Principal Scientist - Diabetes & Obesity External Innovation

About the Department                                                                                                                                             

Global Drug Discovery (GDD) is engaged in accelerating the path of novel cardiometabolic therapies for clinical development within Novo Nordisk. A main focus is discovery and evaluation of 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 GDD and Novo Nordisk sites around the globe.  The TA will drive a high level of scientific innovation in the scientific and therapy area of diabetes and obesity to assure the key and scientific topics and areas are being pursued to support Novo Nordisk's Global Drug Discovery (GDD) aspirations. 

The Position

The Principal Scientist will, through external innovation, provide scientific leadership in the identification and validation of new drug targets, advancing novel therapies and developing technologies to accelerate drug research. This will be achieved by functioning as a subject matter expert that provides strategic guidance to both internal and external project teams. 

This position has responsibility for managing one external project independently and assisting more experienced team members with their projects, as well as providing scientific input as a disease-area expert.  
 

Relationships

Reports to the VP of Metabolic Research. Internal relationships include working with research employees, project managers, as well as colleagues across therapeutic areas. External relationships include collaborations, partnerships, and academic collaborators

Essential Functions

• Lead external collaborations and strategic partnerships to further company goals related to therapeutic area. 
• Assume project oversight roles on drug programs run in external alliances and arising from external discovery efforts.  
• Conduct due diligence and ensure scientific drive and value generation of external collaborations, in support of the strategy of the therapeutic area.
• Contribute subject matter expertise to develop the external research agenda
• Maintain a deep understanding of theoretical knowledge and a connection to the external scientific community across Diabetes and Obesity fields
• Drive key external collaborations independently with organizational impact
• Share responsibility for target progression and external pipeline support across GDD
• Apply and integrate new technology, including AI & ML capabilities
• Challenge the scientific rationale, hypothesis and result interpretation of ongoing projects 
• Communicate the scientific strategy effectively to the key members of research committees, peers as well as key collaborators.

Qualifications

• PhD in relevant field preferred, Masters degree required 
• 10 years of experience in early drug discovery, demonstrated through a combination of professional (pharmaceutical or biotech industry) and academic roles;  Master's degree with 16 years relevant experience can be considered.
• Proven experience providing technical and strategic expertise in metabolic diseases.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate closely with in vivo and in vitro teams.
• Strong project management skills and expertise in drug discovery to propel projects.
• Proven track record of driving innovation through the application of cutting-edge tools and technologies.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to create presentations and effectively address/present to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrates a high level of personal integrity and commitment to confidentiality.
• Excellent in establishing trustful relationships and possesses cross-cultural understanding to manage diverse stakeholders.
• Strong collaboration and negotiation skills, fostering a supportive, engaged, and creative approach to teamwork.
• Requires flexibility, resiliency, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.

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.