Associate Director, Legal & Compliance – Middle East

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

Gilead is seeking an Associate Director, Legal & Compliance–Middle East, reporting to the Legal & Compliance Director ME, to lead and further embed a best-in-class compliance program across the region, while continuing to provide high-quality legal support to business operations in Middle East. The role is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

This role combines strategic compliance leadership with pragmatic legal business partnering, with a strong emphasis on business conduct oversight and risk identification and mitigation across Middle East markets.

The role serves as a trusted compliance advisor to Commercial, Medical, Market Access and functional leadership teams and acts as a key driver of a strong culture of ethics and integrity (“tone from the top”). Key responsibilities include providing oversight and being accountable for day-to-day activities of Gilead KSA Affiliate and the Middle East Region, as well as transparency reporting, compliance monitoring, compliance risk assessment, employee and third-party compliance training, policy implementation, ensuring effective compliance oversight in cross-functional activities in all Middle East countries. The position will work closely with functional leaders to ensure full integration of compliance into business processes.

The ideal candidate will have prior experience counselling prescription pharmaceutical companies in Middle East.

Key Responsibilities

Compliance:

• Transparency Reporting: Ensure complete, accurate, and timely reporting of transfers of value and other required transparency data in Saudi Arabia and across relevant GCC markets. Administer the transparency reporting systems for the region, maintaining data quality and liaising with internal stakeholders to meet all local transparency and disclosure obligations. Advise on legal risks related to disclosure obligations and exercise sound judgment in assessing potential exposure.

• Business Compliance Monitoring & Compliance Reporting: Cooperate with the Business Compliance Monitoring Manager for Turkey & Middle East to conduct and oversee compliance monitoring activities (e.g., sampling events, sponsorships, grants, and other HCP/HCO interactions) and preparing required compliance reports to local health authorities and internal stakeholders. Help identify potential compliance risks or systemic issues through monitoring and audits, and work with relevant business functions to implement corrective actions arising out of local audits internally and for local vendors or business partners or distributors.
• Policy Implementation & Compliance Projects: Drive implementation of global and local compliance policies and procedures throughout the Middle East. Work on strategically important compliance projects (both local and regional), ensuring alignment with global compliance initiatives and local business needs. Participate in global or international compliance working groups and contribute to the development and enhancement of compliance monitoring programs at the local and international level. Proven track record in championing transparency initiatives and compliance programs.
• Training & Communication: Develop and deliver compliance training and awareness programs for employees and relevant third parties within the Middle East (GCC). Training topics may include but are not limited to anti-bribery/anti-corruption, healthcare compliance, interactions with healthcare professionals (HCPs), organizations (HCOs) and public officials. Foster a strong “tone from the top” by supporting regular compliance communications and leading the Middle East Compliance Committee meetings.
• Advisory & Collaboration: Act as a trusted compliance advisor for business units (Commercial, Medical, Market Access, Government Affairs, etc.) in the Middle East. Provide guidance on moderately to highly complex compliance questions, ensuring business activities are planned and executed in line with Gilead’s compliance standards. Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to integrate compliance considerations into key initiatives and decision-making processes.
• Risk Assessment & Mitigation: Conduct periodic compliance risk assessments across Middle East operations to evaluate business conduct, identify compliance gaps or emerging risks, and recommend mitigation strategies and lead remedial actions. Monitor changes in local laws and industry codes (e.g., new regulations in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries), and lead the implementation of any required changes to ensure ongoing compliance.
• Third-Party Compliance Oversight: Manage compliance due diligence and oversight of third-party business partners (e.g., distributors, agents, vendors) in the Middle East region. Ensure effective processes for evaluating and mitigating third-party compliance risks, including anti-bribery, sanctions/trade compliance, and government interactions, in collaboration with other relevant teams.
• Other Duties: Serve as a lead to local compliance committees (such as Grant Review and Business Conduct Committees, among others) as appropriate. Lead or support additional compliance-related tasks and cross-functional projects in the Middle East region as assigned, especially those with strategic importance or significant complexity. Represent the company as a credible leader in meetings with key Government Departments/Health authorities when required.

Legal:

• In close partnership with the Legal Director, act as a business partner to Commercial, Medical, Market Access and functional teams in the Middle East, providing responsive, practical, and solution-oriented legal advice on a broad range of strategic and operational matters.

