Senior Program Head

Job Description Summary

Job Description

Major Accountabilities

Strategic Leadership

• Drive the program's transformational vision, devise an adaptable strategy that anticipates future trends and challenges, and translate strategies into practical, impactful plans.

• Seek out and combine complex internal/external elements to inform business decision-making, identify key issues in complex scenarios, and ensure clarity.

• Embody an enterprise leader that works across the entire Novartis research-development-commercial continuum to understand the impact of decisions, the benefit of diverse perspective, and the power of our shared purpose.

• Deliver organization-wide impact through an understanding and respect for an evolving technological landscape, including knowing when and how to incorporate new tools into existing strategies while evolving ahead of anticipated capabilities (e.g., precision medicine, AI, blockchain, nanotechnology).

End-to-End Program Lifecycle Accountability

• The GPH has sole accountability of and responsibility to deliver enterprise value by defining the asset's strategic vision, optimize life cycle management, and drive the integrated development plans to ensure successful regulatory and access outcomes.

• Leads the design of the Target Product Profile (TPP) and the Integrated Development Plan (IDP).

• Accountable for end-to-end program leadership, including formally representing the program internally and externally, instigating innovation in early-stage development processes, issuing recommendations, making decisions to ensure the program success and asset value optimization, and ultimately propelling the program through preliminary testing and approval stages.

• Uphold regulatory compliance and meet initial stage commitments regarding prototype quality, timeline, projected cost, and potential value. Candidly communicate program impact projections and assess the early-stage commercial viability.

Together with the Line Functions, Managing and Developing the Global Program Team

• Empower the team through clear roles/responsibilities, prioritizing individual growth, and holding team accountable for ambitious goals.

• Nurture a well-performing team that fosters collaboration and supportive challenge.

Stakeholder Management

• Maintain positive relationships with stakeholders, ensuring clear, concise communication throughout the program lifecycle, and handle conflicts diplomatically.

• Build positive relationships with stakeholders; provide clear, concise communication about preliminary venture details and expertly navigate any arising conflicts.

• Enhance stakeholder understanding of program objectives/risks, influence their expectations through scientific and evidence-based communication, and involving stakeholders in decision-making processes. Adjust strategies based on stakeholders' needs, expectations, and potential responses.

• Foster stakeholders' understanding of project aims and inherent risks during initial development, shape their expectations through scientific evidence-based dialogue, and include them in decision-making processes. Adapt strategies by anticipating stakeholders concerns, needs, and possible responses.

Education

Minimum requirements

• Doctoral degree or equivalent, MD preferred

• Min 8 years of drug development experience, including experience in dossier submission for new or supplemental indication

• Exposure to full drug development lifecycle

• Managing cross-functional teams and intense cross-functional collaboration and alignment

• Leading teams through influence without direct authority

• Communicating clearly and concisely with various audiences, adjusting messaging, style, tone, and details to best fit different audiences

• Experience in forming and driving transformative visions and strategic plans for early-stage programs.

• Background in team management, developing roles, and fostering a high-performance culture.

• Previous interactions with early stage/scientific stakeholders, emphasizing clear communication and involvement in decision-making.

• Experience in anticipating and crafting adaptive, resilient strategies for early-stage innovation and scenario planning.

Why Novartis? Our purpose is to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people's lives and our vision is to become the most valued and trusted medicines company in the world. How can we achieve this? With our people. It is our associates that drive us each day to reach our ambitions. Be a part of this mission and join us! Learn more here: https://www.novartis.com/about/strategy/people-and-culture

You'll receive: You can find everything you need to know about our benefits and rewards in the Novartis Life Handbook. https://www.novartis.com/careers/benefits-rewards Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams' representative of the patients and communities we serve.

Accessibility and accommodation

Novartis is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to all individuals. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the recruitment process, or in order to receive more detailed information about the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to diversity.inclusion_ch@novartis.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message.

Novartis Compensation and Benefit Summary: The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between: $248,500 and $461,500/year; however, while salary ranges are effective from 1/1/25 through 12/31/25, fluctuations in the job market may necessitate adjustments to pay ranges during this period. Further, final pay determinations will depend on various factors, including, but not limited to geographical location, experience level, knowledge, skills, and abilities. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a sign-on bonus, restricted stock units, and discretionary awards in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave), dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an "at-will position" and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams' representative of the patients and communities we serve.

EEO Statement:

The Novartis Group of Companies are Equal Opportunity Employers. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Accessibility and reasonable accommodations

The Novartis Group of Companies are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or to perform the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to us.reasonableaccommodations@novartis.com or call +1(877)395-2339 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message.

Salary Range

Skills Desired