Director, Core Data Management

About the role

Novartis is looking for a Director, Core Data Management for its East Hanover, New Jersey site. The role shapes enterprise data by setting standards, governance and operational excellence so that trusted, AI-ready data products can be delivered at scale. It is a high-impact leadership position partnering with senior business and technology stakeholders and leading a team of Associate Directors. Relocation is not offered, and visa sponsorship is not available.

Key responsibilities

• Define and evolve enterprise standards for core data, metadata, data modeling and data quality, and drive their adoption across certified data products.
• Establish trusted, governed, AI-ready datasets that enable business value.
• Lead, coach and develop a team of Associate Directors across data management domains.
• Partner with data engineering and business teams to onboard and scale data products, and oversee post-launch operations for performance, stability and governance compliance.
• Maintain operational documentation, standards, reporting and delivery metrics, monitor service levels and proactively address operational risks.
• Coordinate stakeholders, vendors and partners, champion continuous improvement, and translate architecture into board-ready narratives.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of data management or data architecture experience in complex organizations.
• 3+ years leading teams in a regulated industry environment.
• Demonstrated ownership of an enterprise data model or CDM at scale, with formal domain/master-data governance.
• Proven people leadership: hiring, coaching Associate Directors and managing distributed or vendor surge teams to deadlines.

Required skills

• Working fluency in ODCS, DCAT, SKOS, OWL/RDF or equivalent semantic-web/data-contract standards.
• Experience with a modern catalog/governance platform such as Collibra, Atlan, Alation, Open Metadata or a Data Governance platform.
• Familiarity with pharma commercial data sources (IQVIA Xponent/OneKey/Plantrak, Veeva) is a strong plus.

What we offer

• Expected salary range of $185,500 to $344,500 per year, with a performance-based cash incentive and possible annual equity awards.
• US-based eligible employees receive health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a time-off package including vacation, personal days and holidays.