Executive Director, Strategy Prioritization & Governance

Job Description Summary

This position is based in East Hanover, NJ and will not have the ability to be located remotely. Please note that this role would not provide relocation and only local candidates will be considered. The expectation of working hours and travel (domestic and/or international) will be defined by the hiring manager. This position will require up to 20% travel.

Reporting into the VP, Head of US Strategy & Execution, this role leads the US Strategy Prioritization & Governance team for the US business and is accountable for building and leading the US Commercial enterprise strategy portfolio prioritization and integrated strategic governance capability, converting US LT priorities into a transparent portfolio of initiatives with clear trade-offs, decision rights, sequencing, capacity signals, risks and outcome tracking.

The ED, Strategy Prioritization & Governance Lead is responsible for owning the enterprise strategic initiative intake model, prioritization framework, quarterly portfolio review cadence, US LT decision materials, escalation discipline, and portfolio performance management across non-Reimagining Work strategic initiatives and cross-enterprise priorities.

This role will interface closely with senior leadership including US LT and cross-functional leaders while leading a core team of Governance & Portfolio and Planning Leads to build a new capability of integrated intake, prioritization, sequencing, portfolio governance, and strategic outcome tracking across US Commercial Strategy & Execution.

• Design and operate the US enterprise strategy portfolio governance model, including intake, evaluation, prioritization, sequencing, decision forums, escalation pathways, and outcome tracking.
• Create a consistent prioritization framework balancing strategic value, patient / customer impact, commercial value, capacity, risk, dependencies, feasibility, timing, and enterprise fit.
• Translate USLT imperatives into a governed strategic portfolio and decision-ready recommendations on what to start, stop, accelerate, sequence, or deprioritize.
• Lead quarterly strategic portfolio reviews and monthly executive governance routines; ensure decisions are documented, owned, and followed through.
• Partner with US Business Strategy Lead, Strategic Projects Lead, Transformation pillar, AI& Platform Products pillar, Finance, DDIT and P&O to expose cross-portfolio dependencies and capacity constraints.
• Establish leading and lagging KPIs for strategic initiative delivery and strategic outcomes, not just activity completion.
• Build governance muscle and disciplined portfolio management practices across US Commercial without becoming a bureaucratic PMO.

• Required:
  
  Bachelor's degree in a related field
• Preferred:
  Advanced degree (Master of Science and/or MBA)

• 12+ years of experience in strategy, portfolio management, enterprise governance, commercial strategy, R&D / development portfolio management, transformation, or management consulting.
• Demonstrated experience designing and operating senior-level governance, portfolio review, prioritization, and executive decision processes.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and force trade-off decisions in a matrixed enterprise environment.
• Strong executive communication, quantitative reasoning, scenario framing, and risk / dependency management skills.

• Pharma portfolio governance, GDD / drug-development portfolio, stage-gate / tollgate, or strategy portfolio experience.
• Experience building a new capability, operating cadence, and control-tower function from scratch.

$ - $

The Novartis Group of…