Good work-life balance, but stingy with rewards - Principal Scientist II Novartis Employee Review

4.0
May 26, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Overall, very good work-life balance and comparable benefits across industry. My function was great! Career advancement opportunities are limited.

Cons

RSUs and options are given to people at senior principal scientist level and above. Anyone below that is not getting it. Comes across as very stingy company and try to pinch pennies now and then while allocating 15 billion dollar for shareholder returns to Wall Street. Their risk-taking appetite is less compared to more nimble upcomig biotechs.

Explore other reviews about Novartis

5.0
May 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

people are friendly and easy to work with

Cons

daily commute takes longer than expected

2.0
May 25, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pays pretty well in comparison to similar jobs in the market

Cons

Unstable schedule where you are often asked to come in overnight (1-2 am) regardless of if you have worked the previous day or are off. Basically feels like you're permanently on-call to conduct environmental monitoring. Training is slow. The Micro dept in general is currently understaffed. The job also involves lab work once you are done with your daily environmental monitoring tasks. The work never ceases and the Technicians as a whole has several responsibilities. Promotions seem to come very slowly here.

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