Assoc Director, Public Affairs

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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.
 

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Job Description
 

Reporting to the Head of Public Affairs Canada, this role is accountable for shaping and delivering Gilead’s public affairs strategy across Canada.

The Associate Director leads integrated communications and stakeholder engagement —particularly in HIV - ensuring Gilead’s external engagement is credible, aligned and grounded in the needs of patients and the healthcare system.

This role operates at the centre of cross-functional teams in Canada and collaborates closely with regional and global colleagues to drive impact, support access to innovation and strengthen Gilead’s reputation.

Key Responsibilities / Accountabilities

Strategic Communications & Campaign Leadership

• Leads the development and delivery of integrated public affairs and communications programs across priority therapy areas, with a focus on HIV treatment and prevention
• Designs and implements creative, patient-centric disease awareness and communication campaigns
• Supports product launch communications (regulatory and reimbursement), ensuring alignment with brand and enterprise strategy
• Translates complex scientific, clinical and policy topics into clear, credible and impactful narratives across channels

Stakeholder & Patient Engagement

• Builds and maintains strategic relationships with patient organisations, advocacy groups and key healthcare stakeholders
• Leads patient advocacy initiatives and co-created, multi-channel engagement programmes
• Develops strategic partnerships and community investment initiatives that address unmet patient needs, advance health equity, and strengthen care delivery
• Represents Public Affairs within cross-functional brand teams and governance forums

Media Relations & Issues Management

• Leads proactive and reactive media engagement, building strong relationships with healthcare and national media
• Oversees development of high-quality communications materials (e.g. press releases, leadership content, presentations)
• Manages media enquiries and coordinates interviews with Gilead and external spokespeople

Policy & External Environment

• Partners with Government Affairs and Market Access to advance advocacy and policy that improve access to our medicines and health system readiness
• Translates important external context (patient needs, stakeholder sentiment, health and policy priorities, industry developments) to inform business decisions and strategies
• Supports engagement with federal and provincial stakeholders to help shape the healthcare and access environment
• Ensures external activities are aligned to broader policy priorities and grounded in patient need

Cross-functional Leadership & Execution

• Drives alignment across Medical, Market Access, Commercial and Government Affairs to ensure consistent messaging and coordinated delivery
• Leads internal communications on pipeline developments, access milestones, and the external environment, ensuring colleagues and leaders are informed and prepared to respond.
• Partners with regional and global teams to ensure alignment with corporate strategy and guidance
• Leads agency engagement, providing strategic direction and ensuring high-quality execution
• Manages multiple programmes, timelines and budgets to deliver against agreed objectives

Governance, Compliance & Operational Excellence

• Ensures all activities comply with Canadian regulations, internal policies and external codes
• Applies strong understanding of communications requirements within a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company
• Ensures consistency and quality across all external communications and engagement activities

Knowledge, Experience & Capabilities

Experience & Technical Expertise

• 8+ years experience in public affairs, communications or government relations ideally  within pharma or healthcare
• Experience in or strong understanding of the HIV landscape in Canada
• Strong experience in media relations and issues management, including knowledge of Canadian healthcare media environment
• Experience developing and executing integrated, multi-channel communications and social media campaigns
• Experience supporting product launches, including regulatory and reimbursement phases
• Strong understanding of the Canadian healthcare, policy and access environment

Skills & Capabilities

• Ability to translate complex information into clear, compelling communications
• Strong stakeholder engagement capability, particularly with patient organisations and advocacy groups
• Strong project management skills, including managing multiple priorities, budgets and timelines
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills
• Confidence engaging senior leaders, external experts and high-profile stakeholders

Leadership & Ways of Working

• Demonstrates strong ownership and accountability for delivery
• Collaborates effectively across functions and geographies to achieve shared outcomes
• Exercises sound judgement in a complex and evolving external environment
• Maintains strong external focus, understanding what matters for patients and the healthcare system
• Delivers with pace, clarity and consistency

Why this role

This role offers the opportunity to play a leading role in shaping Gilead’s external engagement in Canada.

The Associate Director will contribute not only to effective communications, but to meaningful engagement that supports patients, strengthens the healthcare system and advances access to innovation.

Please apply via the Internal Career Opportunities portal in Workday.

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