The Strategy, Platforms & Transformation team is dedicated to enabling improved decision-making at Novartis by leveraging data and advanced analytics capabilities to generate actionable insights that drive business growth. We work within the US business, bringing insights and challenging ideas to empower smarter, data-driven decision-making. This role is crucial in driving AI transformation by bringing the best in AI and tech to unlock opportunities for growth and improve patient outcomes.

The Executive Director, AI Foundations Engineering Lead will lead the engineering strategy, delivery, and operational excellence for the organization’s agentic AI operating system, with responsibility spanning solution architecture, development, operations, and continuous improvement. This role will be central to enabling the transformation of existing processes, products, and services into agentic AI products and intelligent workflows by providing a scalable, secure, and high performing foundation. The ideal candidate will bring deep engineering leadership, systems thinking, and technical vision to guide the design and evolution of core agentic capabilities, establish engineering standards and operating models, and lead cross functional teams in delivering resilient and extensible AI services. Working closely with product leaders, business stakeholders, data and technology teams, and transformation leaders, this role will ensure the agentic systems accelerate innovation, support enterprise adoption, and delivers measurable business value through reliable and scalable execution.

Major Accountabilities:

• Define and lead the engineering strategy, roadmap, and operating model for our organization’s agentic AI platform.
• Oversee the design, development, integration, deployment, and ongoing operation of foundational capabilities that support agentic AI products and workflows.
• Establish platform engineering standards, architectural principles, and development practices to ensure scalability, reliability, security, and maintainability.
• Lead cross functional engineering teams in building reusable platform services, tools, and components that accelerate product delivery and adoption.
• Partner with product, data, infrastructure, security, and business teams to align platform capabilities with enterprise priorities and evolving user needs.
• Drive platform performance, operational excellence, and continuous improvement through monitoring, feedback loops, incident review, and service optimization.
• Guide the modernization of existing systems and processes to enable integration with agentic AI products, workflows, and platform services.
• Communicate agentic AI strategy, technical direction, delivery progress, risks, and investment needs to senior executives and key stakeholders.

Essential Requirements:

• A minimum of a bachelor's degree in related field is required; Master of Science and/or MBA strongly preferred
• 15 plus years of progressive product management experience, including significant leadership over senior product leaders, with a strong track record of defining and scaling enterprise level product strategy and execution.
• Deep expertise in AI driven product management, including experience bringing innovative data, machine learning, and generative AI products from concept to commercialization in complex enterprise environments.
• Proven people leadership and organizational development capability, with experience leading directors and senior product teams, building high performing organizations, and establishing effective product operating models and governance.
• Strong cross functional and executive influence skills, with demonstrated success partnering across Engineering, Innovation, Commercial, Data Science, and business leadership to align strategy, prioritize investments, and drive outcomes.

The salary for this position is expected to range between $225,400.00 and $418,600.00 USD Annual 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.

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

Benefits and Rewards: Learn about all the ways we’ll help you thrive personally and professionally.
Read our handbook (PDF 30 MB)