Job Description Summary
#LI-Remote
This is a field-based and remote opportunity supporting a sales team in an assigned geography.
Novartis is unable to offer relocation support for this role. Please only apply if this location is accessible to you.
Company will not sponsor visas for this position.
The Area Business Leader (ABL) is an enterprise thinker responsible for directing a team of Territory Account Specialists in the delivery of tailored customer experiences based on account and Health Care Provider (HCP) needs and clinical dialogue that compels the customer to act on behalf of their patients to generate demand in the relevant area. Through regular face-to-face in-field interactions, the Area Business Leader mentors their team to work cross-functionally with Healthcare Providers, Key Accounts and Systems of Care (SoC) to identify shared priorities, deliver clinical value and provide Novartis resource messaging in a patient-centered approach thereby establishing Novartis as a preferred customer partner. The Area Business Leader instills a culture of high-performance and accountability that encourages and motivates their team to complete the brand strategy and tactics.
Job Description
Key Responsibilities:
- Recruit, develop, retain, mentor, and lead a diverse team of individuals to successfully deliver on strategic sales objectives and establish a cadence of accountability for the team, communicating, and supervising KPIs and engaging all levels of performance on the team.
- Models the way for all associates by encouraging a shared vision, communicating clear expectations, promoting an environment of accountability, enabling others to act, and optimizing or advancing processes by challenging the status quo.
- Monitor and mentor to ensure Territory Account Specialists are effective orchestrators of the total account call by coordinating the deployment resources to efficiently plan, communicate, and follow through to ensure customer needs are met with vitality.
- Develop, implement, and cultivate a customer-centric business plan in collaboration with both customer engagement and cross-functional partners to optimize customer experience and product demand.
- Serve as a member of the regional leadership team that is proactively supplying to the development of overall regional goals, business execution, team development and culture.
- Embed a hard-working, customer-centric culture where teams are engaged business owners that take effective results-oriented action. The Area Business Leader champions an environment where team members are encouraged to speak up, solve problems, collaborate, experiment, and fail forward.
- Possess in-depth knowledge in the areas of clinical, access and reimbursement, eye for business, territory management, and appropriate use of omni-channel marketing tools to effectively develop and mentor members of the team during regular field contacts and one-on-one mentor sessions.
- Leverage analytics platforms to advise decisions and identify areas of risk and opportunity to ensure the Territory Account Specialists are deploying resources like strategic face-to-face meetings, omni-channel resources, total office calls and cross-functional partners.
Essential Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree required from 4-year college or university.
- Leadership experience (see leveling guidelines below) in pharmaceutical, biotech, healthcare, or similarly structured industries with large, geographically dispersed sales teams. We also welcome candidates from other complex sales environments such as medical devices, diagnostics, life sciences services, insurance, consumer health, or B2B sectors, especially where strong field leadership and customer engagement are central to success. Internal Sales Associates are eligible, if successfully completed Novartis Emerging Leaders Development Program (ELDP), or 2+ years of pharmaceutical/biotech sales management experience within the last two years prior to joining the company.
- 2+ years’ experience as a first-line sales manager with strong, demonstrated strategic thinking and enterprise mindset.
- Demonstrated success in attracting, developing, and retaining diverse talent while building high-performing, collaborative teams.
- Proven ability to drive sales growth, lead cross-functional partnerships, and execute strategic initiatives in complex, multi-regional environments.
- Experience managing field organizations through change, innovation, or growth is highly valued.
- Candidate must reside within territory, or within a reasonable daily commuting distance of 100 miles from the territory border. Ability to travel 60-80% over a broad geography is required, with the ability to drive and/or fly within the territory. Must have a valid driver’s license.
Desirable Requirements:
- Experience & success leading sales teams in promotion to large practices, hospitals, IDN’s & SoC customers, with an understanding of reimbursement for both the out-patient (payer) and in-patient (Diagnosis Related Group, Medicare).
Leveling Guidelines: The position will be filled at a level commensurate with experience.
