Executive Director, CRM Product Strategy

Role Summary

Executive Director, CRM Product Strategy leads the vision and transformation of the US CRM program within Novartis US. Located in East Hanover, NJ. This role creates and drives a world-class product strategy practice, setting the enterprise CRM product vision and strategic alignment and partnering with business and IT leadership to deliver data-driven, scalable CRM capabilities. You will build and lead a top-talent product strategy team, define portfolio success metrics, identify opportunities to improve and scale business processes, and oversee resource allocation to balance innovation with operational needs.

Responsibilities

• 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, 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.

Qualifications

• 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

Education

• Bachelor's degree in related field is required; Master of Science and/or MBA preferred

Skills

• Strategic product leadership for CRM platforms
• Cross-functional collaboration with business units, IT, and external partners
• Change management and transformation delivery
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision making
• Knowledge of CRM ecosystems (Salesforce, Veeva) and Life Sciences regulatory context
• People development and team leadership