Portfolio Innovation Director

Job Description Summary

#LI-Hybrid

Primary Location: Dublin, Ireland
Other Locations: London, United Kingdom

This role is based in Dublin, Ireland. The role is also available in London, UK. Please apply to the specific advertisement for this location.

Relocation Support: This role is based in Dublin, Ireland. Novartis is unable to offer relocation support: please only apply if accessible.

Shape the future of clinical trials through operational innovation that delivers measurable impact. As Portfolio Innovation Director - Global Clinical Operations (GCO), you will play a significant hands-on role in identifying, evaluating, and embedding cutting-edge technologies, services, or new business models —particularly AI-driven solutions—into clinical programs.

This role is for someone scientifically curious about disease areas, patient pathways, and trial design, with an in-depth understanding of the clinical landscape, the drug development lifecycle and an innate drive to innovate.

 

Job Description

Acting as the voice of innovation within the GCO sub-team, you will shape decisions on which innovations are pursued, how they are implemented, and potential trade-offs they require. You will continuously seek out opportunities to improve how trials are designed and delivered, bringing a mindset focused on portfolio and business impact to uncover where innovation can drive efficiency, enhance patient experience, and accelerate outcomes.

With accountability to the business, you will partner across a complex matrix to influence, align and deliver innovation strategies that translate into measurable value, ensuring new opportunities are not only identified, but successfully implemented and scaled across the portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and evaluate operational innovation opportunities across clinical programs, with a focus on accelerating trial recruitment, increasing patient access to trials and advancing innovative trial operations including AI-driven and technology-enabled solutions

• Critically assess opportunities by balancing value, feasibility, risk, and scalability, ensuring innovation decisions are grounded in operational reality and impact

• Integrate fit-for-purpose innovations into Operational Execution Plans aligned to program strategy as well as site and patient needs

• Drive assessment of solutions with stakeholders, providing risk evaluation and value-driven recommendations for adoption

• Engage cross-functional stakeholders to align on priorities, influence decision making, and drive execution of innovation strategies

• Proactively identify unmet needs within trials and translate them into actionable and value-driven innovation opportunities

• Partner with internal teams and external partners to source, assess, and enable scaling of innovative solutions across the portfolio

• Ensure Clinical Trial Teams are fully supported in the implementation of innovative solutions across clinical studies

Essential Requirements

• Significant hands-on experience delivering innovation and technology-led solutions within clinical trials

• Strong understanding of the clinical landscape, drug development lifecycle, and patient-centric trial design

• Proven experience identifying opportunities and driving adoption of innovative, including artificial intelligence-driven, solutions

• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence stakeholders within a complex matrix organization

• Experience evaluating solutions across the lifecycle, including risk assessment and value-driven decision making

• Advanced knowledge of clinical development processes, regulatory requirements, and Good Clinical Practice standards

• Higher level qualification such as a Bachelors degree in Life Sciences or a related discipline; advanced degree advantageous

• Fluency in written and spoken English

 

Skills Desired

Agility, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Budget Management, Clinical Development, Clinical Monitoring, Clinical Operations, Clinical Research, Clinical Research Trials, Clinical Trial Development, Clinical Trial Process, Clinical Trials, Clinical Trials Operations, Digital Innovation, Innovation, Innovative Solutions, Lifesciences, Resource Management (Organizational), Technical Innovation, Technological Innovation, Technology Transformation