Job ID

REQ-10065498

Oct 31, 2025

Switzerland

Summary

Our ambition is to be leaders in immunology across international markets.

The Executive Director International, plays a pivotal role in leading the end-to-end Rheumatology strategy for the brand, encompassing the vision, development, orchestration, implementation, and evaluation of integrated strategies across major international markets. As an enterprise leader, the ED will focus on the top three countries (Germany, Japan, and China) and Regions, driving successful launch and growth across its indications.

The incumbent will collaborate closely with Global Drug Development (GDD), International Medical Affairs, Value & Access, and Customer & Market Activation teams to drive consistent strategy development and execution. This role represents the commercial team across different instances of the organization.

About the Role

Key Responsibilities

• International Launch Strategy: Lead the development and implementation of the launch plan for the assigned indication, ensuring alignment with overall asset strategy and corporate objectives.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Orchestrate a global/international, cross-functional team (Medical, Regulatory, Access, Commercial, Supply, etc.) to deliver seamless launch execution.
• Launch Readiness: Assess and drive readiness across core and priority markets, identifying risks and enabling mitigation plans to ensure timely launch execution.
• Insight Integration: Leverage market research, competitive intelligence, and stakeholder feedback to refine positioning, messaging, and tactical planning.
• International-Local Partnership: Partner closely with regional and country teams to ensure pull-through of global strategy, providing guidance and tools to support in-market success.
• Milestone Tracking & Governance: Define and track critical launch milestones and KPIs; lead governance updates and ensure timely decision-making across key forums.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Effectively communicate our vision and strategic goals to senior leaders, including the International Leadership Team (ILT), Country Presidents (CP), and regional heads.
• Compliance & Excellence: Uphold the highest standards of compliance and launch excellence throughout all activities.
• Collaborate closely with global development to influence target product profile & Integrated Evidence Plan to maximize commercialization & patient access potential for the new indications and LCM in key markets in international.
• Lead the International Commercialization Excellence (ICE) initiatives, driving best practices in customer engagement strategies. Foster a customer-centric mindset within the international and country teams, focusing on personalizing experiences to extend patient reach and commercial impact.
   

Essential requirements:

• +15 years of commercial experience across various functions in country(s) and above country, demonstrating a broad and deep understanding of the commercial landscape.
• Proven track record of successful launches, with commercial leadership experience and therapeutic area (TA) leadership in core markets.
• Extensive commercial experience in immunology, especially working with rheumatologists.
• Experience with high-performing/high-growth brands or markets, with a clear understanding of key drivers that influence shifting customer and patient behaviors to ensure successful asset launches.
• Proficient in translating scientific data into differentiated brand value propositions, enabling impactful launches across pre-launch through lifecycle management (LCM).
• Strong track record in collaborating and partnering with cross-unit, cross-functional & key markets to achieve strategic and performance targets.

Leadership Capabilities:

• Proven ability to manage and drive performance, ensuring targets are met and exceeded in challenging markets.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire teams, drive cross-functional collaboration, and think strategically in dynamic environments.
• Focuses on larger, longer-term issues, and creates plans and strategies. Comfortable in navigating the matrix and people related organizational dynamics.
• Establish credibility & influence across diverse stakeholders and able to navigate in an environment of shared outcomes and cross-business accountabilities. Demonstrates enterprise leadership, balance diverse stakeholders and conflicting priorities to drive results.
• Empowered teams to execute efficiently, through the layers of organization and across geographies.
• Clearly and effectively communicates with senior stakeholders (both internal &external)- to align on vision, purpose & goals. Generates trust, builds credibility and drives engagement with people and stakeholders.

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

Join our Novartis Network: Not the right Novartis role for you? Sign up to our talent community to stay connected and learn about suitable career opportunities as soon as they come up: https://talentnetwork.novartis.com/network (link is external)

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

Division

International

Business Unit

Universal Hierarchy Node

Location

Switzerland

Site

Basel (City)

Company / Legal Entity

C028 (FCRS = CH028) Novartis Pharma AG

Functional Area

Commercial & General Management

Job Type

Full time

Employment Type

Regular

Shift Work

No

Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams' representative of the patients and communities we serve.