• Acting alongside the Legal Director, provide legal counsel across key areas of law, including corporate, healthcare regulatory, public procurement, competition/antitrust, data privacy, and commercial contracting, ensuring business activities comply with applicable laws and regulations.

• Supporting the Legal Director to draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of agreements and legal documents, including commercial contracts, distributor agreements, and strategic business arrangements, ensuring appropriate risk mitigation and alignment with company policies.

• Advise on legal aspects of interactions with healthcare professionals (HCPs), healthcare organizations (HCOs), patient groups, and government entities, ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and industry codes.

• Provide legal support in internal investigations, audits, and enforcement matters, including assessing legal risks, advising on exposure, and supporting remediation strategies.

• Represent the company in interactions with government authorities and regulatory agencies, acting as a credible and trusted legal representative when required.

• Ensure robust legal governance across the Middle East affiliates, including supporting corporate matters, local entity compliance, and documentation requirements.

• Monitor and interpret legal and regulatory developments across Middle East jurisdictions and provide proactive, actionable legal guidance to the business.

• Develop and deliver legal training on key topics such as competition law and data privacy, or such other topics cascaded by the global teams, strengthening legal awareness across the organization.

Knowledge, Experience and Skills:

• Language Proficiency: Fluency in both Arabic and English (written and verbal) is required.
• Regulatory & Cultural Knowledge: Familiarity with the Middle East regional healthcare environment and regulatory landscape. Experience working with or within Saudi Arabian and GCC authorities or navigating local regulatory requirements is advantageous.
• Business Partnership: Strong ability to collaborate cross-functionally and serve as a business partner. Demonstrated experience influencing and engaging with various departments (Commercial, Medical, Finance, etc.) to achieve compliance objectives while supporting business goals.
• Judgment & Integrity: Unwavering commitment to high ethical standards and integrity. Sound judgment with the ability to anticipate issues, identify compliance risks, and provide practical solutions that align with company values and compliance requirements. Must be able to independently, effectively, and practically formulate compliance strategies to advance business objectives while mitigating risk. Exercise judgment and independently determine and take appropriate action in the areas of monitoring and training where precedent may not exist. Ability to apply judgment to areas outside of core competency.
• Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Exceptional communication skills – able to distill complex compliance concepts into clear guidance and training for diverse audiences. Strong interpersonal skills to build trust and credibility with internal stakeholders at all levels.
• Analytical & Problem-Solving: Analytical mindset with an ability to interpret data and monitoring results to identify trends or gaps. Creative problem-solving skills to address compliance challenges and implement effective risk mitigation strategies.
• Organizational Skills: Resilient and organized with a systematic approach to managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Excellent project management capabilities, including leading projects or initiatives across different countries or functions.
• Teamwork & Leadership: A collaborative team player who leads by example. Capable of guiding non-attorney compliance staff or matrix teams, providing mentorship and oversight when needed, and driving projects to completion without direct authority.
• Continuous Learning: Self-motivated individual who stays up-to-date with evolving compliance and regulatory standards, and proactively updates internal practices and training materials.

Education & Qualifications:

• A Juris Doctorate or fully qualified legal credentials, fully admitted to practice law in the respective country or jurisdiction.

• (3+ years) professional experience in biotech, pharmaceuticals or other highly regulated industries or law firms advising in relevant areas of practice, with particular emphasis compliance matters across ME countries.
• Ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy.

• Strong business partnering attitude; the maturity and awareness to strike a balance between facilitating, enabling and challenging the business.
• Proven ability to partner with other departments to achieve company goals that cross multiple functions.
• Unwavering commitment to the highest ethical standards and integrity.
• Conversant with procedures and protocols of dealing with Saudi government and its dependencies.

Personal Competencies and Behaviors:

• Self-starter and life-long learner with a strong work ethic and excellent interpersonal skills who enjoys working collaboratively and cross-functionally on teams, as well as independently.
• Collaborative team player that leads by example.
• Operationally excellent with an organized and systematic approach to prioritization in tight deadlines.
• Excellent influencing, interpersonal and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to network, engage and partner with other functions.
• Strong business judgment with proven ability to identify and address customer needs.
• Strong organizational and project management skills and proven analytical skills and sound judgment.
• Practical approach to problem-solving.
• Consistently demonstrate and adhere to Gilead’s Core Values and Leadership Commitments and create and inspire a team culture committed to the same.

For Current Gilead Employees and Contractors:

Please apply via the Internal Career Opportunities portal in Workday.