Associate Director, Labor Rights EMEA

Summary

The Associate Director, Labor Rights EMEA will report to the Director, Labor Rights and is responsible for independently leading the identification, assessment, management, and mitigation of labor rights risks with Novartis external partners across the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. This is an essential role to fully operationalize Novartis refreshed labor rights strategy to meet due diligence requirements including the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and foster partnerships with external partners that champion ethical labor practices. Your expertise, energy, and creative problem-solving will be critical in influencing external partner behaviour in ensuring their compliance with the Novartis Third Party Code (TPC). You will also be responsible for supporting the global Human Rights management team in delivering on its overall strategy and mission to embed human rights-based approaches across Novartis

About the Role

Key Responsibilities:

Your responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Identify and assess labor rights risks and promote responsible raw material sourcing with primary external partners and beyond, conducting thorough risk assessments and due diligence to guarantee ongoing compliance.

• Act as a central liaison for internal business functions for proactive risk management and alignment with Novartis Third Party Code (TPC) and human rights standards.

• Use extensive expertise in labor rights within the EMEA region, particularly within the pharmaceutical or chemical sectors, to identify and rectify recurring issues.

• Lead investigations and assessments pertaining to SpeakUp cases at external partner locations.

• Develop and enforce corrective action plans for non-compliant external partners, collaborating with internal business functions for enforcement.

• Create and implement capability building initiatives to improve external partners' understanding and compliance with labor rights practices.

• Utilize digital tools such as worker voice surveys and grievance mechanisms to increase labor rights monitoring at external partner locations and enable effective remediation of the findings.

• Establish relationships with senior leaders and project implementers within and outside the company to manage and co-develop solutions in ethical sourcing practices.

Essential Requirements:

• Degree or equivalent relevant experience in a field such as law, human rights, supply chain management, or international relations.

• Extensive experience in labor rights risk management and significant work with suppliers on labor rights compliance issues is required.

• Proven ability to help suppliers transform from low to high compliance, enhancing their labor rights standards.

• Familiarity with digital tools for labor rights monitoring such as worker voice platforms and grievance reporting mechanisms.

• Strong influencing and negotiation skills to drive change in external partners, ensuring adherence to labor rights standards. Entrepreneurial spirit and ownership mindset with a proactive drive to get things done and deliver impactful results with minimal supervisor oversight

• Skilled in conducting labor rights risk assessments, interpreting data, and generating actionable insights for decision-making in risk scenarios.

• Ability to manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, and adapt to cultural differences across the EMEA region.

• Fluency in English, both written and spoken, with additional language skills relevant to the EMEA region considered advantageous

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Division
Ethics Risk & Compliance

Business Unit
Corporate

Location
Czech Republic

Site
Prague

Company / Legal Entity
CZ02 (FCRS = CZ002) Novartis s.r.o

Alternative Location 1
Ljubljana, Slovenia

Functional Area
Legal & Intellectual Property & Compl.

Job Type
Full time

Employment Type
Regular

Shift Work
No