Therapy Area Head

Major accountabilities:

·         Deliver Business Objectives: Ensure the effective promotion of the Novartis portfolio within the Therapy Area (TA) to achieve assigned business targets, adhering strictly to local regulations and Novartis policies. Maximize team performance and optimize return on investment.

·         Localized Strategy Execution: Translate global TA strategies, content, and solutions into localized strategic and tactical plans. Develop and implement tactical brand and launch promotional plans tailored to the local market.

·         Cross-Functional Leadership: Coordinate and manage cross-functional teams to execute prioritized initiatives effectively, ensuring seamless collaboration across key functions.

·         Growth and Portfolio Management: Drive growth in the TA by developing robust plans for promoting existing products, managing their lifecycle, and successfully launching new products and line extensions. Lead the establishment and management of strategic partnerships to support business growth.

·         Launch Excellence: Oversee the preparation and execution of key upcoming launches by fostering strong collaboration across functions to ensure a successful market entry.

·         Innovation in Promotion: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement new promotional models and market strategies that align with local needs and industry dynamics.

·         Marketing Leadership: Lead marketing activities with a focus on promoted brands while supporting strategies for the mature brand portfolio to sustain and grow market presence.

·         Customer Engagement: Partner with key stakeholders to develop agile, customer-centric engagement strategies that address the evolving needs of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients.

·         Portfolio Strategy Support: Assist with strategic portfolio activities, including assessments, forecasting, and lifecycle management, in collaboration with global, regional, and country teams.

·         Commercial Innovation: Develop and implement innovative commercial strategies to ensure success and adaptability in an evolving healthcare environment.

·         Budget and Ensuring Ethics, Risks and Compliance: Manage the TA budget and financial performance while ensuring alignment with ethics, risk, and compliance policies. Oversee key processes to maintain operational integrity.

·         Leadership and People Development: Lead the TA team by fostering a high-performing, innovative culture. Manage all aspects of people management, including talent acquisition, performance management, and coaching. Identify and develop key capabilities and succession pipelines to ensure continuous growth and development of team members.

·         Regulatory and Compliance Adherence: Strictly adhere to all internal and external regulations, including but not limited to Internal Rules, Code of Ethics, Doing Business Ethically and local industry codes.

·         Risk Management Plan (RMP): Ensure that all RMP educational materials are customized and implemented appropriately at the local level.

·         Adverse Events Reporting: Ensure timely reporting of spontaneous adverse events (AEs) and technical complaints for all Novartis products, in compliance with local and global requirements.

Key performance indicators:

·         Achievement of Therapy Area (TA) sales and profitability objectives in line with pre-defined targets.

·         Successful execution of product launches within budget and aligned with the overarching TA strategy.

·         Innovative growth cases, experimenting & testing the hypothesis

·         Quality and timely implementation of promotional plans in accordance with Global and Cluster TA strategies.

·         TA Sales Force Effectiveness (SFE) KPIs.

·         Effective management of risk, compliance, and controls, as evidenced by internal and external audit outcomes.

·         Development and delivery of innovative solutions, strategic partnerships, and experiments within the TA, including measurable results.

·         Evolution of Customer Experience and Engagement metrics, including improvements in Voice of the Customer (VoC) KPIs.

·         Positive feedback from key internal stakeholders on the quality and impact of proposals, deliverables, and outcomes.

·         Progress in adopting agile development methodologies to enhance process efficiency and strategic alignment.

Minimum Requirements:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in medicine, pharmacy, business management or related fields
• Master’s degree in business management (MBA or Executive MBA)

Required Experience and Qualifications:

• 5+ years of relevant experience working with high-performing marketing, medical, and market access teams within the healthcare or life sciences industry.
• Demonstrated track record of driving exceptional product performance and achieving business objectives.
• Proven expertise in managing and executing successful product launches.
• Strong leadership capabilities with a history of introducing innovation and fostering engagement in the healthcare environment.
• Deep understanding of customers, market dynamics, and competitive landscapes, including insights into competitors’ strategies within the TA.
• Solid experience in team management, including coaching and developing talent to build high-performing teams.
• Extensive knowledge of customer engagement strategies, including multi-channel orchestration and effective implementation.
• Skilled in analyzing financial and industry data, including sales, market share, price/volume trends, call activity, and market research insights, to drive informed decision-making.
• Confidently able to present and articulate market trends, performance metrics, and strategic plans to internal stakeholders and external audiences with credibility and clarity.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a high commitment to ethical standards, integrity, and maintaining professionalism in representing the company’s values.

Values and Competencies/Skills:

• Enterprise leadership
• Innovation and Creativity: Continuously seek innovative approaches for customer engagement to maximize outcomes and drive value.
• Collaboration and Teamwork: Demonstrate strong team-player qualities by remaining open, fostering collaboration, and actively seeking and incorporating feedback.
• Leadership: Inspire and motivate others to achieve excellence in product strategy development, execution, and customer engagement.
• Customer and Quality Focus: Build customer-centric product strategies by understanding engagement preferences and delivering exceptional customer experiences.
• Results-Oriented Mindset: Maintain a focus on achieving measurable results, with an emphasis on competitive benchmarking and performance excellence.
• Proactive and Action-Oriented: Demonstrate decisiveness, effectively seize opportunities, and prioritize tasks to meet objectives efficiently.
• Effective Communication: Exhibit strong communication skills, including the ability to provide constructive feedback to field managers and representatives, craft insightful reports, and deliver impactful storytelling and presentations.
• Commitment to Compliance: Uphold the highest compliance standards while fostering a culture of transparency and knowledge sharing across the organization.

Languages:

English (advanced) and Russian (native level)