Bad Leadership - Clinical Kite Pharma Employee Review

2.0
Nov 5, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

A lot of smart people work at Kite. Benefits are great and hours for most groups are very flexible. Free snacks and beverages are available for all employees.

Cons

Bad management really ruined it for me. Leadership in clinical and commercial do not like working together and act more like a roadblock for each other. I do not think they realize that the employees not in management end up dealing with more unnecessary job tasks because of this. Management is just looking for people to agree with them rather than make a meaningful contribution to make the company better. A lot of the older employees are still stuck in "start-up mode" and refuse to change their ways instead of allowing the company to be stronger and more structured. Promotions and raises are based more on favoritism rather than the quality of work that is done. A lot of throwing people under the bus to make themselves look better. Compensation is low compared to other companies. HR likes to determine the salaries based on the national average, but this is California. Biotechs in the bay area and San Diego area pay much more from my experiences.

Explore other reviews about Kite Pharma

5.0
Feb 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing staff and growth potential

Cons

Like most companies hard to understand exactly what upper management goals are

3.0
May 17, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Great benefits including 401K matching, tuition re imbursement, HSA matching, stock/bonus awards, and wellness awards. - Excellent campus with onsite/subsidized food court, gym, volleyball/pickle ball/volley ball court, zoom enables conference rooms, and shuttle service. - Company shutdown in July and December. - Laboratory spaces stocked with new equipment. - Utilizes electronic batch record system instead of paper.

Cons

- Poor collaboration between site leadership resulting in distractingly competitive environment focused more on positive optics rather than continuous improvement. - Poor short term and long term planning, often resulting in inconsistent operations schedule and unclear deadlines/objectives.

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