Director PHAD India

Major accountabilities:

Strategy & Direction

• Set and evolve the PHAD India strategy for science and technology, aligned to global business needs and the organizational vision.
• Ensure alignment with the end‑to‑end drug development process, and with the global PHAD functions.

Portfolio, Planning & Operational Excellence

• Plan and allocate resources to meet timelines and key milestones across the global oral and parenteral portfolio, keeping schedules realistic and delivery focused.
• Drive operational excellence to deliver high‑quality products and solutions, embedding continuous improvement practices.
• Ensures local execution of global initiatives, priorities, and objectives
• Ensures best practice sharing, knowledge exchange and cross functional support within the global PHAD and the PHAD & ARD (Analytical Research and Development) India Organizations across all units/departments
• Financial responsibility: Ensure project and lab spending within line function budget and financial competency. Propose and prepare business cases for investments, in line with global PHAD.

Science, Quality & Compliance

• Generate, review, and hand over high‑quality scientific documents to partners (Operations, authorities, other companies), ensuring clarity and regulatory readiness.
• Influences/persuades others and work according to appropriate SOPs. GLP, GMP, OQM, HSE, ISEC and Novartis Guidelines
• Ensures alignment with all required regulation and guidelines in Operations and Projects to guarantee permanent regulatory readiness

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

• Lead multiples teams to deliver on project and business objectives, reinforcing collaboration mechanisms.
• Represent the unit with internal and external stakeholders, acting as the strategic liaison in initiatives and partnerships.

People, Capability & Culture

• Role‑model PHAD values—collaboration, entrepreneurship, courage, innovation—Achieves a true culture of empowerment and innovation, diversity and inclusion, trust, high performance, and continuous improvement mindset
• Actively coach and develop direct reports
• Drive people development/growth of PHAD IN associates, in line with Global PHAD ambitions, D&I goals, and the site culture and climate.
• As a member of the PHAD global leadership team, actively contribute to PHAD strategy, vision and operations; represent PHAD at cross-functional decision-/governance boards

Minimum Requirements:

• Advanced degree in pharmaceutical sciences (Ph.D. or equivalent), or equivalent.
• >10 years of experience in pharmaceutical industry, in functions with exposure to drug product development in pharmaceutical development or technical operations at NVS or at similar functions in other companies
• >10 years of experience in people management, in multi-disciplinary drug development teams.
• Leadership experience in the delivery of complex programs and managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong interpersonal, networking, and strategic partnering skills
• Energetic, can-do attitude
• Excellent written and verbal communication/ presentation skills coupled with scientific / technical skills and with negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
• Strong executive presence, ability to manage stakeholders in a matrix set up and having an enterprise mindset

Work Experience:

• Managing Crises.
• People Challenges.
• Collaborating across boundaries.
• Operations Management and Execution.
• People Leadership.

Skills:

• Budget Management.
• Coaching Skills.
• Data Science.
• Experiments Design.
• Laboratory.
• Npi (New Product Introduction).
• People Management.
• Problem Solving Skills.
• Process Simulation.
• Project Management.
• R&D.