Job Description Summary

#LI-Hybrid

The Director, Patient Services owns the end-to-end strategy, governance, and operational delivery of patient support services that enable patients to start and remain on therapy. Operating in alignment with Therapeutic area (TA) / Brand strategy and objectives. This role ensures patient services are compliant, tailored to local patient needs, performance-driven, and operationally excellent.

The position is reporting to the Head Patient Experience and Activation.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

Patient Services Governance & Compliance

• Owns Patient Services strategy aligned to TA/Brand objectives and patient needs, with accountability for service portfolio governance and lifecycle management.

• Ensures all patient services operate in full alignment with compliance, regulatory, medical, and quality standards.

Operational Excellence & Program Delivery

• Drives end-to-end execution of Patient Services programs, ensuring operational readiness, consistency, and reliability across markets and vendors while proactively identifying and mitigating operational and delivery risks.

Performance Management

• Responsible for Patient Services performance management, defining and tracking KPIs including time to treatment initiation, adherence and persistence, as well as service utilization and drop-off.

• Translates performance insights into targeted service optimization and continuous improvement to strengthen patient impact.

Systems & Stakeholder Collaboration

• Acts as the primary liaison with ONE Patient Support Program (PSP) CRM and other patient solutions to ensure seamless service integration, data quality, and operational effectiveness.

• Partners closely with TA, Data Analytics and Platforms, Patient Experience & Activation, ERC, Medical and Access to drive aligned execution.

Essential Requirements:

• 10+ years of experience in Patient Services, Patient Support Programs, Medical Operations, or related roles within pharmaceutical, biotech, or specialty care environments

• Demonstrated experience designing, governing, and delivering patient service programs aligned to TA/Brand strategies

• Strong knowledge of regulatory, compliance, medical, and quality requirements impacting patient services tools and PSPs.

• Proven experience managing service performance through KPIs

• Experience leading cross-functional collaboration in matrixed organizations

• Strong operational leadership skills, including vendor management and oversight of external service partners

• Proficient English, both written and spoken.

Desirable Requirements:

• Demonstrated leadership of complex Patient Services or PSP transformations, including launching or redesigning programs across markets while maintaining high performance, quality, and patient impact

• Proven ability to lead in highly regulated environments, with hands-on experience navigating compliance, medical, and quality governance while driving operational excellence and measurable outcomes.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: 

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

Skills Desired

Agility, Brand Awareness, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Customer Engagement, Customer Experience, Customer Insights, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, digital marketing strategy, Franchise Development, Go-To-Market Strategy, Influencing Skills, Inspirational Leadership, launch strategies, Marketing Strategy, People Management, Product Positioning, Product Roadmap, Sales, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Marketing