Process Director

Process Transformation, Research & Development

Søborg, Denmark

Are you passionate about shaping how R&D works end‑to‑end? Do you thrive in complex environments where operating models, governance, data, quality and people must come together to deliver simpler, faster and more reliable processes? We are looking for a Process Orchestration Director to drive the evolution of our R&D process landscape and help define how we operate across Clinical Drug Development.

In this role, you will shape strategic direction, strengthen cross‑SVP alignment and enable the systems, capabilities and behaviours required for world‑class clinical development processes.

Your new role

You will lead enterprise‑level work to design, evolve and embed the R&D process operating model across multiple SVP areas. You will work closely with senior R&D leaders, process owners, quality stakeholders, digital/data partners and cross‑functional teams to ensure our processes are coherent, compliant, efficient and ready for future needs.

You will:

• Orchestrate the R&D process operating model, including governance structures, decision flows, role clarity and operating‑model standards
• Drive an enterprise issue‑to‑improvement and prevention system, strengthening CAPA discipline, root‑cause thinking and quality‑by‑design in governance
• Lead diagnostics and performance insight generation, using BPMN, flow/variation analysis, process mining, data analytics and performance frameworks (KPI/OKR)
• Shape and steer the R&D transformation backlog, enabling prioritisation and cross‑SVP alignment toward the highest‑value improvements
• Enable strategic redesign and adoption, orchestrating major cross‑functional redesign efforts, facilitating structured decision processes and ensuring changes land and stick across R&D
• Partner with senior leadership, framing strategic risks, opportunities and operating‑model decisions in a clear and actionable way

This is a highly influential role with broad enterprise impact, operating across VP/GVP/SVP boundaries.

About the department

You will join Process Transformation, an organisation consisting of two teams and approximately 20 dedicated process specialists. Together, we orchestrate the process transformation agenda across the R&D value chain, enabling scalable, compliant, and future‑ready ways of working. Our team is based at the Søborg facility close to the Copenhagen centre yet we collaborate across borders with a global network of stakeholders, governance bodies, and process organisations. This environment offers the opportunity to operate at the centre of R&D transformation - where process excellence, digitalisation, and quality‑by‑design come together to shape how Novo Nordisk establishes clinical evidence for years to come.

Your skills & qualifications

You bring deep experience in process transformation, operational excellence, and quality‑by‑design within complex, regulated environments that is complemented by a can-do attitude and drive to make things happen while having a positive and motivating impact on your team members.

Your qualifications include:

• A relevant academic background, such as engineering, life sciences, business, quality, or a related discipline - combined with professional experience in pharmaceutical R&D, clinical development, or other regulated industries
• 10+ years in process transformation, operational excellence and process governance in complex regulated environments, ideally clinical development or pharmaceutical R&D
• Proven capability to design operating models and process architecture at enterprise scale, including governance structures, decision flows and role frameworks (BPMN, business process architecture)
• Expert process diagnostic toolkit (process discovery, process mining, flow and variation analysis, KPI/OKR frameworks and benefits tracking) able to convert data into executive options and priorities
• Business Process Re‑engineering experience across end‑to‑end value streams (As‑Is analysis, To‑Be design, constraint analysis), and simplification for scale and compliance
• Advanced Lean Six Sigma practice for waste removal and variation reduction, comfortable with DMAIC, value‑stream mapping and control plans to lock in gains
• Strong project and programme leadership for multi‑team transformation (planning, interdependency management, risk-issue control, stage‑gate governance) and structured change management for adoption at scale
• Systems‑thinking mindset to anticipate cross‑SVP interdependencies, downstream effects and structural constraints; skilled at framing choices and trade‑offs for senior leaders
• Deep knowledge of QMS and quality‑by‑design (CAPA, RCA, effectiveness checks, inspection‑ready evidence) integrated into governance and operating‑model standards in a clinical R&D setting
• Experience with technology‑enabled optimisation, analytics dashboards and automation‑ready designs that make processes observable, auditable and scalable across R&D

Working at Novo Nordisk

Every day we seek the solutions that defeat serious chronic diseases. To do this, we approach our work with determination, constant curiosity and a commitment to finding better ways forward. For over 100 years, this dedication has driven us to build a company focused on lasting change for long-term health. One where diverse thinking, shared purpose and mutual respect come together to create extraordinary results. When you join us, you're not just starting a job – you're becoming part of a story that spans generations.

What we offer

There is, of course, more on offer here than the uniqueness of our culture and the extraordinary results we produce. Being part of a global healthcare company means opportunities to learn and develop are all around us, while our benefits are designed with your career and life stage in mind.

Contact

For any questions related to the position, please contact Tom David at +45 3079 0531.

Deadline

22 March 2026. Applications will be screened on an ongoing basis.

To ensure a fair recruitment process, please refrain from adding a photo in your CV.

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

At Novo Nordisk, we're not chasing quick fixes – we're creating lasting change for long-term health. For over 100 years, we've been driven by a single purpose: to defeat serious chronic diseases and help millions of people live healthier lives. This dedication fuels our constant curiosity and inspires us to push the boundaries of what's possible in healthcare. We embrace diverse perspectives, seek out bold ideas, and build partnerships rooted in shared purpose. Together, we're making healthcare more accessible, treating and preventing diseases, and pioneering solutions that create change spanning generations. When you join us, you become part of something bigger – a legacy of impact that reaches far beyond today.