Associate Director - Innovation Outreach, Global Drug Discovery

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Are you excited by hunting the new science that may enable tomorrow’s breakthrough medicines? Are you passionate about building bridges between the global scientific community and the R&D organization of Novo Nordisk? Then you may be the new Associate Director we are looking for! 

The position
The Associate Director is a member of our Science2Medicine team and will be working closely with senior colleagues and the Vice President of Innovation Outreach to scout the early life science innovation landscape for cutting edge science in Novo Nordisk’s areas of interest. The role also includes driving outreach campaigns and providing project management and scientific support for a portfolio of early partnership and collaboration programs that connects Novo Nordisk to the early external innovation community. These programs range from grant schemes for funding of research projects in the academic community, to financial support and mentorship for life science start-ups. Continuous improvement of these programs as well as design of new outreach initiatives will also be part of the role. Translation of early and basic science into drug discovery, with the purpose of building future Novo Nordisk R&D pipeline projects, in close collaboration with both the external innovators and Novo Nordisk scientific experts is also a key responsibility of the role.

The main responsibilities of the Associate Director will be:

Scientific scouting and opportunity review

• Identify high-impact scientific opportunities through application reviews and scientific discussions with external applicants and Novo Nordisk scientists
• Organize and execute outreach campaigns, participate in partnering conferences and meetings

Operations and project management of outreach programs & portfolio

• Coordinate application reviews and drive project selection process for outreach programs
• Drive engagement of internal stakeholders and scientific experts
• Day-to-day contact with external collaboration partners 

Driver of project maturation towards drug discovery pipeline projects 

• Take the lead on developing projects plans, coordinating activities and communication between external innovators, internal specialists and leadership, enabling shaping of research projects that will conform to Novo Nordisk’s governance standards and requirements for drug discovery projects
• Enable effective cross-disciplinary communication between relevant internal and external stakeholders to provide visibility and transparency in the opportunities of value creation provided by Innovation Outreach

You can look forward to a dynamic working environment offering a broad range of varied work assignments. We are a small team and have an informal working environment where we focus on helping and supporting each other, acting as one team driven by the ambition to bring value to Novo Nordisk – and most importantly, to the patients we serve!

Qualifications

You hold an MD or PhD in Cell Biology, Pharmacology, Cell/Molecular Biology, Pharmacology, Biomedical Sciences or related field and minimum 5 years of experience in early drug discovery, external innovation or partnering/business development and demonstrated experience in providing technical strategic understanding within pharma or biotech industry.

To be successful in this position, we expect you to have: 

• Demonstratable experience of working with early-stage drug discovery projects and a solid understanding of fundamental drug discovery and development processes
• Strong project management experience
• In-depth scientific/disease understanding within cardiometabolic disease is a strong advantage
• Experience with innovation management and/or business development is an advantage but not a requirement
• Experience in driving innovation through the application of state-of-the-art tools  
• Ability to manage high business complexity with conflicting interests

On a personal level, you have high level of personal integrity and confidence, negotiation skills and strong interpersonal skills to manage diverse stakeholders. You are able to advise across all levels of the organization and manage priorities independently. You are self-driven and proficient in working independently, while also being a team player and collaborator. Additionally, you possess strong process facilitation and change management skills. A resilient and flexible mindset is also crucial to navigate challenges and adapt to changes in a fast-paced environment.

About the department

Innovation Outreach is a team charged with engaging and enabling early external innovation within Novo Nordisk’s main therapeutic and technology focus areas. Our ambition is to build relations and partnerships with the brightest scientific minds and innovators from academia and biotech, with a key focus on Europe and Asia. By allowing high-impact science and ideas from academia and biotech to be complemented by the drug discovery and development expertise of Novo Nordisk, we aim to join forces with the global innovation community to create tomorrow’s breakthrough medicines, to substantially improve the lives of people living with chronic disease. To reach these goals, the Innovation Outreach unit is responsible for designing and executing different outreach programmes, including academic fellowship programmes (PhD and postdoc funding), as well as several funding programs within open innovation.

Working at Novo Nordisk 
At Novo Nordisk, we don’t wait for change. We drive it. We’re a dynamic company in an even more dynamic industry, and we know that what got us to where we are today is not necessarily what will make us successful in the future. We embrace the spirit of experimentation, striving for excellence without fixating on perfection. We never shy away from opportunities to develop, we seize them. From research and development, through to manufacturing, marketing and sales – we’re all working to move the needle on patient care.

Contact
For further information, please contact Joerg Hoeck at [email protected].

Deadline
March 30th 2025 

You do not need to attach a cover letter to your application, but please include a few sentences about why you are applying in your resume or CV. To ensure an efficient and 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 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.
 

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