Workforce Strategy Head, Enterprise Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (dsai)

Novartis AG; Basel-Stadt; On-site; CHF 165,000 - 306,000; Full time

Job summary

Novartis AG is seeking an executive to lead the enterprise people and organization agenda for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI) across the company. You will translate the DSAI ambition into workforce, organization, leadership, culture and capability strategies, guiding governance and standards at the enterprise level.

This role connects with ECN-1 leaders and collaborates across units to align talent, rewards and career approaches, while shaping external branding and pipeline for

Qualifications

• Extensive experience of progressive P&O/HR experience, including strategic partnership with executive and ECN-1 leaders.

Responsibilities

• Set the enterprise DSAI people and organization strategy. Translate the DSAI ambition into an integrated, future-ready agenda across workforce, organization, leadership, culture, talent and capability.
• Shape strategic workforce and capability choices using scenarios, analytics and data storytelling to anticipate demand for scarce DSAI capabilities.
• Lead the enterprise DSAI OTR and orchestrate the enterprise talent review across units, presenting implications and recommendations to ECN.
• Establish enterprise talent and career approaches with differentiated development, mobility, succession and allocation mechanisms.
• Build the external DSAI talent brand and pipeline through engagement with universities and external forums.
• Design enterprise DSAI standards including governance, rewards, career architecture and capability frameworks.
• Connect enterprise strategy and unit execution by defining decision rights and governance to avoid duplication.
• Influence a complex enterprise stakeholder system across R&D, Commercial, Operations and GFs and other hubs.
• Redesign work for human-AI collaboration to enable responsible collaboration between people, automation and AI agents.
• Coach senior leaders, shape culture and lead transformation with a focus on adoption and benefits.

Job description

Salary Range: 164 500,00 CHF - 305 500,00 CHF

Job Description Summary

You will lead the enterprise people and organization agenda for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI) across Novartis, translating our DSAI ambition into the workforce, organization, talent and capability choices needed to deliver it. Operating at the decision-making table with senior DSAI leaders and partnering across the enterprise, you will shape how we build, attract and grow critical DSAI talent, strengthen our external value proposition, and enable responsible human-AI collaboration. You will lead the enterprise DSAI OTR, including discussion at ECN level, and create the standards, governance and frameworks needed in areas such as careers, capabilities, talent and rewards, particularly where established approaches do not yet exist.

This enterprise role complements rather than replaces the Workforce Strategy Leads directly supporting DSAI teams within their units. Unit-level accountabilities remain unchanged, while this role connects across them, providing the overarching DSAI people strategy, standards and governance and enabling enterprise-level choices where these are needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Set the enterprise DSAI people and organization strategy. Translate the DSAI ambition into an integrated, future-ready agenda across workforce, organization, leadership, culture, talent and capability. Success is evident when: enterprise priorities and accountabilities are clear, adopted across units, and translated into measurable outcomes.

• Shape strategic workforce and capability choices. Use scenarios, analytics, external insight and data storytelling to anticipate demand for scarce DSAI capabilities and recommend choices on organization design, skills, capacity, location, sourcing and workforce mix. Success is evident when: critical gaps are addressed before they constrain innovation or execution.

• Lead the enterprise DSAI OTR. Orchestrate the enterprise talent review, integrate perspectives across units, and present implications, choices and recommendations to ECN. Success is evident when: pivotal talent, succession, capability risks and enterprise actions are visible and actively managed.

• Establish enterprise talent and career approaches. Create differentiated career development, mobility, succession and talent-allocation mechanisms suited to DSAI roles and communities. Success is evident when: Novartis can attract, develop, deploy and retain pivotal DSAI talent across organizational boundaries.

• Build the external DSAI talent brand and pipeline. Strengthen Novartis' visibility as an employer of choice through targeted engagement with universities, specialist talent networks and external forums. Build early-talent pathways that attract dual technical/scientific and DSAI expertise and develop judgement, experience and leadership capability. Success is evident when: Novartis has stronger external visibility and a sustainable pipeline of scarce DSAI talent.

• Design and create enterprise DSAI standards. Build new governance, rewards approaches, career architecture, capability frameworks, talent programs and operating approaches for a field evolving faster than established internal practices. Success is evident when: scalable standards replace fragmented local approaches and remain relevant as DSAI evolves.

• Connect enterprise strategy and unit execution. Define decision rights, interfaces and governance so the enterprise mandate is distinct from, and complementary to, unchanged unit-level P&O accountabilities. Success is evident when: there is no duplication or accountability gap between enterprise and unit roles.

• Influence a complex enterprise stakeholder system. Partner with at least nine ECN-1 leaders across R&D, Commercial, Operations and Global Functions, the Head of GDC, unit P&O Business Partners and Expertise Hubs to resolve enterprise trade-offs without relying on formal authority. Success is evident when: leaders move beyond unit optimization and commit to enterprise decisions.

• Redesign work for human-AI collaboration. Guide organization, role and workflow choices that enable responsible collaboration among people, automation and AI agents while sustaining accountability and a human-centered employee experience. Success is evident when: adoption improves productivity, innovation and decision quality.

• Coach senior leaders, shape culture and lead transformation. Challenge and coach leaders through ambiguity, build commitment to new enterprise approaches, anticipate resistance and track adoption and benefits. Success is evident when: leadership behaviour, culture and ways of working support the DSAI strategy.

What you'll bring to the role

Essential Criteria Extensive experience of progressive P&O/HR experience, including strategic partnership with executive and ECN-1 leaders i