Head, Post-doctoral Fellowship Program

Job Description Summary

Our Biomedical Education & Innovation (BEI) team fosters a culture of curiosity and excellence through racial, ethnic and gender diversity along the entire biomedical education and career pathway with robust education and training programs for early talent at various career stages. The Novartis Biomedical Research (BR) Post-doctoral Program is housed in BEI and currently has over 70 post-doctoral fellows in 3 locations and in 10 departments globally.

There are two post-doctoral tracks, Discovery Track and Innovation Track. Discovery Track post-doctoral fellows work on cutting-edge research projects that significantly advance fundamental scientific understanding and have strong potential for publications in leading journals. The Innovation Track offers aspiring drug hunters a unique opportunity to gain firsthand experience in the design and development of breakthrough therapies and innovation technologies. Both Tracks provide rigorous scientific training in a drug discovery environment with a robust drug development curriculum, thus equipping postdocs for their future career options in academia or industry.

 

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

The Head of the Post-doctoral program oversees all aspects of the global program:

• Establish short- and long-range vision and strategy in collaboration with the Head of BEI that is endorsed by BR’s senior leaders.

• Bring vision, new ideas, data, and broad awareness of the postdoc landscape to bear on strategic decisions that benefit the program and BR.

• Conduct outreach with academic institutions and national and local postdoctoral organizations, and manage advertising, internal- and external-facing websites, and candidate applications.

• Build partnerships and work effectively with multiple stakeholders, including postdocs, mentors, peers, and senior leaders across multiple departments within the organization and colleagues at other institutions.

• Serve as Lead on the Postdoc Program Council and engage NBR leaders in discussions for continuous program improvements.

• Support mentors to attract and select top-quality candidates.

• Enhance the postdoc program community and interactions with the broader Novartis community by creating and organizing postdoctoral fellow- and mentor-focused events.

• Support postdocs in their scientific and professional development, including creating and organizing trainings and workshops.

• Ensure effective and timely resolution of issues involving postdocs.

• Ensure operational excellence, including managing the program budget, keeping accurate records, coordinating mentor application reviews, along with serving as a leader and point of contact for the postdoc program.

Role Requirements:

• PhD in life sciences or related field and at least one year of post-doctoral experience, preferred.

• Strong leadership and collaborative skills, with previous experience in program management

• Strategic and operational thinker

• High motivation to continuously improve the postdoc program outcomes and experience.

• Enjoys enabling a culture of mentorship and supporting others to be successful.

• Proactive, well-organized, and able to work independently and contribute as an effective team member in a global environment.

• Ability to see the big picture and pay attention to details and thrive when putting in place innovative solutions and processes.

• Gains satisfaction from completing efficiently a wide variety of tasks in a given day and manage timelines, while being an excellent colleague and team player.

• Excellent communication skills in both written and spoken English.

• Able to travel domestically and internationally, up to 7% time.

#LI-Hybrid

Novartis Compensation and Benefit Summary: The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between: $126,000 and $234,000/year; however, while salary ranges are effective from 1/1/25 through 12/31/25, fluctuations in the job market may necessitate adjustments to pay ranges during this period.  Further, final pay determinations will depend on various factors, including, but not limited to geographical location, experience level, knowledge, skills, and abilities. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a sign-on bonus, restricted stock units, and discretionary awards in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave), dependent on the position offered. Details of par