Vice President - Diabetes, Obesity & MASH Pharmacology Research

About the Department

Our Research & Development organization brings together the best minds in life science innovation. The teams located in facilities in Greater Boston and Greater Copenhagen reflect the full R&D continuum, from early research through late-stage clinical development. Here, we are building for the future, creating a distinct R&D community based on collaboration, partnerships, and cutting-edge research across multiple modalities and therapeutic areas. We recognize that improving human health starts here and that patients rely on us. Our R&D hub merges biotech speed and agility with large pharmaceutical company quality, resources, and stability, uniting the best of both worlds to develop new medicines for patients.

The Position

Diabetes, Obesity & MASH Global Research (DOMGR) is engaged in accelerating the path of core and novel cardiometabolic therapies for clinical development within Novo Nordisk. A main focus is discovery and evaluation of established and novel targets that can modulate cardiometabolic disease and advance the projects to deliver to the NN pipeline. The therapeutic area (TA) teams collaborate closely with the teams in R&ED (Research & Early Development) in Novo Nordisk sites around the globe.  The TA will drive a high level of scientific innovation in the scientific and therapy area of diabetes, obesity, and MASH to assure the key and most important scientific topics and areas are being pursued to support Novo Nordisk's pipeline aspirations.

Head of an organisation comprised of several sub-functions or head of departments of high complexity. Leads area through other leaders and may have direct specialist reports. Leads multifunctional work groups created to carry out strategic projects. Develops long- and short-term business strategies and plans, as well as oversight of progress and implementation. Oversees daily operations of the organisation by directing leaders below and adhering to company-wide policies, procedures and programs. Manages organizational design, structure, development, training and planning issues within sub-functions. Solid Novo Nordisk value chain understanding and execution. Proven track record of creating business results with impact on TA level. A Key member of the DOMGR CVP leadership team.

This position may be located in the US or in Denmark. 

Relationships

Reports to CVP DO&M Global Research. Directly and indirectly manages a team of scientists.

Drives, seeks out, builds and maintains trusting relationships and partnerships with global internal and external stakeholders in ways that accomplish key business objectives, and influences others to do the same. Able to orchestrate large scale win-win situations in complex stakeholder landscapes.  Openminded and positive towards new business opportunities and ways of working across the value chain.

Internal key stakeholders include leaders and employees within Diabetes, Obesity and MASH, other therapy area heads, heads of global functions within R&ED, as well as Search & Evaluation heads in Global Business Development.

External key stakeholders include collaboration partners, KOLs and CROs.

Essential Functions

• Leadership
  • Leading the area in line with Novo Nordisk Way
  • Setting direction for the area
  • Develop and execute strategy for area, co-create and support execution of strategy for Diabetes Obesity and MASH and influence SVP area strategy
  • Securing global cross-organizational collaboration
  • Drive change management in own area as well as influence change management
• Business development
  • Developing own area with a strategic business perspective – incl. close collaboration on opportunities in adjacent areas
  • Management of the business through Directors/Managers or specialists
  • Leadership development by identification of leadership and organizational potential
  • Support evaluation and champion external opportunities within Diabetes, Obesity and MASH
  • Collaborate closely with BD teams to identify and secure ongoing and new partnerships
  • Assure scientific drive and value generation of ongoing and new external collaborations

• Management tasks
  • Ensuring the area incl. sub-functions delivers according to the goals
  • Performance management
  • Securing an optimal utilization of resources through direct leader reports by monitoring organizational performance
  • Drive continuous development and improvements to meet business goals
  • Ensure budget and business targets are met
  • Responsible for Occupational Health & Safety in the departments
• Direct employee leadership
  • Planning, coordination, prioritization, guidance to employees and monitoring progress of activities
  • Estimation of resource demand and bottlenecks, secure an optimal utilization of resources and equipment
  • Responsible for recruitment and terminations
  • Training of new employees
  • Performance management
  • Salary adjustment and bonus allocation
  • Execution of Evolve and follow-up
  • Budget responsibility

• Scientific responsibilities within Diabetes, Obesity and MASH
  • Driving state of art drug discovery in Diabetes Obesity and MASH
  • Integration and application of newest technology, with the focus on in vivo pharmacology
  • Integrating data science with biology
  • Continuously move the scientific concepts and models towards newest ways of thinking
  • Set the research strategy for therapy area under own responsibility in discussions with corporate strategy and in close collaboration with counterparts in development and commercial
  • Set the scientific direction to execute on Diabetes, Obesity and MASH of own responsibility
  • Challenge the scientific rationale, hypothesis and result interpretation of projects in pipeline
  • Create a sustainable pipeline within NN in Diabetes, Obesity and MASH under own responsibility and support other TAs as necessary
  • Get own team moving in the digital and automatization ways of working
  • Secure data generation for implementation of AI and ML to evolve drug discovery
• Collaboration across the value chain
  • Secure collaboration across the entire value chain (R&ED, Development, Commercial) within own therapy area
  • Pro-active in engaging with key stakeholders across the organization
  • Role model – working across to drive a collective benefit for NN

• Quality, compliance and environmental management
  • Regulatory responsibilities
  • Ensure work with human bio samples is in compliance with internal NN requirements

Physical Requirements

10-20% International and domestic travel required.

Development of People

Supervisory

Ensure that reporting personnel have individual development plans (IDP), with annual goals and measurements that are consistent with the priorities of the business, and that interim reviews are held so that their work is focused on those priorities, and they understand their level of accountability for results and the measurement process.

Ensure that the IDP forms include completed learning and aspiration plans and are in place for all reporting personnel to enable the achievement of goals and capability to assume increased levels of responsibility.

Manage the application and communication of all Novo Nordisk policies, procedures, and Novo Nordisk Way.

Qualifications

• PhD in biological sciences required
• 15+ years of relevant experience required, with strong preference of industry experience
• Relevant experience may include:
  • Scientific experience, drug discovery and development experience the majority of which from the pharmaceutical or related industry
  • Experience with the drug development and life cycle management process, preferably from direct participation in project teams and cross-functional teamwork through substantial parts of the product development life cycle
  • Working in a project oriented, international matrix organization
  • Track record in drug development either by pharma background or in academia
  • Strong international network with access to KOLs

• Role model in regard to:
  • Flexibility and changed preparedness
  • Decision making and performance driver
  • Driving and impacting
  • Strong communication skills up/down in the organization
  • Building an effective area
  • Constructive and forward-looking feedback
  • Leading by example and act as Novo Nordisk Way role model
  • Coaching/monitoring line managers if management of managers

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.

At Novo Nordisk we recognize that it is no longer good enough to aspire to be the best company in the world. We need to aspire to be the best company for the world and we know that this is only possible with talented employees with diverse perspectives, backgrounds and cultures. We are therefore committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates the diversity of our employees, the patients we serve and communities we operate in. Together, we’re life changing.

Novo Nordisk is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations.

If you are interested in applying to Novo Nordisk and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply, please call us at 1-855-411-5290. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.