Novartis Posted July 10, 2026

Business Operations Lead, Discovery Sciences

Cambridge (USA), United States Regular
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research

Novartis is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

The Discovery Sciences (DSc) department at Novartis Biomedical Research (BR), merges groundbreaking technical capabilities with deep scientific expertise to deliver bold innovations at the forefront of science. As a member of the DSc Operations Team, you will be a critical resource within the organization to manage business operations which enable the development of novel drug targets and new therapeutics. We are seeking a hands-on Business Operations Lead with a particular passion for data and knowledge management, eager to lead the execution of our business operations to support the dynamic operations of a large research department.

Internal Job Title: Business Operations LeadPosition Location: Cambridge, MA, onsite** This role is based in Cambridge, MA, USA. Novartis is unable to offer relocation support for this role: please only apply if this location is accessible for you.About the Role:The Discovery Sciences (DSc) department at Novartis Biomedical Research (BR), merges groundbreaking technical capabilities with deep scientific expertise to deliver bold innovations at the forefront of science. As a member of the DSc Operations Team, you will be a critical resource within the organization to manage business operations which enable the development of novel drug targets and new therapeutics. We are seeking a hands-on Business Operations Lead with a particular passion for data and knowledge management, eager to lead the execution of our business operations to support the dynamic operations of a large research department.Key responsibilities:Execute and optimize our financial plan: In partnership with Finance and other support functions, execute the ordering and financial administration of our scientific strategy. Act as a key subject matter expert in the tools and processes to execute the business of our research operations. Financial acumen will be required.Resolve issues. Be an enabling force in the support of DSc scientists to resolve operational challenges, manage issues and navigate complexity; especially when it comes to our financial data, vendor management, research collaborations, and people data. Rely on local and global support resources to remediate issues and advance our upstream processes to avoid issues in the first place.Deliver simplicity from complexity. Through report design and data management, enable DSc leaders with clean, accessible, and timely data related to their budget, lab resources, people and compliance to drive effective decision making in the organization. Proactively launch and lead initiatives to resolve any operational data issues and delivery new processes or programs.Effectively work within an organizational matrix. Establish and maintain relationships with DSc researchers and the BR Operations community to ensure alignment and execution of departmental and BR objectives. Operate within a matrix organization of support functions and third-party vendors to provide effective support of DSc and BR operations.Realize our technology strategy: Manage the planning, ordering, delivery, and realization of lab technologies including complex, integrated equipment systems.Support global departmental evolution: Proactively lead projects and design operational programs that support department priorities, including cross-functional coordination with user groups and support functions.Essential Requirements:B.S. or M.S. degree in a scientific or management discipline with 3+ years in a business or lab operations capacity; or 5+ years working in a biology or chemistry research environment with operational accountabilities.A love for problem solving! Strong collaboration and organizational skills along with a proven attentiveness to detail are required. Must be solution oriented with comfort to exercise independent discretion and judgment to solve problems and prioritize effectively in a global and highly matrixed environmentA user-oriented mentality and experience supporting others – specifically motivated to enable all of our associates with a track record of building relationships and engaging others in work.Strong information management and digital skillset that includes advanced knowledge of enterprise-level accounting, procurement and collaboration software.Project management, operational excellence, and design thinking skillsets with experience initiating and leading assignments with a proven ability to positively impact project goals.Desirable Requirements: Demonstrated ability to optimize business processes with AI tools is highly desirable.A candidate willing to infuse creativity into operational tasks is strongly desired.Compensation and Benefits:The salary for this position is expected to range between $85,400 and $158,600 per year. The final salary offered is determined based on factors like, but not limited to, relevant skills and experience, and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically. Novartis may change the published salary range based on company and market factors.Your compensation will include a performance-based cash incentive and, depending on the level of the role, eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards.US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits. In addition, employees are eligible for a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.To learn more about the culture, rewards and benefits we offer our people click here.

Job details

Seniority
Not listed
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Cambridge (USA), United States
Employment type
Regular

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 383 comparable Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 47 biopharma companies.

383Comparable roles tracked
345Currently active
47Companies hiring similar roles
16Countries represented

Salary context

136 of 383 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function. This posting doesn't list a seniority level, so peers aren't narrowed by seniority either -- the range below may span more levels than usual.

This roleSubject $85,400/yr – $158,600/yr
Lowest disclosed · Scientist 1, Oncology | Drug Discovery · AbbVie $0/hr – $0/hr (≈ $0–$0/yr)
Highest disclosed · Head, Oncology Drug Discovery – San Diego · Novartis $248,500/yr – $461,500/yr
Peer group range $0 – $355,000 (median $165,300)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 383 comparable roles

United States303
India17
Germany13
United Kingdom9
Canada9
Switzerland6

+ 10 more countries

Seniority mix

297 of 383 peers have a known seniority level

Senior111
Principal57
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc34
Director26
Associate23
Associate Director21
Senior Director12
Executive/VP8
Manager5

Therapeutic area mix

54 of 383 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology31
Cardiovascular / CVRM10
Immunology6
Neuroscience4
Vaccines & Infectious Disease2
Respiratory1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

40%similar
AstraZeneca Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America Principal
Same function Same country
40%similar
Lilly San Francisco, California, United States of America Executive/VP
Same function Same country
40%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Executive/VP
Same function Same country
40%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Same function Same country
40%similar
Lilly San Diego, California, United States of America Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Same function Same country
40%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Same function Same country

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

40%
Principal Scientist Drug Product Development
AstraZeneca · Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Postdoctoral Researcher in Translational Oncology
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Intern/Fellow/Postdoc
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Advisor / Senior Advisor, CNS/PNS NAMs – Investigative Toxicology
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
Director / Sr / Exec Dir - Applied Intelligence for Discovery (AI4D)
Lilly · San Francisco, California, United States of America · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.