Associate Director – Enterprise Investment Strategy & Optimization

Job Description Summary

#LI-Hybrid

This position will be located at East Hanover, NJ site and will not have the ability to be located remotely. This position will require 10% travel as defined by the business (domestic and/ or international)

The US Insights & Analytics (I&A) organization engineers the optimal decision environment for the US business by orchestrating, integrating, and synthesizing insights and analytics across therapeutic areas, functions, and the enterprise. Enterprise I&A drives enterprise decision environments through integrated executive analytics and portfolio insights that enable the organization to prioritize investments, track performance, and shape strategic direction.

Reporting into the Dir, Enterprise Resource Optimization, the AD, Enterprise Resource Optimization is accountable for the enterprise / cross-portfolio resource optimization recommendations in partnership with Finance across some components of US direct external spend, capability spend, and FTEs.

This team will partner closely with the Analytics, Capabilities & Modeling CoE, for IPMM and other modeling inputs into integrated resource recommendations including external benchmarks, financial ratios, structural comparisons, etc.
This role will be accountable for ensuring rigor and discipline in creating data-driven recommendations grounded in defendable decision frameworks.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:  

• Lead enterprise investment optimization efforts across the US portfolio, providing data-driven recommendations on direct spend, capability investments, and HQ/field resourcing.
• Develop integrated investment and workforce planning strategies by synthesizing optimization models, financial analyses, external benchmarks, and industry analogs.
• Partner closely with Finance to co-create investment recommendations that maximize business impact, operational efficiency, and resource allocation effectiveness.
• Challenge historical investment approaches and establish fact-based allocation frameworks to drive optimal deployment of budgets and talent.
• Build and maintain external benchmarking capabilities to assess investment levels against industry peers and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Translate complex analytical outputs into clear, actionable recommendations for senior leadership and executive decision-making forums.
• Serve as the strategic consultation lead in a two-in-a-box partnership with the Analytics, Capabilities & Modeling Center of Excellence (CoE).
• Define business questions, shape modeling requirements, validate assumptions, and stress-test methodologies to ensure robust, actionable insights.
• Collaborate with Forecasting, Enterprise & Functional Excellence, and other key stakeholders to align investment, resourcing, and business priorities.
• Support enterprise planning cycles and executive governance processes by providing resource optimization insights and recommendations that enable informed decision-making.

Novartis seeks an individual with extensive experience in the pharmaceutical or healthcare industry who combines quantitative fluency with genuine strategic consulting capability. The successful candidate will be able to interrogate an optimization model without needing to build it, recognize where its assumptions break down, and convert its output into an investment recommendation that a CFO or business leader can act on. Management consulting or comparable strategic advisory experience is highly relevant to this role.

Essential Requirements:

• Minimum 6+ years of experience in resource allocation, investment optimization, commercial analytics, strategic finance, or management consulting within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, or life sciences industry.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Engineering, or a related field; an MBA or advanced degree is preferred
• Proven ability to translate complex quantitative analyses and model outputs into actionable business recommendations for senior commercial, finance, and executive stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of commercial investment strategy, including marketing mix, promotion response, investment optimization, benchmarking, financial ratios, and portfolio-level decision-making.
• Experience partnering closely with Finance on budgeting, investment planning, resource allocation, and headcount management initiatives.
• Demonstrated strategic problem-solving skills, with the ability to structure ambiguous business challenges and develop clear, data-driven recommendations.
• Deep business acumen and knowledge of pharmaceutical commercial operations, investment dynamics, and analytics-driven decision making.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills, with the ability to build alignment across functions and operate effectively without direct authority.
• Experience leading and developing teams within global or matrixed organizations, combined with strong analytical proficiency in Excel, Power BI, Tableau, or similar data visualization tools, and the ability to navigate ambiguity with sound judgment.

Desirable Requirements:

• Experience in top-tier management consulting or strategic business leadership, with a track record of portfolio investment prioritization, launch resourcing, and decision-making across commercial, workforce, capital, and capability investments.
• Experience leading through large-scale organizational transformation, operating model redesign, and change management, with knowledge of the U.S. pharmaceutical commercial and analytics ecosystem, including AI-enabled approaches, offshore delivery models, and stakeholder communications.

Novartis Compensation Summary:

The salary for this position is expected to range between $145,600.00 and $270,400.00

The final salary offered is determined based on factors like, but not limited to, relevant skills and experience, and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically. Novartis may change the published salary range based on company and market factors.

Your compensation will include a performance-based cash incentive and, depending on the level of the role, eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards.

US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits. In addition, employees are eligible for a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.

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 [email protected] 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

$145,600.00 - $270,400.00

Skills Desired

Change Agility, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Customer Engagement, Customer Experience (CX), Customer Insights, Data Analytics, Data Strategies, Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategies, Market Research, Media Campaigns, Product Marketing, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Management, Team Leadership, Waterfall Model