Director, Business Operations

Novartis • East Hanover, NJ

1d • Remote

About The Position

The Director, Business Operations is the steady operational heartbeat of the U.S. Customer Engagement organization, bringing clarity, momentum, and shared accountability across a dynamic field environment. This role leads the day‑to‑day business rhythms and operational cadences, translating strategy into seamless execution. Partnering closely with the Execution Excellence team, the Director, Business Operations helps clearly distinguish operational management from transformation governance, enabling thoughtful planning, strong performance management, and continuous improvement. With a forward‑looking mindset, this leader anticipates evolving needs, simplifies processes, and ensures operational excellence fuels the successful delivery of transformation initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required from 4-year college or university.
• 10+ years’ experience in business operations, strategic planning, or enterprise transformation, within pharmaceutical, biotech, healthcare, or similarly structured industries with large, geographically dispersed teams. We also welcome candidates from other complex environments such as medical devices, diagnostics, life sciences services, insurance, consumer health, technology, or B2B sectors.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional operations within complex, matrixed, and global environments.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills, with the ability to translate complexity into clarity and action.
• Proven experience operationalizing transformation initiatives and guiding teams through change at scale.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across governance structures, building alignment and shared understanding in dynamic settings.
• Technical curiosity and hands‑on experience with digital platforms, automation tools, and data visualization solutions (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, or similar).

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with enterprise planning tools, performance dashboards, agile ways of working, and digital enablement to drive insight‑led decision making and operational excellence.
• Confident, system-minded operator with strong execution discipline, able to navigate ambiguity, work autonomously, and influence across teams to turn transformation goals into practical, scalable outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day‑to‑day business rhythms and operational cadences, partnering closely with the Execution Excellence team to clearly separate operational management from transformation governance.
• Design, implement, and steward core operating forums – including monthly and quarterly business reviews, leadership meetings, and annual planning – to drive focus, alignment, and outcomes.
• Ensure all operating cadences are thoughtfully structured, well prepared, and centered on meaningful decisions and progress.
• Build and maintain a master organizational calendar that brings visibility, sequencing, and connection across cross‑functional priorities.
• Partner with transformation teams to translate new initiatives into operational reality, ensuring agility as strategies evolve.
• Collaborate with Customer Engagement leaders to define, track, and review key performance indicators that reflect field execution and customer impact.
• Develop clear reporting frameworks and dashboards that provide timely insights, enable course correction, and support data‑informed decisions.
• Work closely with P&O and Finance to support headcount planning, organizational design, hiring pipelines, and workforce reporting – embedding talent and resource planning into business operations.
• Establish predictable people‑related rhythms that reinforce readiness, capacity planning, and sustainable performance.
• Champion continuous improvement by leveraging field feedback and data to simplify, streamline, and strengthen operational processes, while leading special projects that enhance organizational effectiveness and readiness.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director