Associate Director, AI Use Case Lead 1 of 2

Band

Level 5

 

Job Description Summary

This position will be located at the East Hanover, NJ location and will not have the ability to be located remotely.

This is a one of two roles.

 

Job Description

The Insights and Decision Science (IDS) team is dedicated to enabling improved decision making at Novartis by leveraging superior data to identify actionable insights that drive enhanced performance. We collaborate closely with the US business, challenging data and ideas to empower smarter, data-driven decision-making. Reporting into the Director, AI Use Case Lead, this role is crucial in driving innovation and transformation in pharma by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence.

The individual will lead the ideation and execution of AI projects, from concept to implementation, ensuring that solutions are scalable, compliant, and tailored to meet the unique needs of the company.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Collaborate on the ideation and execution of AI projects, assisting in the transition from concept to implementation.

• Contribute innovative ideas for AI-based products or solutions, supporting the development of market-ready offerings.

• Assist in evaluating the feasibility of use cases based on data availability, quality, and organizational readiness.

• Help create a detailed plan for the AI use case lifecycle, from ideation to pilot, under the guidance of senior leaders.

• Work closely with departments such as R&D, manufacturing, commercial, regulatory, and IT to understand their pain points and requirements, providing support to senior leaders.

• Collaborate with AI teams to design scalable, compliant, and effective AI solutions tailored to the use case, with oversight from senior leaders.

• Assist in setting priorities and managing the product lifecycle in collaboration with cross-functional teams.

• Serve as a liaison between technical teams (data scientists, engineers) and business teams, ensuring clear communication and understanding, with support from senior leaders.

• Advocate for AI adoption and assist stakeholders in adapting to new tools and processes, under the guidance of senior leaders.

• Support the definition and pressure-testing of value cases and assist in structuring sprints to begin development of new product ideas.

• Support the business case development for wider adoption of AI technology by capturing success stories and key business metrics during pilot phases, collaborating with other teams to drive broader adoption.

• Act as an AI role model, supporting a culture that embraces cutting-edge AI technologies and encourages experimentation and adoption of best practices, under the mentorship of senior leaders.

Essential Requirements:

Novartis seeks individual with extensive experience in leading AI-driven innovation projects from conception to market deployment. A proven track record of successfully evaluating and implementing AI use cases, demonstrating a deep understanding of data quality, availability, and organizational readiness is required. The candidate should excel in bridging the gap between technical and business teams, fostering clear communication and understanding, while advocating for AI adoption and facilitating stakeholder adaptation to new technologies. 

Education: Bachelor's degree in related field is required; Master of Science and/or MBA, or Ph.D.) are preferred

• A minimum 6 years of experience in tech development in the pharma industry

• Experience in managing complex projects, including planning, execution, and delivery, with a focus on AI or technology-driven projects

• Ability to balance stakeholder interests with project goals, ensuring successful AI implementation and adoption

• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams, including R&D, IT, and business units, to drive AI initiatives

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to articulate complex AI concepts to non-technical stakeholders

• Ability to translate business needs into technical requirements

• Understanding of prototype development process and demonstrated leadership skills to guide and motivate teams, manage conflicts, and drive change

• Understanding of regulatory requirements and compliance issues related to AI in the pharmaceutical industry

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between: $126,000.00 and $234,000.00 a year; however, while salary ranges are effective from 1/1/25 through 12/31/25, fluctuations in th