About the role

Aplyr's Quick Take

This role is for a BPA Manager focused on financial decision-making within Novartis' Development Units. You'll assess investment opportunities and risks, lead financial planning, and partner with teams to guide strategic choices in a complex R&D environment. It's primarily an individual contributor role with a strong emphasis on finance and investment analysis.

Good fit

Ideal candidates have a background in finance or economics with several years in investment banking, corporate development, or strategic finance. You should be analytical, comfortable with ambiguity, and able to communicate complex financial concepts clearly.

Worth noting

The position is hybrid and based in Barcelona, but relocation support is not offered, so applicants must already be local. The role requires a high level of financial acumen and strategic thinking, which may be demanding for those without relevant experience.

Job Description Summary

Location: Barcelona, Spain
#LI-Hybrid

This role is based in Barcelona, Spain. Novartis is unable to offer relocation support: please only apply if accessible.

As a BPA Manager for Development Units (DUs), you will play an important role in shaping investment decisions and portfolio value creation across a subsection of the ~2bn$ Development portfolio. This role is designed for a finance professional with a strong investment, valuation, and strategic finance mindset, capable of assessing opportunities, trade-offs, and risks in a highly complex R&D environment.

Job Description

Your responsibilities will be but are not limited to

Partner with the Head Finance DU to support strategic decision‑making across the portfolio, including capital allocation, prioritization of development investments, and assessment of value creation opportunities at both asset and disease area level.
Lead and contribute to complex investment cases, including scenario modeling and assessments to support key decisions such as progression, acceleration, de-prioritization etc.
Own a subsection of the Development Unit portfolio and act as a trusted finance partner to support program teams in project and portfolio reviews.
Lead financial planning cycles for portfolio under responsibility, with a strong focus on value, optionality, and opportunity cost, ensuring financial discipline while actively challenging assumptions and trade‑offs across the portfolio.
Proactively identify risks, opportunities, and inflection points across your portfolio responsibilities, incorporating market dynamics, competitive landscape, development uncertainties, and strategic options into recommendations.
Deliver targeted analyses and insights on strategic topics (e.g., portfolio scenarios, resourcing trade‑offs, external opportunities, or strategic shifts), in close collaboration with portfolio teams and finance stakeholders

Essential Requirements

Degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, or related field (MBA preferred)
Demonstrated years of experience in investment banking, M&A, corporate development, strategic finance, or advanced FP&A, ideally complemented by exposure to global or portfolio‑level roles.
Strong capability in valuation, financial modeling, scenario analysis, and risk assessment. Ability to frame complex, ambiguous situations into clear investment choices and recommendations.
Ability to think and act like an investor: focusing on returns, opportunity cost, strategic optionality, and disciplined capital allocation to maximize long‑term value.
Ability to engage credibly with senior stakeholders, challenge perspectives constructively, and influence decisions through insight‑driven and fact‑based recommendations.
Interest in understanding market dynamics, competitive landscapes, and strategic positioning, and in translating this understanding into differentiated investment insights.
Strong communication skills with the ability to distill complex analyses into clear, decision‑oriented messages
Proven ability to work effectively across functions, and to navigate diverging viewpoints in a constructive, outcome‑oriented manner.

Benefits And Rewards
Read our handbook to learn about all the ways we’ll help you thrive personally and professionally: https://www.novartis.com/careers/benefits-rewards

Commitment To Diversity And Inclusion / EEO
Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve.

Join Our Novartis Network
If this role is not suitable to your experience or career goals but you wish to stay connected to hear more about Novartis and our career opportunities, join the Novartis Network here: https://talentnetwork.novartis.com/network

Skills Desired

Ability To Influence Key Stakeholders, AI Driven, Building Effective Teams, Capital Allocation, Critical Thinking, Data Cleansing / Normalization, Data Visualization, Financial And Management Reporting, Giving And Receiving Feedback, Insight Generation, Interpersonal Savvy, Managing Ambiguity, Market Understanding, Planning & Analysis, Pmi (Post-Merger Integration), Process Optimization, Rapid Problem Solving, Understanding Value Drivers

Aplyr'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.
Synthesized from recent postings & public sources

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

novartis.com

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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.