Area Business Leader I:
- 2+ years’ experience as a first-line sales manager with strong, demonstrated strategic thinking and enterprise mindset (e.g., brand management, market access/account leadership experience) in pharmaceutical, biotech, healthcare, medical devices, diagnostics, life sciences services, insurance, consumer health, B2B sectors or similarly structured industries with large, geographically dispersed sales teams.
Area Business Leader II:
- 4+ years’ experience as a first-line sales manager with strong, demonstrated strategic thinking and enterprise mindset (e.g., brand management, market access/account leadership experience) in pharmaceutical, biotech, healthcare, medical devices, diagnostics, life sciences services, insurance, consumer health, B2B sectors or similarly structured industries with large, geographically dispersed sales teams.
Senior Area Business Leader:
- 8+ years’ experience as a first-line sales manager with strong, demonstrated strategic thinking and enterprise mindset (e.g., brand management, market access/account leadership experience) in pharmaceutical, biotech, healthcare, medical devices, diagnostics, life sciences services, insurance, consumer health, B2B sectors or similarly structured industries with large, geographically dispersed sales teams.
Driving is an Essential Function of this Role: Meaning it is fundamental to the purpose of this job and cannot be eliminated. Because driving is an essential function of the role, you must have a fully valid and unrestricted driver’s license to be qualified for this role. The company provides reasonable accommodations for otherwise qualified individuals with medical restrictions if an accommodation can be provided without eliminating the essential function of driving.
COVID-19 Vaccine Policy (customer-facing roles only): While Novartis does not require vaccination for COVID-19 or proof of a recent negative test result for COVID-19 at this time, employees working in customer-facing roles must adhere to and comply with customers’ (such as hospitals, physician offices, etc.) credentialing guidelines, which may require vaccination. As required by applicable law, Novartis will consider requests for reasonable accommodation for those unable to be vaccinated. This requirement is subject to applicable state and local laws and may not be applicable to employees working in certain jurisdictions. Please send accommodation requests to Eh.occupationalhealth@novartis.com.
For Field Roles with a Dedicated Training Period: The individual hired for this role will be required to successfully complete certain initial training, including home study, eight (8) or fewer hours per day and forty (40) or fewer hours per week.
Novartis Compensation Summary:
The salary for this position is expected to range between:
- Area Business Leader I: $145,600 and $270,400 per year
- Area Business Leader II: $160,300 and $297,700 per year
- Senior Area Business Leader: $176,400 and $327,600 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.
Major accountabilities:
- Plan, adapt and communicate effective strategy for execution based on deep local knowledge, augmenting experience and instinct with data and insights.
- Translate the national customer engagement strategy and objectives into territory implementation plans to achieve agreed targets.
- Ensure and improve targeting accuracy.
- Ensure local plans are executed according to strategy and follow up to determine targets are achieved.
- Advocate critical processes necessary to support customer excellence and drive team engagement and adoption
- Leverage available data to drive business performance and aid decision-making in complex and high-pressure situations, considering risks and impact
- Reporting of technical complaints / adverse events / special case scenarios related to Novartis products within 24 hours of receipt.
- Distribution of marketing samples (where applicable)
Key performance indicators:
- To be populated at local level, based on the guidance that will follow from IMI Field Engagement Performance Management Council outcomes
Minimum Requirements:
Work Experience:
- Able to understand changing dynamics of Pharmaceutical industry.
- Market Knowledge and Network is desirable.
- Pre-launch activities.
- Sales in Healthcare / Pharma / related business.
Skills:
- Analytical Skill
- Change Management
- Coaching
- Collaboration
- Commercial Excellence
- Complexity Management
- Compliance
- Professional Ethics
- Health Care Industry
- Leadership
- Management
- Mentorship
- Problem Solving Techniques
- Professional Communication
- Team Work
Languages:
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 us.reasonableaccommodations@novartis.com 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
$145,600.00 - $270,400.00
Skills Desired
Analytical Skill, Change Management, Coaching, Collaboration, Commercial Excellence, Complexity Management, Compliance, health care industry, Leadership, Management, Mentorship, problem solving techniques, Professional Communication, Professional Ethics, Team Work