Executive Director, CRM Product Strategy

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, this role is crucial in setting the vision and driving transformation for CRM for the US commercial organization for Novartis US. 

The Executive Director, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Product Strategy is responsible for creating and driving a world-class product strategy practice within Novartis US CRM. This role sets the standard for the enterprise CRM product vision and strategic alignment, acting as a key partner to business and IT leadership. The ED, CRM drives vision creation and alignment, strategic prioritization, operational efficiencies, and innovative delivery strategies. Core responsibilities include building and leading a top-talent product strategy team, defining success metrics at the portfolio level (such as OKRs, adoption rates, business impact, and strategic value delivery), identifying opportunities to create, improve, and scale business processes using both traditional and agentic solutions, and overseeing resource allocation and investment decisions to balance innovation with operational needs. The role also requires deep collaboration across the organization to ensure cross-functional alignment and successful transformation. 

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

• Build and lead a top-talent product strategy team. 

• Define success metrics at the portfolio level: including OKRs, adoption rates, business impact, and strategic value delivery. 

• Identify opportunities to create, improve, and scale business processes using traditional and agentic solutions. 

• Oversee resource allocation and investment decisions, balancing innovation with operational needs. 

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with key internal stakeholders, including US Commercial business unit leaders, IT, Insights & Decision Science (IDS), and external partners such as CRM vendors and implementation consultants.  

• Collaborate closely across the CRM team to ensure cross-functional alignment and optimization. 

• Collaborate with program teams to ensure business process changes integrate with all aspects of transformation. 

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

• Maintain a deep understanding of the Life Sciences CRM landscape including Salesforce and Veeva, as well as best practices across different industries. 

• Maintain a deep understanding of the US commercial strategy and secure support from relevant business entities and stakeholders.  

Experience:  

Novartis seeks an accomplished product strategy leader with experience and demonstrated success transforming CRM within commercial operations. Strong management, partnership, and intellectual maturity are needed. A comprehensive understanding of best practices in CRM and AI applications for pharmaceutical sales and marketing, and the dynamics of the global healthcare environment is crucial. 

• 10+ years of experience in technology strategy, innovation, or leadership roles, preferably in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, or CRM sectors  

• Deep understanding of the CRM landscape (Sales, Marketing and Service), including Salesforce, Veeva, and the major and evolving players in the ecosystem 

• Deep understanding of the pharmaceutical industry, including regulatory requirements, market dynamics, and emerging AI technologies 

• Experience developing and executing a long-term strategic technology vision that aligns with enterprise commercial and innovation goals 

• Strong understanding of generative AI technologies, machine learning, and data analytics, with a focus on practical applications  

• Excellent leadership skills with the ability to build and lead high-performing teams of AI specialists 

• People management experience within CRM, AI, technology, or data-driven environments required 

• Must possess an ability to foster cross-functional alignment of key stakeholders to create a disciplined, ambitious, and collaborative, global, commercial CRM strategy 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and make informed decisions 

• Experience in leading a organizational transformation, including change management, communication strategy, and risk and compliance mitigation 

• Ability to adapt strategies and approaches in a rapidly evolving technological landscape