Executive Director, CRM Innovation Labs

Band

Level 7

 

Job Description Summary

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

Reporting into the VP, Head of CRM Product Management and Strategy, the Executive Director, CRM Labs is responsible for leading the innovation engine of the US CRM transformation. This role sets the vision for CRM Labs, builds and leads a high-performing team focused on piloting, scaling, and operationalizing next-generation CRM capabilities. The ED, CRM Labs partners with business and IT leadership to define innovation priorities, drive rapid prototyping, and embed best practices in agile delivery, governance, and change enablement. The role requires deep collaboration across the organization to ensure cross-functional alignment and successful transformation.

 

Job Description

Key Responsibilities: 

• Lead the CRM Labs function to drive innovation, pilot new CRM capabilities, and accelerate enterprise transformation.  

• Define and execute the CRM Labs strategy and vision in alignment with Novartis business goals and the broader CRM transformation roadmap. 

• Drive meaningful impact as success in this role will be measured by granular innovation metrics, including ROI on pilots, speed and effectiveness of experimentation cycles, business value delivered, stakeholder satisfaction, cost savings, and efficiency gains. 

• Build and lead a top-talent CRM Labs team specializing in innovation, prototyping, and agile delivery. 

• Develop and implement best-practice frameworks for piloting, scaling, and operationalizing CRM solutions across diverse user groups and business functions. 

• Establish and manage a governance structure for CRM Labs, ensuring clear decision rights, escalation processes, and accountability for innovation initiatives.  

• Collaborate with business unit leaders, IT, IDS, and external partners to identify, prioritize, and deliver high-impact CRM pilots and innovations.  

• Build and scale strategic partnerships with vendors, startups, and industry leaders. Experience scouting, evaluating, and integrating best-in-class solutions to accelerate CRM innovation and enterprise transformation. 

• Maintain a deep understanding of CRM workflows, user personas, and platform capabilities (Salesforce, Veeva, etc.), as well as best practices across industries. 

• Evangelize the impact of CRM Labs across the organization (e.g., stakeholder meetings, leadership forums, and Sales meetings). 

 

Essential Requirements:

 

Education (minimum/desirable): 

Bachelor's degree in related field is required; Master of Science and/or MBA preferred 

 

Experience:  

The successful candidate will bring a robust blend of strategic vision, technical mastery, and hands-on leadership in CRM innovation. Experience should span enterprise-scale transformation, advanced CRM platforms—including both Salesforce and non-Salesforce technologies—and a proven ability to drive breakthrough solutions from concept to production. A track record of cross-functional collaboration, governance, and change enablement in complex, regulated environments is essential for success in this role. 

 

Additional qualifications are as follows: 

• 10+ years of progressive experience in CRM innovation, product strategy, or technology leadership roles, ideally within pharmaceutical, healthcare, or enterprise-scale commercial sectors  

• Proven success leading large-scale CRM transformation initiatives, including piloting and scaling enterprise platforms such as Salesforce (including Agentforce), Veeva, Data Cloud, and sales and marketing solutions across diverse user groups and business functions  

• Deep expertise in emerging technologies—AI/ML, automation, Salesforce Data Cloud/Agentfor