About the role
Job Description Summary
#LI-HybridThe Sales & Marketing Head leads the integrated commercial strategy and execution for a Therapeutic Area (TA) to maximize patient and customer impact and deliver sustainable growth. The role owns the TA and brand strategy, defines the go-to-market model, drives omnichannel customer engagement, and ensures excellence in in-market sales execution. It leads cross-functional planning across Medical, Value & Access, Execution Excellence and other partners, ensures launch readiness and strong post-launch performance, and is accountable for forecasting, resource prioritization and disciplined budget stewardship.
Job Description
Job Purpose
Lead the integrated commercial strategy and execution for the Therapeutic Area, owning brand strategy and go-to-market models to deliver sustainable growth. The role drives omnichannel customer engagement, ensures strong in-market sales execution and launch excellence, and builds high-performing teams with a culture of performance, integrity, learning and continuous improvement.
Job Dimensions
Number of associates:
Team size varies based on Therapeutic Area footprint, product portfolio and country context.
Financial responsibility:
Accountable for TA commercial performance and planning, including brand P&L / A&P stewardship (where applicable), delivery of TA sales budget and accurate forecasting to support strategic and operational decisions.
Decision making:
Strategic and operational decision-making on TA and brand strategy, go‑to‑market model, customer engagement, channel mix, resource deployment and performance management.
External / Internal Stakeholder Interface:
Internal: Sales, Medical, Value & Access, Execution Excellence, Finance, Supply Chain and other partners to ensure aligned planning and execution.
External: Key accounts, HCPs, KOLs, patient organizations and relevant healthcare system stakeholders.
Impact on the organization:
Drives TA commercial growth, launch excellence, customer experience and in-field execution quality, strengthening market position and organizational reputation.
Major Accountabilities
Commercial Strategy, Brand & Go-to-Market
- Own and localize TA and brand strategy and One Brand Plan across the full lifecycle.
- Define and evolve the TA go-to-market model based on customer, competitive and performance insights.
- Set integrated omnichannel customer engagement approach to maximize reach and impact.
- Lead forecasting, demand estimation and performance planning.
- Steward TA financial performance through disciplined budget management and trade-off decisions.
In-Market Sales Execution & Field Excellence
- Lead TA sales planning including territories, targeting, incentives inputs and call planning.
- Drive performance management through reviews, coaching and KPI-based course correction.
- Capture and synthesize field insights to refine segmentation and tactical decisions.
Cross-Functional Leadership, Launch Excellence & Governance
- Lead cross-functional TA team alignment across Medical, Value & Access, Execution Excellence and Finance.
- Ensure launch readiness and excellence in line with regulatory and internal standards.
- Role model integrity and compliance and foster a strong speak-up culture.
- Build and develop a high-performing commercial organization and talent pipeline.
Key Performance Indicators
- TA sales, market share and growth versus plan; profitability and P&L delivery where applicable.
- Quality and timeliness of launch readiness and launch execution outcomes.
- Execution quality of One Brand Plan and field plans.
- Customer engagement performance across omnichannel and field KPIs.
- Forecast accuracy, budget discipline and effective resource deployment.
- Strength of talent pipeline, engagement and retention.
- Compliance with company standards and local regulations.
Ideal Background
Education
- University degree in Business, Life Sciences, Economics or related field; advanced marketing degree (MBA) beneficial.
Experience & Skills
- Proven commercial leadership experience across sales and marketing in regulated industries.
- Track record of delivering sustainable growth across brand lifecycles.
- Experience in go-to-market model design and omnichannel engagement.
- Strong forecasting, budgeting and P&L management capability.
- Direct people leadership with talent development and succession planning.
- Strong cross-functional collaboration and decision-making skills.
- Advanced analytical and AI-enabled commercial decision-making capabilities.
- Strategic, customer-centric and integrity-driven leadership mindset.
Skills Desired
Cross-Functional Work, Customer Engagement, Customer Experience (CX), Customer Insights, Data Analytics, Data Strategies, Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategies, Media Campaigns, Product Marketing, Speed and Agility Training (Inactive), Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Management, Waterfall ModelAplyr's read
Novartis is a Swiss-based global healthcare leader, known for its focus on innovative medicines and commitment to addressing patient needs through diverse roles.
What's promising
- •Novartis invests heavily in research and development, driving innovation in pharmaceuticals.
- •The company offers a wide range of global career opportunities across various fields.
- •Strong focus on cutting-edge therapies, including gene therapy and AI-driven solutions.
What to watch
- •Regulatory challenges can impact the speed of drug approval and market entry.
- •High competition in the pharmaceutical industry requires constant innovation to maintain market position.
- •Complex organizational structure may slow decision-making processes.
Why Novartis
- •Novartis has a robust pipeline of innovative medicines, setting it apart in the healthcare sector.
- •The company emphasizes a diverse and inclusive workplace culture across its global operations.
- •Novartis is a leader in digital transformation within pharmaceuticals, integrating AI and data science.
Aplyr’s read is generated by AI from public sources. Was it useful?
About Novartis
Novartis is a global healthcare company based in Switzerland that provides solutions to address the evolving needs of patients worldwide. It focuses on innovative medicines, generics, and eye care.