Director, Business Applications & AI Products

Job Description Summary This position will be located at the East Hanover, NJ location and will not have the ability to be located remotely. We are recruiting for two roles. Job Description The Insights and Decision Science (IDS) team /is dedicated to enabling improved decision-making at Novartis by leveraging data and advanced analytics capabilities to generate actionable insights that drive business growth. We collaborate closely with the US business, bringing insights and challenging ideas to empower smarter, data-driven decision-making. The Director of Business Applications & AI Products is responsible for centrally managing and optimizing business applications that support various functions within Novartis US. This role ensures the consolidation of user bases into a standardized set of applications, driving efficiency and maximizing adoption across different personas. As the organization evolves, this role also plays a critical part in modernizing the business application landscape-integrating AI-powered features, automation, and intelligent decision science capabilities. By collaborating with business units, IT, and external vendors, the Business Applications Product Owner owns the business applications that support the needs of different functions within Novartis US. Their objective is to maximize use of these products by aligning application roadmaps with evolving business needs and technological advancements. This role also leads efforts to streamline and integrate technology platforms, ensuring a cohesive and scalable application ecosystem. Through strategic planning and stakeholder engagement, this role plays a key role in enhancing operational effectiveness and delivering value-driven solutions. Key Responsibilities: Own and manage business applications that support the needs of different functions within Novartis US, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives Maximize application efficiency & adoption across user personas by consolidating and maintaining various user bases into a set of standard applications, while proactively identifying opportunities for enhancement (including AI & automation) Develop and execute a product roadmap for business applications, ensuring alignment with business needs, evolving technology, and industry trends; oversee the end-to-end development lifecycle of applications, from idea to implementation, leveraging agile methodologies Lead the integration of AI capabilities into business applications-such as predictive analytics, intelligent automation, and generative AI - to improve user experience, insights, and decision-making Actively manage the product backlog, prioritizing initiatives that provide the highest strategic value and scalability Collaborate with third-party vendors to influence product and application roadmaps based on changing business needs and technology advancements Drive the vision for consolidating technology products into evolved platforms, ensuring efficiency and interoperability Ensure product development efforts align with broader organizational strategies, acting as a link between teams and stakeholders Engage with different business units to develop a unified view of technology platforms required to meet business needs Work closely with DDIT and other IDS teams to ensure robust product planning, integration, and execution Track product adoption, gather feedback, and refine strategies based on user needs and business performance and ensure smooth onboarding, training, and communication for stakeholders using business applications Education: Bachelor's or master's degree in business administration, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. Essential Requirements: Novartis seeks an individual with extensive experience in leading product management and development operations within the pharmaceutical or healthcare industry is preferred. They will help shape the future of intelligent, insight-driven systems at Novartis. This role combines traditional product ownership with a forward-looking perspective on AI transformation, digital enablement, and next-gen applications. A commitment to fostering a user-centric approach and leveraging data-driven insights to enhance product offerings is essential to this role. Education: Bachelor's or master's degree in business administration, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. Minimum of 8+ years of experience in product management, application development, or related roles, preferably within the pharmaceutical or healthcare sector, with a focus on managing vendor relationships and ensuring alignment with product goals Strong understanding of product lifecycle management, agile frameworks, and best practices in product development, including the ability to integrate vendor contributions effectively Proven track record of successfully managing and delivering complex product portfolios that align with business objectives and user needs, while coordinating with vendors to enhance product offerings - ideally with embedded data or AI features Familiarity with AI technologies such as predictive modeling, natural language processing, or generative AI, and how they can be embedded into enterprise applications Excellent leadership, strategic thinking, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage and influence cross-functional teams and external partners Ability to drive change and innovation in a dynamic and complex organizational environment, leveraging vendor partnerships to support strategic initiatives Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to leverage data insights to inform product decisions and optimizations, including vendor performance assessments Certification in product management or agile methodologies is desirable, with any additional experience in vendor management Novartis Compensation and Benefit Summary: The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between: $185,500.00 and $344,500.00/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. 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 View email address on click.appcast.io or call View phone number on click.appcast.io and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message. Salary Range $185,500.00 - $344,500.00 Skills Desired Agility, Brand Awareness, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Customer Engagement, Customer Experience, Customer Insights, Data Strategy, Digital Marketing, Go-To-Market Strategy, Influencing Skills, Inspirational Leadership, Marketing Strategy, Media Campaigns, People Management, Product Marketing, Product Roadmap, Return on Investment (ROI), Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Marketing