Senior Principal Innovation Scout

LI#hybrid

Senior Principal Innovation Scout
This hybrid role is based in Hyderabad, India

Novartis is unable to offer relocation support for this role: please only apply if these locations are accessible for you.

Innovation Discovery & Evaluation

• Continuously identify and prioritize emerging technologies across Software & Workflows that enable future outcomes and strengthen Portfolio, Data and AI strategies.

• Assess innovation opportunities using structured criteria including value, feasibility, maturity, risk, and strategic fit.

• Contribute to vendor assessments, RFI/RFP processes, and external partner evaluations

• Identify early trends and directional signals that could influence software, platform, or portfolio strategy.

Experimentation & Rapid Validation

• Translate high-potential opportunities to testable hypotheses and structured experiments

• Conduct rapid prototyping to validate assumptions and generate evidence for decision making that can inform scaled implementation initiatives.

• Define success criteria and learning objectives to ensure experiments produce actionable results.

Strategic Translation & Integration

• Translate external innovation signals into improvements for existing Software and Workflow capabilities and into new strategic opportunities

• Partner with Software and Workflow leaders to drive experiments, pilots, and scalable initiatives

Insight Communication & Influence

• Deliver clear, concise and compelling narratives tailored to executive, delivery and technical stakeholders

• Influence prioritization and investment decisions through evidence-based recommendations

• Establish credibility as a trusted advisor on emerging technologies and innovation opportunities

Innovation Culture & Ways of Working

• Operate with urgency by focusing on rapid learning cycles and actionable outputs

• Collaborate effectively across organizational boundaries to accelerate innovation adoption

• Foster a culture of experimentation, curiosity, and continuous learning across teams

Skills Required

• Minimum 5+ years’ experience in the life sciences / pharmaceutical industry

• Advanced degree in a relevant field (e.g., Life Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline)

• Strong understanding of scientific domains (e.g., biomedical research, data-driven science) to effectively evaluate technologies and vendor offerings in context

• Strong understanding of digital, software, data, and AI technology landscapes, including emerging patterns and capabilities.

• Ability to distinguish meaningful signals from noise and assess relevance in complex, evolving environments

• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills to evaluate opportunities and prioritize based on value, feasibility, risk, and strategic alignment

• Experience shaping hypotheses and defining structured approaches to early-stage opportunity evaluation. Ability to connect technology trends to real user, scientific, and business problems.

• Excellent communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas to executive, product, and technical audience

• Ability to synthesize complex concepts into clear insights and compelling, actionable recommendations.