Associate Director, Agentic AI PoC Lead (2 openings)

Novartis is hiring an Associate Director, Agentic AI PoC Lead (2 openings) for a remote role open to applicants in United States. It pays $176k-$328k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Novartis.

Level's read on this job

On Level's scale, this role is Builds AI ●●●●: the job is building AI systems.
The posting lists this role as remote.
Tools and skills the posting cites include Python, LLMs and Vector databases.
Level classifies it as a senior role.
Level lists 864 other open roles at Novartis.

AI in this role

Lead the design and development of agentic AI proof-of-concepts and enterprise AI solutions.

PythonLLMsVector databases

ragai-agentsagentic-aimachine-learningcloud-platformsai-orchestration

Job Description Summary

# LI-Remote

Reporting to the Executive Director, AI Architecture & Lab Lead, the Associate Director, Agentic AI PoC Lead is responsible for leading the rapid design, development, and validation of proof-of-concepts that demonstrate the value of agentic AI across the enterprise. This role partners with business, product, architecture, and engineering teams to transform emerging AI capabilities into validated solutions that can be industrialized by the Agentic Factory.

This position can be based remotely anywhere in the U.S. (there may be some restrictions based on legal entity). Please note that this role would not provide relocation as a result. The expectation of working hours and travel (domestic and/or international) will be defined by the hiring manager. This position will require 10% travel.

There are two positions available.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

Lead the delivery of high-impact agentic AI proof-of-concepts from ideation through technical validation.

Partner with business stakeholders to identify opportunities where autonomous AI agents can create measurable value.

Design and implement prototype solutions using LLMs, multi-agent frameworks, RAG, orchestration platforms, and modern AI tooling.

Collaborate closely with AI Architecture, Product, and Engineering teams to transition successful PoCs into production roadmaps.

Establish repeatable methodologies, evaluation criteria, and technical documentation for AI experimentation.

Assess emerging AI technologies and recommend new capabilities for inclusion in the enterprise AI roadmap.

Mentor AI engineers and foster a culture of experimentation, rapid learning, and innovation.

Essential Requirements:

Education: • Bachelor's or advanced degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Engineering, Data Science, or a related discipline.

5+ years of experience building AI, machine learning, or software engineering solutions, including hands-on development of generative AI applications.

Experience with LLMs, agent frameworks, RAG, vector databases, Python, APIs, cloud platforms, and AI orchestration technologies.

Strong prototyping and software engineering skills with the ability to rapidly build and validate new concepts.

Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to translate technical innovation into business value.

Desirable Requirements:

Experience developing enterprise AI platforms or agentic AI solutions in large organizations.

Experience in pharmaceutical, healthcare, or other highly regulated industries.

Novartis Compensation Summary:

The salary for this position is expected to range between $176,400 and $327,600per 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.

EEO Statement:

The Novartis Group of Companies are Equal Opportunity Employers. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Accessibility and reasonable accommodations

The Novartis Group of Companies are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or to perform the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to us.reasonableaccommodations@novartis.com or call +1(877)395-2339 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message.

Salary Range

$176,400.00 - $327,600.00

Skills Desired

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Biostatistics, Business Value Creation, Change Management, Curious Mindset, Data Governance, Data Literacy, Data Quality, Data Science, Data Visualization, Deep Learning, Graph Algorithms, Learning Agility, Machine Learning (ML), Machine Learning Algorithms, Python (Programming Language), Stakeholder Engagement, Statistical Analysis, Time Series Analysis

How we rate this

Associate Director, Agentic AI PoC Lead (2 openings) at Novartis rates 90 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

Associate Director, Agentic AI PoC Lead (2 openings) is an open job at Novartis.
Level rates this role AI Level 4 of 4: Builds AI.
The listed salary is $176k-$328k a year.
The role is based in Remote Position (USA) and is marked remote.
The job was posted on August 21, 2026.
Seniority: senior.
Applications are handled by Novartis. Apply on Novartis

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

RAGAI agentsAgentic AIMachine learningCloud PlatformsAI OrchestrationPythonLLMs

Questions you could be asked

How would you design a retrieval step so the model answers from real data instead of guessing?
How do you decide when an AI agent can act on its own versus asking for approval first?
Tell me about a project where agentic ai was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where machine learning was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where cloud platforms was part of your work. What did you do?

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: RAG, AI agents, Agentic AI, Machine learning, and Cloud Platforms. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.

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