Manager for Drug Substance, CMO Material Support

Are you ready to lead a team of highly skilled and motivated professionals? Do you have the drive to be part of building a new team and department, set direction, and put dedication into securing a strong global CMO material support?  

If this sounds like you, we look forward to welcoming you to our CMO Material Support department! Submit your application today!

The position
As our new Manager for The Drug Substance Team, you will head up a team of approximately 10 professionals and specialists responsible for setup of analytical test methods and release testing for raw materials, starting materials, excipients and intermediates from late phase development to market at our CMOs. 
 
Your main activities will be to:

• Support your team in their daily operations, acting as an engaged and visible leader focused on coaching and development 
• Establish clear direction and prioritize effectively to help the team meet deadlines
• Drive continuous process optimizations towards smarter solutions for our stakeholders and customers
• Promote efficient workflows and strong collaboration in a fast-paced environment with a broad stakeholder landscape

You will be part of a well-functioning and highly professional team, which is characterized by cross-functional cooperation and continuous development. 

You get good opportunities for close sparring with your team leader colleagues across the Material Manufacturing Development area and will be entering a new, dedicated management team where honesty, ambition, and great laughs go hand-in-hand.

Qualifications
To be successful in this role, you:

• Hold a master’s degree in pharmaceuticals, chemistry, biology, quality control, manufacturing, or a related field, along with GMP experience
• Demonstrate proven leadership skills, bringing experience in people management
• Possess a strong drive for actively engaging with peers and managers in the leadership team
• Have a strategic mindset, essential for building and guiding the new CMO Material Support department into the future
• Showcase fluency in both spoken and written English

It would be considered as a strong advantage if you have experience in building up new areas within pharmaceuticals, along with an understanding of materials and CMO operations.

As a person, you build strong relations with stakeholders at all levels, both cross-functionally and internationally, thanks to your professional and open approach. You are driven, enthusiastic, and pragmatic, motivated to establish a new team, set clear direction, and navigate challenges. You possess excellent communication skills by nature, conveying strategic and complex topics in a structured way to different stakeholders. As a manager, you have the ability to challenge, inspire, and develop – both your employees and the team as a unit. 

About the department
The CMO Material Support department provides material support to our CMOs for Drug Substance and Drug Product. We collaborate with a variety of functions and stakeholders, including Development, Quality Control and Assurance, IT, Inbound Supply Management, Strategic Sourcing, and Novo Nordisk’s production sites globally, as well as with external CMOs. 

We are a newly established department consisting of two teams, one focusing on Drug Substance CMOs and the other on Drug Product CMOs. We currently seek one Manager to head up the Drug Substance team. The role will be based in Hillerød but moving to Taastrup in January 2026.

CMO Material Support is part of Material Manufacturing Development which consists of approximately 160 dedicated colleagues organized in four departments. We are experts in implementing and managing GMP materials and analyses. Our goal is to deliver robust solutions and proactively support a seamless global flow, by establishing and maintaining in-house specifications, providing support to CMOs, handling regulatory submissions, contributing to development activities, among many other activities. 

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 Senior Manager Christina Johansen at +45 30776056.

Deadline 
6 January 2025.

You do not need to attach a cover letter to your application, but please include a few lines about your motivation in your resume or CV. In addition, please avoid the use of photos in your CV. This makes for a better and more fair process.

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.