Director, AI Enablement, Corporate Affairs

Job Description Summary

We’re a team of dedicated and passionate people united by a drive to achieve together. This is a senior leadership role accountable for defining and delivering the AI strategy that transforms how Novartis Corporate Affairs creates and delivers enterprise value. You will set the multi-year vision for AI enablement across the function, lead a team to execution, lead the development of the portfolio, and represent Corporate Affairs as our lead voice on AI in senior enterprise forums. You will own the full lifecycle of AI in Corporate Affairs, from strategy and business cases through delivery, governance, adoption, and realized value, and is measured by the strategic, operational, and reputational impact AI generates for the function and the enterprise.

 

Job Description

Novartis will not sponsor visas for this position.

This role is required to be in our East Hanover, NJ office 3x/week.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement a defined and executive-endorsed multi-year AI strategy for Corporate Affairs that anticipates how AI will reshape communications, public affairs, ESG, and stakeholder engagement.

• Lead the strategy and development of a prioritized AI portfolio governed as a managed investment, with disciplined trade-offs across strategic and operational impact, data readiness, and speed to value.

• Lead the strategy and execution for approved business cases and funding decisions for every initiative in the portfolio, with quantified value targets, ROI methodology, and clear reinvestment logic linked to enterprise outcomes.

• Hire and develop a high-performing AI team with the technical depth and judgment required to deliver enterprise-grade AI solutions.

• Deliver realized business value across deployed solutions — measured in time recovered, productivity gained, opportunities captured, insights accelerated, or strategic capacity created — tracked against approved business cases.

• Represent Corporate Affairs in enterprise AI governance bodies, technology councils, and senior cross-functional forums.

• Serve as a trusted senior advisor with the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Chief of Staff, and other executive leaders on AI strategy, opportunity, and more.

• Own the AI governance framework for Corporate Affairs, jointly defined with IT, Legal, and Compliance with zero material compliance, privacy, or responsible-AI incidents across the portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement a defined and executive-endorsed multi-year AI strategy for Corporate Affairs that anticipates how AI will reshape communications, public affairs, ESG, and stakeholder engagement.

• Lead the strategy and development of a prioritized AI portfolio governed as a managed investment, with disciplined trade-offs across strategic and operational impact, data readiness, and speed to value.

• Lead the strategy and execution for approved business cases and funding decisions for every initiative in the portfolio, with quantified value targets, ROI methodology, and clear reinvestment logic linked to enterprise outcomes.

• Hire and develop a high-performing AI team with the technical depth and judgment required to deliver enterprise-grade AI solutions.

• Deliver realized business value across deployed solutions — measured in time recovered, productivity gained, opportunities captured, insights accelerated, or strategic capacity created — tracked against approved business cases.

• Represent Corporate Affairs in enterprise AI governance bodies, technology councils, and senior cross-functional forums.

• Serve as a trusted senior advisor with the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Chief of Staff, and other executive leaders on AI strategy, opportunity, and more.

• Own the AI governance framework for Corporate Affairs, jointly defined with IT, Legal, and Compliance with zero material compliance, privacy, or responsible-AI incidents across the portfolio.

Essential Criteria 

• Progressive experience in AI, digital transformation, and technology strategy, with a proven track record of defining and leading AI strategy for a major function or business unit — including ownership of investment, portfolio, and value realization.

• Strong track record of delivering production-grade AI, generative AI, or advanced analytics solutions in a complex environment, with demonstrable ownership of business outcomes.

• Good technical fluency with large language models, generative and agentic AI applications, and the data engineering and machine learning operations principles that underpin enterprise-grade AI, including responsible AI and model risk.

• Proven experience building and leading teams of AI, data, or technology professionals, including senior individual contributors.

• Ability to operate credibly at senior executive level — advising and briefing C-suite leaders on AI strategy, risk, and value — with substantive experience leading cross-functional partnerships across IT, Legal, Compliance, Procurement, and business functions.

 

Desirable Criteria:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related technical field required. Advanced degree (MS, MBA, or equivalent) preferred. 

• Pharmaceuticals, healthcare, or other highly regulated global industry experience.

Benefits & Rewards

The salary for this position is expected to range between $194,600 and $361,400 per year. The final salary offered is determined based on factors like, but not limited to, relevant skills and experience, and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically. Novartis may change the published salary range based on company and market factors. Your compensation will include a performance-based cash incentive and, depending on the level of the role, eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards. US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits. In addition, employees are eligible for a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.

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

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

 

EEO Statement:

The Novartis Group of Companies are Equal Opportunity Employers. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. 

 

Accessibility and reasonable accommodations

The Novartis Group of Companies are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or to perform the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to [email protected] or call +1(877)395-2339 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message.

 

Salary Range

$194,600.00 - $361,400.00

 

Skills Desired

Agile (Programming Methodology) (Inactive), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Business Value Creation, Change Management, Curious Mindset, Data Governance, Data Literacy, Data Quality, Data Science, Data Strategies, Data Visualization, Deep Learning, Learning Agility, Machine Learning (ML), Machine Learning Algorithms, Mentorship, Nlp (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) And Genai (Inactive), Organization Awareness (Inactive), Stakeholder Engagement, Statistical Analysis, Time Series Analysis, Vision (Inactive)