Ileana E. Almaguel
Oceanside,CA
Summary
Seasoned Director with background in strategic planning, team leadership, and performance optimization. Known for driving growth by developing efficient operational strategies and fostering professional relationships. Demonstrated abilities in problem solving, decision making, and communication skills to influence key stakeholders. Proven record of delivering innovative solutions and achieving organizational goals.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Director, Project Management
Gilead Sciences
Oceanside, CA
03.2022 - 08.2025
- Head of the Project Management Office supporting clinical manufacturing and biologics process development functions.
- Responsible for planning and facilitation of all site strategic planning activities, portfolio governance presentations, and site leadership initiatives.
- Provided project management support for tech transfer and clinical manufacturing activities for biologics programs at Oceanside.
- Accountable for the delivery of a capital and OpEx project portfolio worth over $50 million annually.
- Legal contracts management process owner.
Associate Director, Project Management
Gilead Sciences
Oceanside, CA
08.2017 - 02.2022
- Established the Project Management Office (PMO) that standardized project management methodologies across multiple departments, driving transparency, visibility, and accountability across the organization.
- Designed and implemented a new Project Portfolio Management (PPM) process, leveraging Smartsheet as the primary tool. This implementation reduced project planning and initiation time by almost 50%, significantly increased stakeholder engagement, and ensured that all projects approved were aligned with business strategy.
- Developed and implemented project management solutions in Smartsheet to enable biologics process development teams to manage cross-functional CMC activities effectively.
- Lead a team of eight (8) PMs, managing the Kite MVP-01 construction project to deliver the commercial viral vector manufacturing facility in Oceanside.
Sr. Manager, Project Management
Gilead
Oceanside, CA
01.2015 - 07.2017
- Managed all NPI, tech transfer, and clinical manufacturing project teams.
- Lead program manager for commercialization readiness program.
- Planned and executed an end-to-end process mapping initiative to document all biologics process development activities, from research candidate selection to BLA.
- Project manager for biologics CMC activities at Oceanside.
Manager, Project Management
Gilead
Oceanside
09.2013 - 12.2014
- Managed all aspects of New Product Introduction (NPI) and clinical manufacturing projects for biologic molecules at Oceanside.
- Delivered multiple operational excellence (Lean Six Sigma) process improvements in quality, manufacturing, supply chain and process development to increase efficiency and reduce defects.
- Created monthly reports for senior management summarizing operational performance metrics.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt / Project Manager – North America
TEVA PHARMACEUTICALS
Irvine, California
09.2009 - 03.2013
- Managed both Lean Six Sigma and quality projects within the established scope, schedule, and budget, while meeting or surpassing standards of quality.
- Led risk assessment, gap analysis, and CAPA activities in support of FDA remediation.
- Led strategic cross-functional teams through process improvement activities within Quality, Manufacturing, and Engineering areas.
R&D Scientist – Assistant R&D Team Lead
TEVA PHARMACEUTICALS
Irvine, CA
06.2006 - 08.2009
- Part of the leadership team responsible for sterile, injectable research and development for generic drug products.
- Key participant in all activities related to PAI for sterile injectable submissions.
- Built and managed relationships with third-party collaborators to execute joint research and development projects.
R&D Analytical Chemist
WATSON PHARMACEUTICALS
Corona, CA
01.2005 - 06.2006
- Analytical method development and validation for various analytical instruments, including HPLC, UPLC, GC/MS, TOC, and dissolution.
- Performed analytical chemistry work as part of the manufacturing process validation.
- Responsible for evaluating, writing, and completing laboratory investigations according to cGMPs and ICH compliance for both development and stability, drug substance, and drug product testing.
Development Scientist
BECKMAN COULTER, INC.
Brea, CA
01.2003 - 01.2005
- Worked as part of cross-functional teams to develop and validate clinical chemistry testing platforms as well as clinical chemistry reagents in a GLP environment.
- Responsible for clinical chemistry development work to support quality investigations of commercial clinical chemistry platforms and reagents.
- Executed validation protocols for various platforms, analyzed data, and prepared and presented reports to management
Education
Pharmaceutical Chemistry Certificate -
University of Florida
Gainseville, FL01.2011
B.S. - Biochemistry
La Sierra University
Riverside, CA04-2005
Skills
- Project management and portfolio management
- Strategic planning and change management
- Contracts and regulatory compliance
- Biologics process development and pharmaceutical manufacturing
- Tech transfer processes
- Process improvement frameworks and lean six sigma
- Stakeholder engagement and team leadership
- Data-driven decision making and customer-focused solutions
- Presentation skills
- Team leadership
- Stakeholder engagement
Certification
- Prosci Change Management Certified
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
- ICF - Associate Certified Coach - Expected January 2026
Languages
English
Native/ Bilingual
Spanish
Native/ Bilingual
Timeline
Director, Project Management
Gilead Sciences
03.2022 - 08.2025
Associate Director, Project Management
Gilead Sciences
08.2017 - 02.2022
Sr. Manager, Project Management
Gilead
01.2015 - 07.2017
Manager, Project Management
Gilead
09.2013 - 12.2014
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt / Project Manager – North America
TEVA PHARMACEUTICALS
09.2009 - 03.2013
R&D Scientist – Assistant R&D Team Lead
TEVA PHARMACEUTICALS
06.2006 - 08.2009
R&D Analytical Chemist
WATSON PHARMACEUTICALS
01.2005 - 06.2006
Development Scientist
BECKMAN COULTER, INC.
01.2003 - 01.2005
Pharmaceutical Chemistry Certificate -
University of Florida
B.S. - Biochemistry
La Sierra University
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