Sr Manager, Legal Operations

Gilead Sciences is seeking a Senior Manager of Legal Operations to oversee outside counsel management and legal billing operations within its global legal department. This pivotal role involves managing a global law firm panel, negotiating rates and alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), enforcing billing compliance, and driving cost efficiency through analytics and strategic spend governance. The position is based in Foster City, California, and reports to the Senior Director of Legal Technology & Operations.

In this role, the Senior Manager will be responsible for managing and continuously optimizing a global law firm panel to ensure competitive pricing across Gilead's key practice areas and geographies. They will support request for proposal (RFP) processes and evaluation frameworks that assess quality, value, and strategic fit alongside price. Additionally, the Senior Manager will manage and track outside counsel agreements, including hourly rates, blended rates, volume discounts, and AFAs such as fixed fees and fee caps. They will maintain a rigorous rate benchmarking program, leveraging market data to inform rate approvals, regular rate review cycles, and negotiation strategy. The role also involves coordinating outside counsel management infrastructure, including outside counsel guidelines, standard engagement letters, billing policies, matter budgeting requirements, and staffing approval processes. Serving as the primary relationship manager for strategic law firm relationships concerning operations and billing is also a key responsibility. The Senior Manager will identify opportunities to shift work to lower-cost providers and alternative legal service providers (ALSPs). They will support the annual legal budgeting process and monthly forecasting exercises, working with senior stakeholders to track exposure, significant matters, and budget impact. The role includes supporting the strategic use of TeamConnect for e-billing and matter management, overseeing e-billing workflows, coordinating legal spend reporting and dashboards, developing and maintaining standard operating procedures (SOPs), playbooks, and training materials, implementing and enforcing billing compliance controls, and identifying opportunities to automate manual billing and reporting workflows. The Senior Manager will work with the Legal Operations team to develop and enhance dashboards and reports for legal stakeholders that support strategic decisions on resourcing, firm relationships, and legal spend governance. They will present complex spend data, insights, and recommendations to senior stakeholders, develop key performance indicators (KPIs) and scorecards to assess law firm performance, and create an inclusive environment by modeling inclusion and embedding the value of diversity in team management. Developing talent by understanding the skills, experience, aspirations, and potential of employees and coaching them on current performance and future potential is also part of the role. Empowering teams by connecting them to the organization through aligned goals, purpose, and organizational objectives, and holding them accountable, while providing support to remove barriers and connect the team to the broader ecosystem, is essential.

The ideal candidate will have at least seven years of hands-on in-house legal billing and outside counsel management experience, proficiency with enterprise e-billing platforms such as TeamConnect, and the ability to operate as a subject-matter authority across Legal, Finance, and Procurement. Demonstrated expertise in law firm rate negotiation, AFA structuring, and billing guideline enforcement is required. Experience with rate benchmarking tools and market data sources is essential. Strong communication skills and the ability to work within a cohesive team are necessary. The candidate should have the demonstrated ability to partner across functions, including Legal, Finance, Procurement, and IT, and to influence without direct authority. Experience in a global pharmaceutical, biotech, or similarly complex regulated industry is preferred. Familiarity with the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) or other Legal Operations competency frameworks and industry benchmarking is advantageous. Experience supporting an outside counsel management program, including reviewing outside counsel guidelines and managing law firm panels, is beneficial.

Compensation for this role ranges from $157,590 to $203,940 annually. Gilead Sciences offers comprehensive benefits, including company-sponsored medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans.

Gilead Sciences is committed to creating a healthier world for all people. For more than 35 years, the company has tackled diseases such as HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19, and cancer, working relentlessly to develop therapies that improve lives and ensure access to these therapies across the globe. The 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. Employees are considered the company's greatest asset as they work to achieve bold ambitions, and Gilead is looking for passionate and ambitious people ready to make a direct impact.

People leaders are the cornerstone of the employee experience at Gilead and Kite. As a people leader now or in the future, you are the key driver in evolving the culture and creating an environment where every employee feels included, developed, and empowered to fulfill their aspirations. Joining Gilead means helping to create possible, together.