Assoc. Dir. DDIT IES Cloud Plat. Azure

MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Lead and  mentor a high-performing team of Azure Engineers to deliver best-in-class cloud solutions leveraging DevOps and Agile methodologies while fostering continuous professional growth, innovation, and alignment with Novartis objectives.
• Guide the team in designing and delivering Azure Cloud capabilities that are cost-efficient, user-friendly, secure, and compliant with Novartis Cloud Security and Compliance requirements, ensuring timely delivery and proper documentation of all solutions.
• Work closely with Azure Cloud Architects to continually enhance the platform's security, compliance, and governance processes. Drive improvements and ensure adherence to Novartis Cloud standards and requirements.
• Explore and implement AI-driven solutions to simplify and enhance day-to-day engineering and operational responsibilities, driving efficiency and scalability across the Azure Cloud Platform.
• Proactively collaborate with internal Cloud stakeholders to identify and implement necessary controls and guardrails on the Azure Cloud Platform, ensuring it remains secure, compliant, and audit-ready.
• Drive innovation by exploring, piloting, and implementing new solutions that simplify cloud deployments and improve customer experience. Build scalable and standardized solutions to enhance Azure operations.
• Ensure strong documentation practices for all solutions developed and implemented by the Azure Engineering team, ensuring that documentation is clear, comprehensive, and accessible for future reference across Novartis teams.
• Maintain and oversee compliance to Novartis Cloud Security, Governance, and Audit standards in all aspects of engineering work. Implement required processes, controls, and guardrails to ensure the Azure Cloud Platform is secure and audit-ready.
• Build and maintain a highly skilled and diverse Azure engineering team by driving the hiring process and encouraging an environment of continuous development.
• Participate in performance evaluations, provide constructive feedback, and assist in creating individualized development plans to promote career growth.
• Promote an inclusive, collaborative, and engaging work culture that prioritizes employee well-being, motivation, and alignment with Novartis Values & Behaviors.

Additional Specifications Required for the Position:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or Engineering.
• MS-Azure Certification(s) ,DevOps & AI Certification(s).
• 10+ years of experience working in IT infrastructure domain, delivering infrastructure and platform services across geographic and business boundaries.
• Minimum 5+ years experience working in MS-Azure Cloud Administration, IaC Implementations  following Agile/DevOps methologies in large enterprises.
• Deep understanding of Cloud Networking,Landing Zone Concepts,Azure Policies,App Services,Microsoft Entra.
• Proficiency in Azure AI,Machine Learning and Cognitive Services.
• Experienced in DevOps practices and tools, including CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code (IaC), and monitoring solutions, with strong expertise in automating cloud infrastructure deployments using Azure DevOps, YAML, Terraform, and ARM templates.
• Good understanding of High Availability and Disaster Recovery concepts for infrastructure.
• Familiar with agile (i.e., scrum, Kanban.) methodologies and comfortable with working as part of an agile team
• Excellent skills in collaborating with business users, Operationalizing the delivered products, working closely with Security for implementing compliance, close interaction with Cloud operations team for provisioning Azure services.
• Good knowledge on implementing well defined & industry standard Change management process for platform & its products.Should ensure to have documentation for Platform products and implementations done.
• Ability to analyze and resolve complex infrastructure resource and application deployment issues.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS / MEASURES OF SUCCESS:

• Deliver a stable, secure, compliant, and cost-efficient platform engineering environment, ensuring high availability, performance, and reliability while driving year-over-year cost optimization.
• Enhance responsiveness and recovery speed in addressing critical business incidents and issues.
• Build learning agility by rapidly evaluating and implementing new services and capabilities at scale.
• Drive productivity improvements and reduce defects through ongoing process enhancements and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Enable automation-led, programmable infrastructure and platform services to streamline operations and increase efficiency.
• Establish a strong technical vision with a clear strategy and ensure consistent execution of plans.

LANGUAGES:

• Excellent written, presentation and verbal communication skills
• Languages: Fluent in English (written & spoken), additional languages a plus

COMPETENCY PROFILE:

• Technical Leadership
• Azure Cloud Platform Administration
• DevOps, CI/CD
• Agile  Methodology
• System integration and Built
• Problem solving / Root Cause Analysis
• Cloud services monitoring & cost optimization

Why consider Novartis?

Our purpose is to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives and our vision is to become the most valued and trusted medicines company in the world. How can we achieve this? With our people. It is our associates that drive us each day to reach our ambitions. Be a part of this mission and join us!
Learn more here:

https://www.novartis.com/about/strategy/people-and-culture

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:
Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams' representative of the patients and communities we serve.
Join our Novartis Network: If this role is not suitable to your experience or career goals but you wish to stay connected to hear more about Novartis and our career opportunities, join the Novartis Network here:
https://talentnetwork.novartis.com/network