The Associate Director, Governance & Operations leads a Governance & Operations team within BSI Operations with full accountability to enable operational excellence for BSI and International Commercial, Medical and Value & Access functions.
The role serves as the operational backbone for BSI, ensuring scalable processes, trusted data, efficient digital & AI solutions, and decision-enabling insights that support business priorities across International, functions and markets. The Associate Director drives operational excellence through strong governance, AI-enabled innovation, BSI Operations tools ownership, and continuous process simplification while ensuring alignment with BSI, CLS, Finance, P&O, DDIT, CLS, and regional stakeholders.
The position is responsible for defining and evolving the Governance & Operations operating model, ensuring high adoption of tools, process adherence, robust data quality and controls, and sustainable value creation across BSI Operations
Key responsibilities:
Governance & Operating Model Leadership
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Define and execute the Governance & Operations priorities, roadmap, and service model aligned to CLS priorities.
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Establish governance frameworks, operating procedures, service standards, and performance metrics.
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Drive process simplification, standardization, and continuous improvement across operational processes.
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Ensure operational governance supports business priorities, compliance requirements, and organizational objectives.
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Lead governance forums, reviews, and cross-functional decision-making discussions.
Platform, Process & Product Ownership
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Own the portfolio of Governance & Operation tools, dashboards, and automation solutions.
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Govern enhancement roadmaps, release planning, adoption performance, and user experience standards.
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Ensure key operational processes including workforce planning, travel approvals, centralized purchasing enablement, demand tracking, budget management, and operational reporting are effectively supported through digital solutions.
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Establish a scalable and sustainable operating model for platform ownership and support.
Data Governance, Reporting & Insights
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Own BSI data governance, data quality, integrity, and reporting strategy.
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Ensure trusted, timely, and decision-enabling reporting across workforce, budget, demand, portfolio, and operational performance domains.
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Establish data quality controls, source-data accountability, and governance processes with business and functional stakeholders.
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Drive maturity of reporting capabilities through Power BI, automation, and advanced analytics.
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Ensure operational metrics and insights support leadership decision making. turn9search1
Digital Transformation & AI Enablement
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Lead digital transformation initiatives across Governance & Operations.
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Drive adoption of Power Platform, automation, AI/GenAI, and workflow simplification opportunities.
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Evaluate and scale Agentic AI and intelligent automation use cases where business value is demonstrated.
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Drive innovation through continuous modernization of tools, processes, and operating practices. Lead by example with hands-on experimentation.
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Improve operational productivity and user experience through technology-enabled solutions.
Organization Leadership & Stakeholder Management
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Lead organization design, resource planning, capability building, succession planning, and talent development.
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Build strong partnerships with Finance, P&O, DDIT, Procurement, CLS, and BSI leadership teams.
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Drive stakeholder alignment, governance compliance, and value realization across BSI Operations.
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Lead prioritization, risk management, and portfolio governance across multiple initiatives.
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Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, customer-centricity, and operational excellence.
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Governance and operating model design
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Enterprise data governance and controls
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Digital platform strategy and product ownership
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GenAI, AI and MS Power Platform ecosystem (Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, SharePoint)
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AI, automation, and digital innovation
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Workforce planning and operational governance
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Budget, spend, and portfolio governance
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Reporting and analytics strategy
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Senior stakeholder management and influencing
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Organization leadership and capability development
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Risk management and prioritization
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Change leadership and transformation management
Essential Requirements:
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Delivery of Governance & Operations roadmap and strategic priorities
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Adoption and value realization of AI enabled digital platforms and operational tools, incl. hands-on experimentation & innovation.
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Improvement in data quality, governance maturity, and reporting trust
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Operational efficiency gains through automation and AI enablement
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Effectiveness of workforce planning, budget governance, and operational reporting
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Timely delivery of platform enhancements and transformation initiatives
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Stakeholder satisfaction and governance effectiveness
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Team engagement, capability development, and succession readiness
Ideal Background
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15+ years of relevant experience in operations, governance, digital & AI transformation, business excellence, or related leadership roles.
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Proven experience leading governance, automation, or operational excellence functions.
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Experience managing digital & AI products, and transformation initiatives.
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Strong understanding of workforce planning, process excellence, and operational controls.
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Experience working across Finance, P&O, Procurement, DDIT, and business functions in a global environment.
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Demonstrated success in leading cross-functional programs and organizational change initiatives.
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Strong strategic thinking, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.
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Experience building and leading high-performing teams and operational excellence.
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Strong digital & AI mindset with proven hands-on experience in AI, automation, and data-driven decision making.
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Proven hands-on experience in using AI/GenAI (e.g. Co-Pilot Studio and Cowork or other similar platforms like Claude or ChatGPT), and MS Power Platform ecosystem (Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, SharePoint)
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Pharmaceutical, healthcare, life sciences, or similarly regulated industry experience preferred.
Desirable Requirements:
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Strategic Leadership
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Governance & Operating Model Design
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Digital Transformation
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Product & Platform Governance
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Data Governance & Stewardship
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Workforce Planning Governance
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AI & Automation Leadership
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Stakeholder Influence
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Organizational Development
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Change Leadership
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Operational Excellence
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Continuous Improvement
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Risk Management
Why Novartis: Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together? https://www.novartis.com/about/strategy/people-and-culture
Benefits and Rewards: Read our handbook to learn about all the ways we’ll help you thrive personally and professionally: https://www.novartis.com/careers/benefits-rewards
Why Novartis: Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together? https://www.novartis.com/about/strategy/people-and-culture
Benefits and Rewards: Learn about all the ways we’ll help you thrive personally and professionally.
Read our handbook (PDF 30 MB)
