Novartis Posted September 11, 2026

Clinical Development Head Neuroscience

Cambridge (Massachusetts), United States FULL_TIME
Clinical Development Neuroscience
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Novartis is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

#LI-HybridAre you ready to shape clinical development strategy and advance innovative medicines for patients living with serious neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions?The Clinical Development Head, Neuroscience is accountable for the strategic leadership, functional excellence and organizational effectiveness of the clinical and medical organization supporting the Neuroscience Development Unit. The Clinical Development Head serves as Function Manager for the Global Program Clinical Heads and provides leadership and oversight to the broader clinical organization within the Development Unit.Working in close partnership with the Neuroscience Development Unit Head, Global Program Heads and other senior leaders, this position establishes the overall clinical strategy for the Neuroscience portfolio and ensures the delivery of portfolio and program priorities. As a key member of the Development Unit Leadership Team, the Clinical Development Head will influence senior governance decisions and may deputize for designated leadership responsibilities at senior management meetings.

Key ResponsibilitiesLead the clinical function for the Neuroscience Development Unit, providing strategic leadership, functional oversight, coaching and performance management for Global Program Clinical Heads and other clinical and medical associates.Establish and execute the short- and long-term disease area, portfolio and clinical development strategy in partnership with the Development Unit Head, Global Program Heads and cross-functional leadership.Drive clinical development excellence across the portfolio, including study design, protocol strategy, dose selection, biomarker strategy, endpoint selection, evidence generation and application of innovative clinical methodologies and technologies.Ensure clinical development strategies integrate scientific, medical, regulatory, operational, commercial, patient, value and access considerations across the full research, development and commercialization continuum.Oversee clinical resource planning, organizational effectiveness, workforce deployment and functional excellence to ensure delivery of portfolio and program priorities.Develop and strengthen global clinical talent through leadership, succession planning, capability building and mentoring of senior clinical and medical leaders.Provide senior clinical leadership for portfolio governance, program prioritization, benefit-risk assessment, investment decisions, regulatory interactions, submissions and key development-stage transitions.Represent and advocate for the clinical function within Development Unit and enterprise governance forums, influencing strategic decisions and partnering effectively across Clinical Development and Novartis leadership teams.Build and maintain strong relationships with investigators, key opinion leaders, health authorities, patient organizations, alliance partners and other internal and external stakeholders while leading due diligence, business development and licensing activities as required.Ensure the highest standards of scientific rigor, patient safety, quality, ethics and compliance while fostering an inspired, curious, collaborative and inclusive culture aligned with Novartis Values and Behaviors.Essential RequirementsMD or equivalent medical degree required; board certification and relevant specialty or subspecialty training in neurology, psychiatry, neuroscience or related fields preferred.Minimum 10 years of clinical drug development, translational medicine and/or clinical research experience, including leadership of global development programs and multidisciplinary teams.Deep expertise in neuroscience and advanced understanding of disease biology, clinical practice, clinical trial methodology, biomarkers, dose selection, biostatistics, data science and emerging technologies supporting clinical development.Proven ability to design and implement scientifically robust clinical development strategies that integrate multiple complex dimensions across the research, development and commercialization continuum.Significant experience across Phases I-IV clinical development, including regulatory agency interactions, submissions, evidence generation, market access considerations and benefit-risk assessment.Demonstrated success leading, developing and inspiring diverse global teams and matrix organizations across multiple geographic regions and functions.Strong business acumen and experience supporting portfolio prioritization, governance decision-making, business development, licensing, alliance management, due diligence and M&A evaluations.Recognized credibility and influence with physicians, investigators, regulators, scientific experts, key opinion leaders and senior internal stakeholders.Outstanding leadership, communication, collaboration and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence without authority and drive enterprise-level outcomes in a complex global matrix environment.Demonstrated commitment to scientific excellence, patient centricity, quality, compliance, ethics, inclusion and Novartis Values and Behaviors.Desirable RequirementsRelevant postgraduate clinical specialty or subspecialty training in neurology, psychiatry, neuroscience or another related medical discipline.Medical board certification or an equivalent recognized specialist qualification.Novartis Compensation and Benefit SummaryThe salary for this position is expected to range between $318,500 - $591,500 per year. The final salary offered is determined based on factors including, but not limited to, relevant skills, experience and geographic location, 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.At Novartis, we are committed to reimagining medicine together and rewarding the people who make it happen.

Job details

Seniority
Not listed
Function
Clinical Development
Therapeutic area
Neuroscience
Location
Cambridge (Massachusetts), United States
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

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

We currently track 861 comparable Clinical Development roles across 106 biopharma companies.

861Comparable roles tracked
777Currently active
106Companies hiring similar roles
34Countries represented

Salary context

268 of 861 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.

This roleSubject $318,500/yr – $591,500/yr
Lowest disclosed · Associate Scientist, Clinical Immunology & Diagnostics · Pfizer $60,200/yr – $100,400/yr
Peer group range $80,300 – $458,800 (median $224,445)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 861 comparable roles

United States440
India136
United Kingdom55
China28
Japan25
Poland24

+ 28 more countries

Seniority mix

703 of 861 peers have a known seniority level

Director191
Manager174
Associate Director108
Senior103
Senior Director43
Associate32
Executive/VP21
Principal20
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc11

Therapeutic area mix

148 of 861 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology78
Immunology23
Neuroscience23
Cardiovascular / CVRM7
Ophthalmology6
Respiratory4
Rare Disease4
Dermatology & Aesthetics2
Gastroenterology1

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.

80%similar
E.R. Squibb & Sons,L.L.C. Cambridge Crossing, United States Senior Director
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country
80%similar
E.R. Squibb & Sons,L.L.C. Madison, United States Director
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country
80%similar
E.R. Squibb & Sons,L.L.C. Princeton, United States Senior Director
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80%similar
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) Boston, United States Director
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country
80%similar
Eisai Inc. US Field Based, United States Senior
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country
80%similar
Eisai Inc. US Field Based, United States Senior
Same function Same therapeutic area Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

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.

80%
Sr Director, Early Clinical Development, Neuroscience
E.R. Squibb & Sons,L.L.C. · Cambridge Crossing, United States · Senior Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
80%
Clinical Development Senior Medical Director-Neurology
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) · Boston, United States · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
80%
Medical Director, US Medical Affairs - Alzheimer's Disease
Eisai Inc. · Remote, United States · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
80%
Medical Science Liaison, (MSL or Sr. MSL) Neurology (Alzheimer's Disease) - Field Based IL and St. Louis, MO
Eisai Inc. · US Field Based, United States · Senior
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.