Director, Head of External Animal Activities
Listed on 2026-08-26
-
Management
Regulatory Compliance Specialist, Project & Program Management
Job Description Summary
WORK ARRANGEMENT:
Hybrid, #LI-Hybrid
LOCATION:
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States with approximately 20% travel
RELOCATION SUPPORT:
This role is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Novartis is unable to offer relocation support.
What if you could help shape the future of responsible biomedical research on a global scale? As Head of External Animal Activities, you will play a critical leadership role at the intersection of animal welfare, ethical science, governance, and enterprise risk. This unique opportunity allows you to influence how Novartis partners with external organizations worldwide, ensuring animal research is conducted responsibly and ethically in alignment with the highest standards of welfare, compliance, scientific excellence and the principles of the 3
Rs:
Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement. Your leadership will help build trust, drive accountability, and support innovation that ultimately benefits patients around the world
The Director serves as a centralized point of accountability for external animal welfare governance, partner oversight, assurance strategy, standards implementation, ethical review support, and escalation management within the scope of Novartis-sponsored external animal activities. The role shapes governance frameworks, applies risk-based oversight, conducts executive stakeholder management, and supports responsible decision-making where scientific, ethical, animal welfare, operational, regulatory, and public trust considerations must be balanced.
Key Responsibilities- Lead enterprise oversight of Novartis-sponsored animal activities conducted through external partners and collaborators.
- Build alignment across diverse stakeholders while balancing enterprise risk and research objectives.
- Advise senior stakeholders on complex decisions involving scientific, ethical, operational, and reputational considerations.
- Champion consistent application of Novartis animal welfare expectations across all external partnerships.
- Oversee risk management, compliance activities, and assurance programs across external research partnerships.
- Shape and evolve governance frameworks supporting responsible and ethical external animal research.
- Drive due diligence, audits, issue resolution, corrective actions, and escalation processes when required.
- Ensure alignment with animal welfare standards, ethical principles, regulatory expectations, and the 3
Rs. - Support external partnerships, business development activities, and research initiatives involving animal welfare considerations.
- Lead and develop a high-performing team while influencing outcomes across a global matrix organization.
Rs.
- Experience supporting business development, partnership due diligence, or integration activities.
- Experience leveraging digital tools, artificial intelligence-enabled solutions, or data-driven oversight approaches.
- Experience operating across multiple geographies or regulatory environments.
- Drug Development
- Due Diligence
- Global Project Management
- Regulatory Reporting
- Risk Management
Improving the lives of people living with disease takes more than innovative science. It takes a focus on the needs of people and a community committed to meeting them. It takes a team of people like you. Working together. Learning together. Thriving together. Discover how you can join us in changing people’s lives.
Rewards- The salary for this position is expected to range between $176,400 & $327,600 per year.
- The final salary offered is determined based on factors like, but not limited to, relevant…
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