Is Kite Pharma a good company to work for?

Kite Pharma has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 659 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 4% over the last 12 months. 62% of employees would recommend working at Kite Pharma to a friend and 50% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Kite Pharma have been left by employees working as Manager , Director and Cell Therapy Specialist I .

Does Kite Pharma pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Kite Pharma employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Kite Pharma. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Kite Pharma?

62% of Kite Pharma employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Kite Pharma 3.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.2 for culture and values and 3.0 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Kite Pharma?

Cell Therapy Specialist (59) , Cell Therapy Specialist I (30) , Cell Therapy Specialist II (29) , Director (15) , Manager (13) , Associate Director (10) , Process Engineer (10) , Administrative Coordinator (8) , Manufacturing Supervisor (8) , Project Manager (8) , Research Associate (8) , Associate Scientist (7) , Senior Manager (7) , QA Specialist (6) , Quality Assurance (6)

What are the pros of working at Kite Pharma according to real employee reviews?

"They provide great benefits and really care about the well" ((in 84 reviews)); "People are great and collegial." ((in 45 reviews)); "Good pay and deals on shares" ((in 39 reviews)); "Great work environment and people" ((in 13 reviews)); "Care about employees" ((in 8 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Kite Pharma according to real employee reviews?

"No work life balance." ((in 20 reviews)); "3. Poor leadership: the management here is okay with gossiping about lower level employees to lower level employees." ((in 19 reviews)); "It feels like upper management and some co" ((in 15 reviews)); "In 3 years I have changed 4 managers." ((in 7 reviews)); "Playing favoritism for years to one department and causing attrition to others." ((in 7 reviews))

What are employees saying about Kite Pharma layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Kite Pharma layoffs and their outlook for job security at Kite Pharma in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Kite Pharma locations?

Santa Monica , El Segundo , Frederick , Los Angeles , Oceanside , Gaithersburg , Emeryville , Urbana , Foster City , New York , Raleigh , Santa Clarita , San Diego , Redwood City , Seattle , Collegeville , Rockville , Kansas City

Kite Pharma reviews

3.6

62% would recommend to a friend

(505 total reviews)

Cindy Perettie

67% approve of CEO

50% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (505 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Kite Pharma has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 505 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Kite Pharma employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

505 reviews

3.0

Jul 7, 2022

I love Kite and our mission

Manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Solid mission and corporate goals. Outstanding benefits and compensation. Flexible work schedule and remote days. Amazing culture of people (who stay) who live to serve patients. You will be surrounded by some of the most brilliant people in the industry. Abundance or resources for new projects and business. Opportunity to manage up and grow by taking the lead when there are gaps.

Cons

Not a great place for growth if you are a white male, you may get in but you will be at the back of the line for opportunities unless you are a boy toy for female leadership (that’s all I am going to say about that). Employee resource groups focus only on protected classes, so there is a club for everyone but white males for example. Too much focus on celebrating everyone’s differences and not enough focus on how we serve out patients together. Performance review process is weak and totally subjective. Lots of clicks i.e. Amgen and Genentech who focus on hiring and promote people from their previous teams. Lots of turnover by people just concerned with the own professional development (this is a pro in some ways but greatly impacts the business).

Kite Pharma Response

3y

Hi, this is Cara Bauer, Kite’s Global Head of Human Resources. Thank you for your feedback and lending your time and talent to our mission to help patients. You’ve shared some comments that I am interested in learning more about – my door is open for a confidential conversation so I can hear more. Please reach out to me via email and we can set time to discuss.

2.0

Aug 9, 2021

I wanted to love working here, I really did.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The pay and benefits are very good. The company also does a very good job with diversity and presenting an environment of caring about its employees. Most people are friendly and try to help when they can.

Cons

Management is terrible - little direction, commitment or willingness to listen. Indecision. Inconsistency. Unrealistic expectations. Sites work within their own bubbles. High turnover rate. Too few people; staff are overwhelmed so getting things accomplished quickly is next to impossible.

3.0

Jun 25, 2021

They're Still Figuring it Out

Senior project manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible during pandemic, they are fighting for a good cause and they are deliberate about that which is great.

Cons

Internal company still trying to align and get themselves together. A lot of internal confusion among departments and who does what.

Viewing 52 - 54 of 505 Reviews

Jobs at Kite Pharma

Family Mentor and Support (TM/FPS)

Family Mentor and Support (TM/FPS)

Family Mentor and Support (TM/FPS)

Family Mentor and Support (TM/FPS)

Administrative Coordinator- US Marketing

Kite Pharma

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