Associate Director ResearchOps (DD&IT Experience and Adoption)

Novartis AG; Bellprat; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

14 weeks parental leave

Flexible and hybrid working options

Insurance plans

Retirement plans

Wellbeing resources

Global recognition programs

Job summary

Novartis AG is seeking an Associate Director to lead and scale ResearchOps, establishing governance, processes, and tools for efficient insights delivery. This role drives autonomy in research operations across the enterprise and ensures data privacy and compliance while embracing responsible AI.

The candidate will oversee participant management, tool ecosystems, and knowledge repositories, partnering with cross-functional teams to raise research impact and operational excellence in a hybrid

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Design, Research, Business, Operations, IT, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in Research Operations, UX Research, Design Operations, Product Operations, Data Operations, AI Operations, or similar leadership roles.
• Strong understanding of 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 multidisciplinary teams.
• 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, and operational excellence skills.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Skills

Leadership

Program management

Stakeholder management

Change management

Governance & compliance

AI governance

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

Research tools suite

Participant recruitment platforms

Vendor management systems

Licensing management

Job description

Associate Director ResearchOps (DD&IT Experience and Adoption)

Job ID REQ-10089699

Oct 21, 2026

Spain

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.

About the Role

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.
• 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.

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.

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.

Why Novartis: Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together? https://www.novartis.com/about/strategy/people-and-culture