Director - Rewards & HR Service Delivery (Enterprise & Innovation Solutions)

Key Responsibilities:

1️⃣ This role owns the entire product lifecycle, not just design or delivery:

• Product strategy & roadmap
• Day-to-day BAU operations
• Enhancements & change demand
• Large transformation projects
• Release & deployment management
• Risk, audit, and compliance outcomes
• Country Engagement and stakeholder management

End-to-end product ownership (BAU + change + projects)

• Own the overall product portfolio for Rewards and Service Now.
• Be accountable for:
  • BAU stability and performance
  • Continuous improvement and enhancements
  • Delivery of funded projects and initiatives
  • AI enablement and aligning with Novartis AI and digital roadmap
• Balance run vs change vs transform priorities with clear trade-offs.
• Ensure all work aligns to product roadmaps, not fragmented projects.

2️⃣ Product-based governance & operating model

• Establish and run product-based governance for P&O platforms:
  • Clear product boundaries
  • Defined ownership and decision rights
  • Intake and prioritization model
• Ensure consistency across:
  • Design standards
  • Ways of working
  • Release cadence
• Act as the design and governance authority for all Product and align with respective Product Director to support the same.

3️⃣ Solution design & architecture authority

• Own end-to-end solution design for all Product portfolio use cases-.
• Ensure designs are User-centric, Secure and privacy-aware, Scalable across geographies, Aligned to enterprise product architecture.
• Approve and govern Governance models, Data usage and access, AI-enabled capabilities, Prevent solution sprawl and one-off customization.

4️⃣ Release, deployment & change management

• Own the end-to-end release management strategy under the portfolio.
• Define and govern Release calendars, Environment strategy, Deployment controls, Change impact management.
• Ensure predictable, low-risk releases across BAU fixes, enhancements, and projects.
• Partner with DDIT and vendors and GPO and business stakeholder to ensure operational excellence.

5️⃣ Audit, risk & compliance accountability

• Act as the single accountable owner for the portfolio system audits.
• Ensure continuous compliance with Internal controls, Data privacy and security requirements, HR and regulatory obligations.
• Maintain strong:
  • Audit trails
  • Design documentation
  • Change and release records
• Proactively identify and remediate control gaps before audit events.

6️⃣ Team leadership & capability building

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Product Owners, Product Experts / Platform Specialists/Business Analyst/Advisor.
• Set clear expectations around End-to-end product accountability, Design quality and governance & Outcome-based delivery
• Build a strong product culture:
  • Business-outcome focused
  • User-led
  • Governed but not bureaucratic

7️⃣ Stakeholder & vendor leadership

• Act as the senior face of the Rewards and HRSD platform to:
  • P&O leadership
  • DDIT and GPOs
  • Risk, Legal, and Audit
• Own relationships with system integrators and vendors:
  • Delivery quality
  • Commercial performance
  • Knowledge transfer
• Resolve prioritization and ownership conflicts decisively.

Essential Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree (Engineering preferred) with minimum 15 years of experience with 5 + years of Senior leadership experience owning Workday Compensation, Benefits, Adv Compensation, SAP HR and Service Now HRSD.
• Proven accountability for BAU + change + transformation delivery in enabling HR teams in Global organizations.
• Strong product governance and operating model experience
• Deep understanding of:
  • Service Delivery Management
  • HR Service Delivery
  • Workflow and case management
  • Release and deployment governance
  • Design and Deployment expertise in Workday Product as a leader who can guide PO and PE on product improvement.
• Experience owning system audit outcomes
• Provide a clear vision to Novartis HR in terms of AI enablement and lead the journey.
• Strong people leadership capability
• Strong knowledge on RFI, RFP and vendor and product evaluation.

Desirable requirements:

• Experience integrating experience with other HR systems
• Exposure to AI-enabled HR services with governance
• Strong AI first mindset and knowledge of key HR AI tools like Co-Pilot, Azure foundry, Workday AI, SANA Enterprise, AWS
• Background in large, complex, global organizations
• Experience operating at Director / enterprise decision-making level