Is Novartis a good company to work for?

Novartis has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, based on over 12,662 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 80% of employees would recommend working at Novartis to a friend and 69% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Novartis have been left by employees working as Summer Intern , Intern and Financial Analyst .

Does Novartis pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Novartis employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Novartis. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Novartis?

80% of Novartis employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Novartis 4.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.6 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Novartis?

Manager (269) , Associate Director (207) , Analyst (198) , Director (185) , Senior Analyst (160) , Intern (144) , Project Manager (139) , Sales Representative (131) , Medical Representative (92) , Business Analyst (90) , Internship (71) , Medical Science Liaison (MSL) (69) , Senior Manager (64) , Scientist (58) , Data Scientist (57)

What are the pros of working at Novartis according to real employee reviews?

"The work life balance is good and a company to look out for in later career" ((in 966 reviews)); "Really striving to have a good culture and to have an open mindset" ((in 818 reviews)); "Benefits are good and scientists are motivated and talented." ((in 695 reviews)); "great people (managed not so well) and it was used to be much more scientific." ((in 430 reviews)); "Good Salary and Bonus." ((in 397 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Novartis according to real employee reviews?

"If we are in good managers team... It's the best place to work... Else it's a hell...." ((in 135 reviews)); "Poor leadership that is distant from ground reality due to prolonged TfG/restructuring and it's hangover." ((in 117 reviews)); "Limited growth opportunities; too many levels of approvals to get things done" ((in 69 reviews)); "Managers weren't very helpful and upper management was too busy protecting their own jobs." ((in 45 reviews)); "Senior Management busy with initiatives they think are engaging" ((in 34 reviews))

What are employees saying about Novartis layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Novartis layoffs and their outlook for job security at Novartis in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Novartis locations?

East Hanover , Cambridge , Morris Plains , New York , Fort Worth , Emeryville , Boston , San Diego , Jersey City , Newark , Parsippany , Florham Park , Chicago , Houston , San Francisco , Los Angeles , San Carlos , Dallas , Atlanta , Suffern , Miami , Indianapolis , Wilson , Durham , Raleigh , Vacaville , Morristown , Lincoln , Washington , Holly Springs

Novartis reviews

4.0

80% would recommend to a friend

(9,063 total reviews)

Vas Narasimhan

86% approve of CEO

69% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Compensation and benefits

4.0

Work/Life balance

3.9

Culture & values

3.6

Career opportunities

3.5

Senior management

Novartis has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 9,063 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Novartis employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

9K reviews

4.0

Jan 24, 2014

Great people, good experience, future opportunities diminishing in sales as pipeline continues to specialize.

Manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I've worked under 10 different people and each one has been a great leader from whom I've learned a lot and been able to develop. Career opportunities exist if you take advantage of them and perform. Benefits outstanding and Novartis takes care of it's employees when they suffer hardship (ie, natural disasters, personal setbacks or layoffs).

Cons

Primary care portfolio limited and unlikely for growth which has resulted in multiple layoffs over the last 6 years. Those remaining must compete with many for remaining jobs; progressive development more difficult as leadership openings shrink rapidly. For sales people, goaling methodology flawed, cumbersome and arbitrary which can be very frustrating and difficult to manage effectively.

4.0

Jan 21, 2014

Most Admired Pharmaceutical Company, 2012.

Associate director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Competitive salary and benefits (gym, subsidized Starbucks, sufficient parking, gourmet food choices), decent technology and support. Progressive IT - imperfect but better than any other pharma. Everyone who gets a work phone gets an iPhone (if that's your thing). Theoretical work/life flexibility - many people work remotely routinely. Decent pipeline. Campuses are mostly impeccable art forms. Mission statement is plausible and realistic. VERY open to "diversity". Apparently building a child care center in East Hanover (evidence of commitment to working parents). Talent pool is average, i.e. MOST employees are competent and contractors are VERY qualified if not over qualified. C-suite is respectable and 80% transparent. Andre the US head is a really approachable executive - I think he has done a great job in a challenging time.

Cons

Just the usual: dearth of good management with the intermittent psychopath and marginally incompetent co-worker in the mix. Surplus of McKinsey mouth pieces with PhDs creating "value" and "strategy", e.g. fancy content-free powerpoints without basis in reality. Abundance of scientists disconnected from reality. Very little effort to embrace the obvious solution of coordinating research, development and marketing. Fiefdoms still exist. Cannabalistic performance management system through archaic, forced ranking. European colleagues have 8-10 weeks vacation and expect North America to be as cheerful while we 2x the work. Bureaucracy can be frustrating, i.e. we each have a thousand complex passwords and redundant systems for everything. They have adopted 100% open space even if you don't have a collaborative task, you WILL collaborate.

4.0

Jan 20, 2014

A leader in an industry that is rapidly changing.

Sales consultant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Novartis is a great place to work. Compensation and benefits are good. Management structure is solid and not burdensome. The company is smart and is investing in areas that it sees as sources for future growth.

Cons

Pharmaceutical sales and marketing practices are rapidly changing. Novartis may not be the best company to pursue if you are seeking a career in pharmaceutical sales. They simply don't have a need for the number of sales reps they currently have. Their development pipeline has shifted towards specialty disease states that require fewer reps. The company is a prosperous future ahead, but it is one with far fewer sales reps than it has today.

Viewing 8536 - 8538 of 9,063 Reviews

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Jobs at Novartis

ED, Head US New Capabilities and Adoption - Remote

Director, Strategic Assistant (Chief of Staff)

VP, Patient Support Field

Senior Clinical Research Associate (Remote - Field Based)

Associate Director, Enterprise/System Execution

Novartis

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Great people, good experience, future opportunities diminishing in sales as pipeline continues to specialize.

Most Admired Pharmaceutical Company, 2012.

A leader in an industry that is rapidly changing.

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