Director, Development Unit CQA Program Lead

Salary Range:

£78,400.00 - £145,600.00

 

Job Description Summary

#LI-Hybrid
Location: London (The Westworks), United Kingdom

Relocation Support: This role is based in London (The Westworks), United Kingdom. Novartis is unable to offer relocation support: please only apply if accessible.

Shaping the future of clinical development requires more than oversight—it demands leadership that can influence quality, drive decisions, and protect patient outcomes at scale. As Director, Development Unit CQA Program Lead, you will provide strategic Quality oversight across global clinical trials, ensuring compliance, data integrity, and patient safety remain at the forefront. Working in close partnership with Global Clinical Teams, you will guide critical risk-based decisions, strengthen governance, and embed a proactive quality mindset—ultimately enabling the successful delivery of innovative medicines to patients worldwide.

 

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic Quality leadership across assigned global clinical trials, ensuring compliance and patient safety throughout execution
• Lead implementation of risk-based Quality strategies within Global Clinical Teams to support effective trial delivery
• Oversee Quality risk management activities, including risk assessments, issue mitigation, and inspection readiness
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to identify, manage, and resolve critical Quality risks and issues
• Establish and lead governance for major Quality matters, ensuring timely escalation and resolution
• Lead Quality aspects of regulatory inspections, audits, and follow-up activities, including corrective and preventive actions
• Drive continuous improvement by embedding a strong Quality mindset and sharing lessons learned across programmes

Essential Requirements: 

• Advanced degree in life sciences, medicine, pharmacy, or business administration
• Significant experience in regulated clinical research, pharmacovigilance, or quality assurance within pharmaceutical development
• Strong understanding of global clinical trial processes and regulatory requirements
• Proven ability to lead and influence cross-functional, global teams and stakeholders
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including engagement with senior leadership and external authorities
• Demonstrated ability to manage complexity, drive decision-making, and deliver continuous improvement initiatives

 

Skills Desired

Business Acumen, Business Partnerships, Business Strategies, Collaboration, Communication Skills (Inactive), Data Integrity, Decision Making, Digital saviness (Inactive), Leadership, Organizational Saviness (Inactive), Problem Solving Skill (Inactive), Risk Management, Smart Risk Taking (Inactive), Stakeholder Management, Storytelling