Associate Director, Cell Therapy Operations Northeast
Novartis
Summary
This is a field-based and remote opportunity supporting key accounts in an assigned geography. The Associate Director Cell Therapy Operations Manager is in the Northeast geography, covering New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, and Boston, MA. Associate must reside within territory, or within a reasonable daily commuting distance of 60 miles from territory.
Job description
The Associate Director, Cell Therapy Operations Manager (AD, CTOM) is a field-based operational leader responsible for training, onboarding, and qualifying CAR-T treatment centers to support the safe, compliant, and successful delivery of Novartis CAR-T therapies. The AD, CTOM serves as the primary operational partner to assigned treatment centers, supporting ordering, logistics, apheresis collection, site readiness, quality compliance, and operational excellence while collaborating cross-functionally to resolve complex challenges and improve site performance.
Major Accountabilities
- Execute onboarding, training, qualification, and operational readiness activities for CAR-T treatment centers to support successful site activation and patient treatment.
- Serve as the field-based operational lead for assigned treatment centers, supporting ordering, logistics, apheresis collection, product receipt, and treatment workflows.
- Deliver high-quality operational support to treatment centers, care teams, and internal stakeholders to ensure consistent execution of CAR-T processes.
- Resolve complex operational challenges related to ordering, logistics, apheresis collection, product handling, and site readiness.
- Ensure compliance with operational, regulatory, quality, and procedural requirements, supporting ongoing inspection and audit readiness.
- Lead site readiness, operational continuity, and refresher training initiatives to maintain consistent performance and adherence to Novartis standards.
- Partner cross-functionally with Patient Support, Strategic Account Managers, Quality, Manufacturing, Clinical Operations, Medical Affairs, and other stakeholders to align strategy, improve processes, and drive successful patient outcomes.
- Identify operational risks, implement process improvements, manage escalations, and drive continuous improvement initiatives across assigned treatment centers.
Essential Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in science, healthcare, nursing, business, or a related discipline.
- Minimum 7 years of healthcare, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, specialty operations, or related industry experience.
- Experience supporting complex healthcare systems, treatment centers, academic medical centers, or multi-site institutions.
- Demonstrated experience in cell therapy operations, specialty therapy operations, or other highly regulated healthcare environments.
- Proven experience training, onboarding, educating, or supporting external healthcare stakeholders.
- Ability to effectively operate within matrixed, cross-functional organizations and influence stakeholders without direct authority.
- Strong project management, problem-solving, and operational execution skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship-management skills with internal and external stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications
- Direct experience supporting CAR-T, cell therapy, apheresis, blood or tissue collection, cryopreservation, transplant, or related specialty operations.
- Experience working within GxP-regulated pharmaceutical, biotechnology, manufacturing, cell processing, hospital, or specialty healthcare environments.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in science, healthcare, nursing, business, or a related discipline.
- Minimum 7 years of healthcare, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, specialty operations, or related industry experience.
- Experience supporting complex healthcare systems, treatment centers, academic medical centers, or multi-site institutions.
- Demonstrated experience in cell therapy operations, specialty therapy operations, or other highly regulated healthcare environments.
- Proven experience training, onboarding, educating, or supporting external healthcare stakeholders.
- Ability to effectively operate within matrixed, cross-functional organizations and influence stakeholders without direct authority.
- Strong project management, problem-solving, and operational execution skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship-management skills with internal and external stakeholders.
- Direct experience supporting CAR-T, cell therapy, apheresis, blood or tissue collection, cryopreservation, transplant, or related specialty operations.
- Experience working within GxP-regulated pharmaceutical, biotechnology, manufacturing, cell processing, hospital, or specialty healthcare environments.
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Disability benefits
- 401(k) with company contribution and match
- Paid time off
- Vacation
- Personal days
- Holidays
- Annual equity awards
- Performance-based cash incentive
Company overview
Novartis is a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, dedicated to reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As an innovative medicines company, Novartis focuses on developing high-value treatments that address society's greatest disease burdens through technology leadership in research and development. The company operates across five core therapeutic areas: cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases; immunology; neuroscience; oncology; and hematology. With a workforce of approximately 75,883 employees worldwide, Novartis reaches nearly 300 million patients across 118 countries. The company leverages advanced technology platforms including targeted protein degradation, cell therapy, gene therapy, radioligand therapy, and xRNA to develop breakthrough treatments. Novartis maintains a strong portfolio of oncology drugs and generics while continuously expanding its pipeline through strategic acquisitions and internal research. The company's commitment extends beyond drug development to ensuring global access to medical innovations through novel access approaches and patient assistance programs.