readiness, and external access stakeholders

• Partner with Government Affairs and Public Affairs to ensure Market Access perspectives inform policy priorities, external engagement, and market shaping efforts

• Ensure external stakeholder strategies are aligned with Kite’s broader commercial, medical, policy, advocacy, and corporate objectives

• Identify structural barriers to CAR T access and prioritize initiatives that can improve long-term ecosystem readiness and patient access

Cross-functional Collaboration & Governance

• Establish operating routines, governance processes, and decision-making forums to ensure strategic alignment across the new vertical and adjacent teams

• Partner with Portfolio & Strategic Planning to ensure Payer, Value, and Access Strategy priorities are integrated into broader US Market Access planning

• Collaborate with CIAO, analytics, and insights partners to ensure robust market insights inform strategy, tactics, KPIs, and performance measurement

• Oversee agency, vendor, and budget management across the function, ensuring resources are deployed appropriately and efficiently

• Ensure all work is conducted in accordance with Kite and Gilead legal, regulatory, compliance, and promotional review standards

Leadership & Representation

• Be a key member of the US Market Access Leadership Team and represent the team with dignity, class, and outstanding partnership in all settings both inside and outside of Kite

Basic Qualifications

• Advanced scientific degree (i.e., MD, PharmD, PhD) and 12+ years of experience OR·      

• Master's Degree and 12+ years of experience OR

• Bachelor's Degree and 14+ years of experience

Preferred Qualifications

• 12+ years of relevant pharmaceutical or biotechnology experience across market access, marketing, payer strategy, provider strategy, launch planning, policy, pricing, reimbursement, HEOR, or related commercial roles

• Demonstrated ability to lead large, complex, cross-functional strategies across multiple stakeholders, products, and time horizons

• Deep understanding of the US market access environment, including payers, providers, employers, reimbursement, hospital economics, buy-and-bill dynamics, site-of-care economics, and specialty therapy access barriers

• Strong knowledge of hematology/oncology and cell therapy preferred, including familiarity with CAR T reimbursement, single case agreements, network dynamics, provider economics, and treatment center requirements

• Experience leading teams, developing talent, coaching senior professionals, and building strong organizational culture

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate cross-functionally and influence decision making, strategy, and execution across senior leaders and enterprise partners

• Strong executive presence with the ability to translate complex access topics into clear, decision-oriented recommendations

• Demonstrated high levels of emotional intelligence, situational awareness, and ability to build trust across teams

• Experience developing market access strategies, stakeholder engagement strategies, launch plans, value platforms, and/or evidence translation approaches

• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguity, prioritize across competing opportunities, and drive disciplined execution

• Advanced PowerPoint and Excel skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

The salary range for this position is:

Other US Locations: $237,575.00 - $307,450.00.

 

Bay Area: $261,375.00 - $338,250.00.

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.
 

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 [email protected] 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.