Associate Director ResearchOps; DD&IT and Adoption

Salary Range: €57,900.00 - €

The Research Ops Associate Director enables and scales user research operations by establishing effective processes, tools, governance, and repositories for research data and insights. The role supports high-quality research delivery, improves compliance and efficiency, enhances insight accessibility, and drives greater research impact across the organization.

• Design, implement, and continuously improve the Research Ops operating model, including workflows, intake processes, standards, and ways of working.
• Establish and scale participant management processes, including recruitment, screening, scheduling, incentives, and participant panels.
• Own research governance, ethics, and compliance frameworks, ensuring adherence to privacy, consent, security, and data handling requirements.
• Develop and manage research knowledge repositories to capture, organize, govern, and share insights across the enterprise.
• Lead the research tools and platform ecosystem, including tool selection, governance, onboarding, licensing, vendor management, and optimization.
• Drive research competency and enablement programs through onboarding, training, playbooks, templates, coaching, and community‑building initiatives.
• Measure and improve Research Ops effectiveness by tracking operational metrics, research impact, insight adoption, and continuous improvement opportunities.
• Champion AI‑enabled research operations, implementing responsible automation and AI tools that improve efficiency while maintaining compliance and governance.

• Bachelor's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Design, Research, Business, Operations, IT, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 10+ years of experience in Research Operations, UX Research, Design Operations, Product Operations, Data Operations, AI Operations, or similar operational leadership roles.
• Strong understanding of the end‑to‑end research and insights lifecycle, including planning, recruitment, data collection, analysis, reporting, and knowledge management.
• Hands‑on experience with enterprise‑scale research tools, repositories, participant recruitment platforms, vendor management, procurement, and licensing.
• Strong knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and how multidisciplinary research teams operate.
• Experience defining and implementing governance standards for consent, privacy, research ethics, data handling, and insight management.
• Working knowledge of responsible AI, data privacy, security, participant confidentiality, and governance of AI‑assisted research processes.
• Strong program management, stakeholder management, process improvement, change management, communication, and operational excellence skills.

Location:

Barcelona, Spain

Novartis is unable to offer relocation support for this role: please only apply if this location is accessible for you.

Expected Annual Base Salary Range for role: €57,900.00 - € EUR Annual

The base salary offered is determined based on gender‑neutral objectives, such as relevant skills, competencies and experience in accordance with the Novartis pay setting policy and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically.

In addition to your base salary, you may be eligible for a performance‑based bonus depending on certain performance parameters.

The rewards of being part of our team go far beyond base pay and incentives.

We also offer a variety of competitive benefits in kind to help you thrive personally and professionally, such as insurance plans, retirement plans, wellbeing resources and global recognition programs.

• We offer flexible and hybrid working options, where possible.
• Minimum 14…