About this opportunity
Location: Stein, SwitzerlandWe are seeking a highly senior Quality Assurance Compliance leader to safeguard and continuously strengthen our GMP compliance landscape in Switzerland. This role is designed for an experienced quality authority who brings deep regulatory credibility, strategic oversight, and confident leadership in complex, regulated environments.
Key responsibilities:Provide overall leadership and strategic oversight of Quality Compliance activities across the site in line with cGxP requirementsAct as the senior quality authority for audits, inspections, and health authority interactions, ensuring sustained inspection readinessOwn and continuously develop the Quality Management System (QMS), including deviations, CAPAs, change control, and data integrityLead and govern GxP risk management, incident management, and compliance remediation activitiesEnsure effective regulatory and quality oversight of site activities, suppliers, and service providersDrive a strong quality culture, serving as a role model for integrity, accountability, and patient focusPartner closely with senior stakeholders across Manufacturing, Technical Operations, Regulatory, and Global QualityCoach and develop senior quality professionals, ensuring sustainable expertise and succession within the organizationChampion Lean Leadership and operational excellence initiatives.Essential Requirements:Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in Quality Assurance and Compliance within a GMP‑regulated pharmaceutical or biotech environmentProven track record in senior QA leadership roles, with clear accountability for compliance strategy and inspection outcomesDeep expertise in cGMP, Quality Systems, and regulatory frameworks (EMA, FDA, Swissmedic)Extensive experience leading health authority inspections, audits, and complex remediation programsStrong credibility and executive presence when interacting with senior internal and external stakeholdersDemonstrated ability to lead, influence, and challenge at senior management levelUniversity degree in Life Sciences, Pharmacy, Chemistry, Biotechnology, or a related disciplineFluent in English; German is a strong advantage for SwitzerlandBenefits & RewardsCommitment to Diversity and Inclusion / EEO paragraphNovartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve.Accessibility and Accommodation:Applicable Novartis is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to all individuals. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the recruitment process, or in order to receive more detailed information about the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to inclusion.switzerland@novartis.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message.Why Novartis: Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together? https://www.novartis.com/about/strategy/people-and-cultureJoin our Novartis Network: Not the right Novartis role for you? Sign up to our talent community to stay connected and learn about suitable career opportunities as soon as they come up: https://talentnetwork.novartis.com/networkBenefits and Rewards: Read our handbook to learn about all the ways we’ll help you thrive personally and professionally: https://www.novartis.com/careers/benefits-rewards
Job details
How this role compares
Computed from every other active Quality role in our database, not just this employer's listings.
We currently track 644 comparable Quality roles across 85 biopharma companies.
Salary context
110 of 644 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.
Where these roles are based
Top locations among the 644 comparable roles
+ 39 more countries
Seniority mix
309 of 644 peers have a known seniority level
Therapeutic area mix
0 of 644 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden
No peers with a known therapeutic area yet.
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.
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.
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.