Associate Director, Governance & Portfolio Lead

Job Description Summary

This position is based in East Hanover, NJ and will not have the ability to be located remotely. Please note that this role would not provide relocation and only local candidates will be considered. The expectation of working hours and travel (domestic and/or international) will be defined by the hiring manager. This position will require up to 20% travel.

Reporting into the ED, US Strategy Prioritization & Governance Lead, this role manages the operating mechanics of enterprise portfolio governance: intake, triage, portfolio analytics, decision preparation, dependency management, action tracking, and follow-through across assigned strategic initiative domains.

The Associate Director, Governance & Portfolio Lead is responsible for owning assigned portfolio segments or governance forums; managing intake quality, initiative profiles, scoring, issue / risk logs, action tracking, and portfolio dashboards. This role is the operating backbone for the new US governance model and will convert strategic intent into portfolio discipline and executive-ready visibility.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage initiative intake and ensure submissions include problem statement, strategic rationale, expected value, resource ask, owner, risks, dependencies, decision needed, and success metrics.

• Apply prioritization criteria consistently; surface weak cases, duplicative work, sequencing conflicts, and capacity gaps.

• Prepare governance pre-reads, dashboards, executive summaries, and decision logs for portfolio forums.

• Track portfolio health across milestones, risks, resource assumptions, and strategic outcomes.

• Coordinate with project owners and Strategy Associates to maintain accurate portfolio data and follow-up actions.

• Escalate unresolved dependencies and decisions before they become delivery drag.

Essential Requirements

Education (minimum/desirable)

• Required: Bachelor's degree in a related field

• Preferred: Advanced degree (Master of Science and/or MBA)

Experience

• 7+ years of experience in portfolio management, strategic planning, program management, business operations, consulting, pharma commercial strategy, or drug development operations.

• Experience preparing governance materials, project / portfolio dashboards, senior stakeholder updates, and decision logs.

• Strong analytical, facilitation, project-management, and written communication skills.

Desirable Requirements

• Experience with pharma governance, portfolio processes, or commercial strategy planning.

• Experience with portfolio tools, KPI dashboards, executive cadence management, and dependency management.

The salary for this position is expected to range between $138,600.00 and $257,400.00 per year.

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.

To learn more about the culture, rewards and benefits we offer our people click here.

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

$138,600.00 - $257,400.00

Skills Desired

Analytical Thinking, Business Acumen, Change Management, Consulting, Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Digital Capabilities, Influencing Skills, IT Portfolio Management, Stakeholder Engagement