Executive Director, Digital Communications

Executive Director, Digital Communications

United States - California - Foster City Public Affairs/Communications Regular

We are looking for an Executive Director, Digital Communications, responsible for leading Gilead’s omnichannel digital strategy within Public Affairs. The role involves strategic planning, digital media expertise, content creation, and team leadership. Success includes building strategic capabilities, platforms, and mindsets, embedding them across people, processes, and culture.

• Lead the development and execution of a global digital communications strategy within Public Affairs, aligning with enterprise brand and business goals.
• Define the right mix of digital channels (e.g., websites, social media, intranet, email, emerging platforms) to engage stakeholders and employees with high‑quality storytelling.
• Oversee the full digital ecosystem for Public Affairs—including global websites, social media, digital customer engagement, and analytics—to ensure consistency, brand alignment, and innovation across platforms.
• Proactively advise and collaborate with content teams on data‑driven strategies, offering insights into which stories and formats perform best across channels.
• Lead cross‑functional working groups to ideate, innovate, and improve content, strategies, and overall digital approach.
• Create a culture of accountability for digital work throughout the organization.
• Strengthen Gilead’s storytelling capabilities across the function, educating partners such as Media Relations, CSR, Employee Engagement, and ESG on each channel’s value.
• Establish and lead a digital‑first stakeholder engagement calendar, aligned to enterprise milestones, business priorities, and external environment.
• Launch and scale global‑local digital models, including new country‑level websites and social channels across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, with localized execution under brand standards.
• Create governance frameworks and training programs that empower affiliate teams while maintaining alignment with global brand and reputational standards.
• Drive digital skill/capability‑building across Public Affairs and related functions by enhancing audience insights, platform strengths, content trends, and cross‑functional integration.
• Develop and implement a digital measurement framework, in partnership with Strategy & Operations, to define KPIs and success metrics for all platforms and campaigns.
• Enhance agility around reputational issues and digital crises by establishing proactive monitoring, issue escalation protocols, and close coordination with Legal, Media Relations, Government Affairs, and other key areas.
• Identify and pilot emerging digital technologies (AI, personalization engines, chatbots, automation) to improve content creation, engagement, and operational efficiency.
• Ensure technical and UX optimization of owned assets—including SEO, accessibility, mobile responsiveness, and intuitive navigation—to maximize reach and inclusivity.
• Lead and develop a high‑performing, global digital communications team, setting vision, priorities, and a culture of innovation and resilience.
• Prioritize hiring, training, and mentoring to keep the team proactive and forward‑looking, holding the team accountable for continuous learning.
• Manage resources and budget efficiently while allocating resources toward long‑term capability and impact.

• Deep subject‑matter expertise in creating and executing a digital communications strategy aligned to enterprise priorities.
• Understanding of the public policy, ESG, stakeholder engagement, and advocacy landscape and its influence on overall reputation.
• Stakeholder engagement and content tailoring for diverse audiences, including employees, media, policymakers, and communities.
• Proficiency in high‑risk digital crisis communications and real‑time escalation frameworks.
• Ability to leverage analytics and metrics, define and interpret key digital KPIs and social listening tools.
• Content and channel optimization, including SEO, UX, mobile‑first design, and cross‑platform performance.
• Familiarity with global digital governance frameworks,…