Associate Director ResearchOps (DD&IT Experience and Adoption)

Novartis; Barcelona; On-site; EUR 58,000 - 108,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Insurance plans

Retirement plans

Wellbeing resources

Global recognition

Hybrid work options

Parental leave

Job summary

Novartis in Barcelona, Spain seeks a ResearchOps Associate Director to scale user research operations by building processes, tools, governance, and knowledge repositories. You will drive high-quality research delivery, improve privacy and data handling, and boost insight accessibility across the enterprise.

You will lead the research tools ecosystem, promote governance standards, and implement AI-enabled, responsible automation to enhance efficiency while ensuring compliance and collaboration

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HCI, psychology, design, research, business, operations, IT, or related field.
• 10+ years leading Research Operations or related roles.
• End-to-end research lifecycle knowledge.
• Experience with enterprise-scale research tools and recruitment platforms.
• Strong governance, privacy, and data handling experience.
• Familiarity with responsible AI and governance of AI-assisted research.
• Excellent program and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and improve the ResearchOps operating model and workflows.
• Scale participant management: recruitment, screening, scheduling, incentives, panels.
• Own governance, ethics, privacy, and data handling compliance.
• Develop and manage research knowledge repositories.
• Lead research tools and platform ecosystem: licensing and vendor management.
• Drive enablement programs: onboarding, playbooks, coaching, community-building.
• Measure ResearchOps effectiveness with metrics, impact, adoption.
• Champion AI-enabled research operations with responsible automation.

Skills

Research Operations

UX Research

Design Operations

Product Operations

Data Operations

AI Operations

Governance & Compliance

Stakeholder Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Job description

Salary Range:

€57,900.00 - €107,500.00

Job Description Summary

The ResearchOps 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.

Job Description

Major Accountabilities

• Design, implement, and continuously improve the ResearchOps 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 ResearchOps 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.

Minimum Requirements

• 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 - €107,500.00 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. In addition, we provide flexible and hybrid working options, where possible, and minimum 14 weeks paid parental leave.

Pay equity is a fundamental principle of our employment policy and reflects our commitment to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment that treats all employees with dignity and respect, as outlined in our Code of Ethics.

Read our brochure to learn more about our global total rewards offering: https://www.novartis.com/sites/novartis_com/files/novartis-life-handbook.pdf

Note: Benefits and compensation may vary by country and are subject to local legal requirements, including provisions of collective bargaining agreements where applicable. A full overview of your compensation package, including any relevant collective bargaining agreement details applicable to your role based on your employment location and Novartis employer entity, will be communicated separately to you during the application process.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverseteamsrepresentative of the patients and communities we serve.

Skills Desired

Budget Management, Business Acumen, Communication, Incident Management, IT Governance, IT Service Management (ITSM), Operational Excellence (OpEx), Performance Management (PM), Problem Solving, Quality Assurance (QA), Stakeholder Management