Head of Strategy & New Products, Japan

Novartis is hiring a Head of Strategy & New Products, Japan. Level rates it ; you can apply on Novartis.

Level's read on this job

Little AI ●○○○ is how Level rates this role: aI is not part of the work.
The posting mentions strategic planning, portfolio management and new product launch among its tools and skills.
Level classes it as an executive role.
Novartis has 864 other open roles on Level.

AI in this role

Drive country-level strategic planning, new product launches, and long-term portfolio growth initiatives in Japan.

strategic-planningportfolio-managementnew-product-launchcross-functional-leadershipbusiness-development

Job Description Summary

The Strategy & New Products Head is responsible for driving country-level strategic planning and growth initiatives, collaborating on early phase launch activities, and shaping the portfolio and pipeline, driving faster decisions and clearer accountability.

This role ensures alignment with global and local stakeholders, supports the implementation of the overall growth strategy, and builds organizational capability for long-term portfolio success.

Job Description

1. Country Strategy, Strategic Planning & Growth

Drive key initiatives and strategic projects to support the implementation of the overall growth strategy for the country

Identify and evaluate strategic opportunities and revenue potential for continued future growth

Coordinate yearly strategic planning processes, ensuring cross-functional and operational priority alignment

Periodically assess organizational capability in line with overall strategy and market dynamics, proposing actions for improvement

2. New Products (Early Launch, Portfolio & Pipeline)

Co-evaluate and co-plan early launch product strategies aligned with key global and local stakeholders

Collaborate with global and local cross-unit and cross-functional teams to drive early launch activities

Co-develop commercialization strategies with BUs; support rollout of ONE Brand Plan approaches for key pipeline products

Build and strengthen organizational capability for launch excellence across the country

Provide input to the internal pipeline in alignment with the International operating model (e.g., IMB milestones)

Supports & partner with global team in the evaluation of global external Corporate & Business Development (C&BD) opportunities by providing country-level perspective

Contribute to long-term BU portfolio strategy development (5+ years) by providing country-focused input and integrating cross-functional insights

Leadership & Culture

Lead and coordinate cross-functional teams to drive the strategic priorities

Build a high-performance culture, manage recruiting, performance, and coaching; develop critical capabilities and talent pipelines.

Attract, develop, and retain top talent; strengthen succession plans and capabilities across the country organization.

Role-model Novartis Leadership Expectations & Behaviours, inspire transformation and performance, and demonstrate self-awareness with a growth mindset.

Key Performance Indicators :

Strategic Planning

Timeliness and quality of strategic plans;

Partnership with global & local stakeholders

Early Launch

Success of early launch initiatives; launch readiness metrics; Collaboration/partnerships across functions/units to drive joint outcomes

Portfolio & Pipeline

Quality and impact of pipeline input; successful integration of country insights into global plan

Languages:

English

Japanese

Experience/Professional Requirement:

Extensive (>10) years’ experience in leadership positions within the pharmaceutical or life science industry and/or consulting. Ideally should have both Pharma and Consulting experience

Proven track record in strategic planning, portfolio management, or new product launches in the pharmaceutical or life sciences industry

Experience in early launch planning, commercialization strategy, and/or business development

Strategic thinking and analytical skills: ability to synthesize complex data and market dynamics into actionable strategies

Strong business acumen and understanding of the pharmaceutical market and product lifecycle

Proven track record of leading cross-functional projects and collaborating with global and local stakeholders

Project management: ability to drive multiple initiatives simultaneously and deliver results in a fast-paced environment

Stakeholder management: strong communication, negotiation, and influencing skills across diverse groups (global, country)

Matrix leadership and talent development: building high-performance, diverse teams; coaching, succession planning, and influencing across complex cross-functional and regional interfaces

Experience in change management and organizational development is a plus

Skills Desired

Business Development, Business Strategies, Collaboration, Curious Mindset, Data Analytics, Decision Making, Finance, Go-to-Market Strategies, Influencing Skills, Leadership, Market Strategy, Operations Management, Prioritization, Project Management, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Partnership Development, Strategic Planning, Strategic Thinking, Strategy Development

How we rate this

Head of Strategy & New Products, Japan at Novartis rates 0 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

●●●● 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

Head of Strategy & New Products, Japan is an open job at Novartis.
Level rates this role AI Level 1 of 4: Little AI.
The role is based in Toranomon (NPKK Head Office).
The job was posted on October 27, 2026.
Seniority: executive.
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

Strategic PlanningPortfolio ManagementNew Product LaunchCross Functional LeadershipBusiness Development

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where strategic planning was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where portfolio management was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where new product launch was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where cross functional leadership was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where business development was part of your work. What did you do?

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List these exact terms on your resume: Strategic Planning, Portfolio Management, New Product Launch, Cross Functional Leadership, and Business Development. 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.

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