Job Description Summary
The Associate Director, Enterprise Transformation Office (STEP) will play a central leadership role in STEP, Sandoz's enterprise-wide business and technology transformation program. STEP is one of Sandoz's most strategic enterprise transformation programs, focused on radically simplifying business processes and the underlying technology landscape while establishing a modern digital core to enable scalable growth, operational excellence, and future innovation. The position is responsible for driving program governance, execution excellence, strategic planning, and performance management across a complex global transformation involving senior business stakeholders, technology teams and external implementation partners.
As a key member of the program team, the Associate Director will provide transparency on program performance, facilitate executive decision-making, challenge delivery assumptions, and ensure accountability across all workstreams. The role combines strategic problem-solving with hands-on transformation leadership and requires an individual who can effectively operate at both executive and operational levels. Acting as a central point of coordination, the role ensures that program delivery is on time, within scope, and meets quality standards.
This role offers extensive exposure to senior leadership and provides the opportunity to shape one of Sandoz's most critical enterprise initiatives.
Job Description
Sandoz continues to go through an exciting and transformative period as a global leader and pioneering provider of sustainable Biosimilar and Generic medicines. As we continue down this new and ambitious path, unique opportunities will present themselves, both professionally and personally. Join us, the future is ours to shape!
Your Key Responsibilities
Your responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Serve as a strategic thought partner to Program Leadership, providing fact-based recommendations, insights, and challenge to support critical program decisions
- Lead the analysis and resolution of complex cross-functional challenges impacting program scope, timeline, cost, quality, and risk.
- Drive executive alignment on key transformation decisions and facilitate the resolution of escalated issues across business, technology, and implementation partner teams.
- Establish and maintain an integrated view of program performance, risks, issues, dependencies, and key milestones to support proactive leadership decision-making.
- Oversee end-to-end program planning and execution across multiple workstreams, ensuring adherence to agreed scope, timelines, quality standards, and delivery commitments.
- Challenge internal teams and implementation partners to drive accountability, manage delivery risks, and ensure achievement of program objectives.
- Support strategic planning activities, including deployment wave readiness, organizational preparedness, operating model evolution, vendor governance, and long-term transformation planning.
- Prepare, facilitate, and manage key program governance forums, including Weekly Status & Risk Reviews, Quality Gate Reviews, Design Review Boards (DRB), Commercial Contract Change Control Boards (CCCCB), and Steering Committee meetings.
- Ensure excellence in program management tooling and reporting, including JIRA governance and data quality, maintaining accurate status, dependencies, milestones, and progress tracking to enable transparency and informed decision-making.
- Maintain comprehensive program records, including governance decisions, risks, issues, actions, assumptions, and change requests, ensuring auditability, compliance, and traceability.
- Drive continuous improvement of program governance, reporting, methodologies, and delivery processes to enhance execution effectiveness and stakeholder satisfaction.
What you’ll bring to the role:
- Bachelor's degree required; business, economics, engineering, technology, or related field preferred. MBA / Master’s degree or other relevant advanced degree strongly preferred
- 5–7 years of professional experience, including significant experience in top-tier management consulting (e.g., McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Kearney, Oliver Wyman) and/or equivalent transformation leadership roles
- Experience in Life Sciences, Healthcare, FMCG, or similarly complex and highly regulated industries preferred.
- Demonstrated experience leading complex business and technology transformation initiatives, ERP implementations, or large-scale change programs.
- Proven ability to influence senior executives and drive alignment across diverse stakeholder groups within global, matrixed organizations.
- Strong experience managing implementation partners, vendor governance, commercial engagements, and delivery accountability.
- Exceptional analytical, structured problem-solving, and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to translate complex information into actionable recommendations.
- Strong expertise in program governance, risk and issue management, executive reporting, and decision-making processes.
- Experience establishing and operating governance forums, including Steering Committees, Design Review Boards, Commercial Change Control Boards, and executive stakeholder meetings.
- Hands-on experience with program and portfolio management tools (e.g., JIRA, MS Project, Smartsheet), proficiency with MS Office (esp. PowerPoint, Excel) and familiarity with ERP systems, preferably SAP S/4HANA
- Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities, challenge stakeholders constructively, enforce accountability, and drive decisions in fast-paced environments.
- Excellent communication, facilitation, and executive presentation skills, including the preparation of high-impact Steering Committee and Board-level materials.
- Self-starter with a high degree of ownership, resilience, and ability to thrive in ambiguous and rapidly evolving environments.
As part of your application, please submit your current CV as well as proof of your highest educational qualification (e.g., diploma, master’s degree, doctorate). Additional documents such as employment references may be uploaded optionally but are not mandatory.
Compensation Structure & Criteria:
Sandoz compensation is determined by job level, qualifications, niche skills, experience, and location within company salary ranges. Fully proficient and highly effective employees can expect a starting salary around market median, with those new to the level or with less functional depth at the lower end of the range and those with sustained superior or niche skills towards the higher end of the range. Internal equity and external market data inform our range placement. Annual salary reviews consider performance outcomes, market alignment, and business needs.
- Job location: Holzkirchen, Germany
- Variable compensation: 15% performance-based bonus
- Additional benefits include: 30 vacation days per year (in full time), 1.200€ vacation payment (in full time), €40/month in capital-forming benefits (in full time), company pension, flex-hybrid working 50% per week in the office, access to our learning & development platforms Skillsoft & Learnlight, Access to our employee share program “OurShare”
- Expected weekly working hours: 40 hours
- Contract type: full time
Why Sandoz?
Generic and Biosimilar medicines are the backbone of the global medicines industry. Sandoz, a leader in this sector, provided more than 900 million patient treatments across 100+ countries in 2024 and while we are proud of this achievement, we have an ambition to do more!
With investments in new development capabilities, production sites, new acquisitions, and partnerships, we have the opportunity to shape the future of Sandoz and help more patients gain access to low-cost, high-quality medicines, sustainably.
Our momentum is powered by an open, collaborative culture driven by our talented and ambitious colleagues, who, in return for applying their skills experience an agile and collegiate environment with impactful, flexible-hybrid careers, where diversity is welcomed and where personal growth is supported!
Join us!
Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:
We are committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve.
Hiring decisions are only based on the qualification for the position, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age and disability.
#Sandoz
Skills Desired
Analytical Thinking, Change Management, Client Counseling, Communication Skills, Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Financial Modeling, Influencing Skills, IT Portfolio Management
