Executive Director, Head of CRM Experience Design

Job Description Summary

This position will be located in East Hanover, NJ.

 

Job Description

Novartis is on a mission to transform medicine and improve lives worldwide. As a global leader in healthcare, we leverage advanced technology and data to deliver patient-centric solutions, enhance customer engagement, and drive innovation. 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, bringing insights and challenging ideas to empower smarter, data-driven decision-making. The US CRM organization sits within IDS and plays a crucial role in driving the transformation to a Customer 360 operating model.

Reporting into the VP, Head of CRM Product Management and Strategy, the Executive Director, Head of CRM Experience Design is responsible for elevating the user experience across all CRM platforms and touchpoints. This role sets the vision for UX strategy, builds and leads a high-performing UX team, and ensures that CRM solutions are intuitive, accessible, and optimized for diverse user personas. The ED, Head of UX Design partners with leaders across the US commercial functions and IT leadership to define design standards, drive innovation, and embed best practices in user research, out-of-box prototyping, and usability testing. The role requires deep collaboration across the organization to ensure cross-functional alignment and successful transformation.

Major Accountabilities:

• Define and execute a CRM UX strategy and vision that aligns with Novartis business goals; serve as the primary point of contact for executive leadership on UX strategy.

• Build and lead a top-talent UX team specializing in CRM user experience.

• Develop and implement best-practice CRM UX standards to ensure cross-persona, out-of-the-box optimized delivery.

• Conduct user research and incorporate feedback into design decisions; champion the Voice of Customer (VoC) program and guidelines.

• Create wireframes, prototypes, and design mockups for new features using out-of-the-box capabilities.

• Collaborate with developers, business analysts, and QA testers to ensure design feasibility and comprehensive UI/UX testing.

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with key internal stakeholders, including US Commercial business unit leaders, IT, IDS, and external partners.

• Evangelize the UX strategy and impact across the organization (e.g., stakeholder meetings, leadership forums, and Sales meetings).

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

• Drive continuous improvement and innovation in UX design, accessibility, and inclusive design.

Experience:           

Novartis seeks an accomplished UX and product strategy leader with a proven track record in CRM transformation, commercial operations, and enterprise-scale design leadership. The ideal candidate will have and demonstrate:

• A bachelor's degree in a related field is required; a Master of Science and/or MBA is preferred

• 10+ years of progressive experience in UX design, product strategy, or technology leadership roles, preferably within the pharmaceutical, healthcare, or CRM sectors.

• Proven success leading large-scale CRM transformation initiatives, including the design and rollout of enterprise platforms (e.g., Salesforce, Veeva) across diverse user groups and business functions.

• Deep expertise in user-centered design, including user research, persona development, journey mapping, prototyping, usability testing, accessibility, and inclusive design practices.

• Experience building and managing high-performing UX teams, with a focus on CRM user experience and cross-functional collaboration.

• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement best-practice UX standards for complex, multi-persona environments, optimizing for out-of-the-box platform capabilities and scalability.

• Strong background in Voice of Customer (VoC) programs, including the design, execution, and continuous improvement of feedback loops, satisfaction surveys, and user engagement metrics.

• Hands-on experience creating wireframes, prototypes, and design mockups for new CRM features, leveraging modern design tools (e.g., Figma, Adobe XD, Sketch).

• Proven ability to partner with business unit leaders, IT, developers, business analysts, and QA testers to ensure design feasibility, comprehensive UI/UX testing, and seamless implementation.

• Track record of driving continuous improvement and innovation in UX design, accessibility, and inclusive design, adapting strategies to evolving technology and user needs.

• Comprehensive understanding of CRM workflows, user personas, and platform capabilities, with certification or deep familiarity in leading CRM platforms (Salesforce, Veeva, etc.).

• Experience in organizational transformation, including change management, communication strategy, and risk/compliance mitigation within a regulated industry.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data, make informed decisions, and measure impact through key performance indicators (KPIs).

• Ability to foster cross-functional alignment, influence without authority, and drive disciplined, ambitious, and collaborative UX strategy at the enterprise level.

• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with a history of building strong relationships and driving adoption of new technologies and processes.

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $214,900.00 and $399,100.00 a 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 participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, the employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

 

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

$214,900.00 - $399,100.00

 

Skills Desired

Agility, Brand Awareness, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Customer Engagement, Customer Experience, Customer Insights, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, Go-To-Market Strategy, Influencing Skills, Inspirational Leadership, Marketing Strategy, People Management, Product Positioning, Product Roadmap, Sales, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Marketing