Novartis Posted August 31, 2026

Associate Director, Pharmacovigilance QA

Barcelona Gran Vía, Spain FULL_TIME
Quality Associate Director
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About this opportunity

What if your expertise could help strengthen the systems that protect millions of patients around the world? As Associate Director, Pharmacovigilance QA, you will be a trusted quality leader at the heart of Novartis' global patient safety organization. In this highly visible role, you will shape the quality and compliance of our Pharmacovigilance and Device Vigilance activities, influence strategic decisions, and drive continuous improvement across a complex global landscape. Working alongside passionate experts and senior stakeholders, you will help ensure that our quality systems remain inspection-ready, risk-focused, and aligned with our commitment to patients. If you are energized by solving complex challenges, leading meaningful change, and making a lasting impact on global healthcare, this is your opportunity to help reimagine medicine.

Location:  Barcelona, Spain#LI-Hybrid Relocation Support: This role is based in Barcelona, Spain. Novartis is unable to offer relocation support, please only apply if accessible.Major Accountabilities:Lead quality oversight of global Pharmacovigilance and Device Vigilance activities to ensure regulatory compliance.   Drive quality improvement initiatives that strengthen compliance, efficiency, and operational excellence.   Identify compliance risks and provide mitigation recommendations to Patient Safety stakeholders.   Support due diligence activities for product acquisitions and business development opportunities.   Lead quality activities supporting mergers, acquisitions, divestments, and system integrations.   Support maintenance of the Pharmacovigilance System Master File and related quality systems.   Guide complex investigations, corrective actions, and preventive action plans to resolution.   Support health authority inspections, inspection readiness activities, and remediation efforts.   Provide quality governance and oversight for global pharmacovigilance operational vendors.   Deputize for the Team Head, providing leadership support and ensuring continuity of critical quality activities.Essential RequirementsDegree in Life Sciences or a related scientific discipline.Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.  Fluency in at least one additional language.Significant experience in pharmacovigilance quality, pharmacovigilance operations, or pharmaceutical compliance.Strong knowledge of global pharmacovigilance regulations, guidelines, and quality requirements.Proven ability to manage complex compliance issues and drive effective resolutions.Demonstrated leadership skills with success in cross-functional and global environments.Quality-focused mindset with strong problem-solving, decision-making, and prioritization capabilities.Additional Desirable SkillsPharmD, PhD, or other advanced scientific degree is a strong advantage.Ready to make a difference beyond compliance? Join Novartis and help strengthen the quality systems that safeguard patients worldwide. Bring your expertise, curiosity, and passion for continuous improvement to a global team dedicated to reimagining medicine and delivering better outcomes for people everywhere. Apply today and help shape the future of patient safety.Benefits & Rewards At Novartis, we’re committed to reimagining medicine together - and rewarding the people who make it happen.   Expected Annual Base Salary Range for role:  EUR 69,100.00 - 128,300.00The base salary offered is determined based on gender-neutral objectives, such as relevant skills, competencies and experience in accordance with the Novartis pay setting policy and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically.   In addition to your base salary, you may be eligible for a performance-based bonus depending on certain performance parameters. Long-term equity awards granted at group level may also be part of your package. Further details will be provided during the application process.  The rewards of being part of our team go far beyond base pay and incentives. We also offer a variety of competitive benefits in kind to help you thrive personally and professionally, such as insurance plans, retirement plans, wellbeing resources and global recognition programs. In addition, we provide flexible and hybrid working options, where possible, and minimum 14 weeks paid parental leave. Pay equity is a fundamental principle of our employment policy and reflects our commitment to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment that treats all employees with dignity and respect, as outlined in our Code of Ethics.   Read our brochure to learn more about our global total rewards offering:   https://www.novartis.com/sites/novartis_com/files/novartis-life-handbook.pdf   Note: Benefits and compensation may vary by country and are subject to local legal requirements, including provisions of collective bargaining agreements where applicable. A full overview of your compensation package, including any relevant collective bargaining agreement details applicable to your role based on your employment location and Novartis employer entity, will be communicated separately to you during the application process.

Job details

Seniority
Associate Director
Function
Quality
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Barcelona Gran Vía, Spain
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Quality role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 353 comparable Associate Director Quality roles across 90 biopharma companies.

353Comparable roles tracked
329Currently active
90Companies hiring similar roles
35Countries represented

Salary context

73 of 353 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Quality Assurance Senior Specialist - Statistical Sorting · Lilly $18/hr – $35/hr (≈ $37,482–$72,592/yr)
Peer group range $55,037 – $208,845 (median $163,167)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 353 comparable roles

United States128
China32
Ireland25
India23
Japan14
Singapore12

+ 29 more countries

Seniority mix

353 of 353 peers have a known seniority level

Manager182
Senior130
Associate Director41

Therapeutic area mix

1 of 353 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Rare Disease1

Currently open similar roles

This posting is closed, but here are live openings closest to it -- ranked by similarity, not by how well you'd qualify for them.

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50%similar
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50%similar
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50%similar
Johnson & Johnson Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain Senior
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45%similar
Gilead Sciences, Inc. Foster City, United States Associate Director
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
Gilead Sciences, Inc. Foster City, United States Associate Director
Same function Same seniority

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Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

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.

60%
Associate Director, Clinical Risk Management
Johnson & Johnson · Madrid, Spain · Associate Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
50%
Sr. Specialist, Quality Control, Bioassay
Moderna Biotech Spain S.L.U. · Madrid, Spain · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
45%
Associate Director, Quality Assurance (Global Supplier Quality)
Gilead Sciences, Inc. · Foster City, United States · Associate Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
45%
Site QC Head (Associate Director)
Novartis · Indianapolis, United States · Associate 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.