Director - Neuronal & Metabolic Regulation

About the Department                                                                                                                                             

Our Research & Development organization brings together the best minds in life science innovation. The teams located in facilities in Lexington, Watertown, Cambridge and Plainsboro 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

Global Research (GR) teams in Boston are engaged in accelerating the path of novel Diabetes and Obesity (D%O) therapies for clinical development within Novo Nordisk. A main focus of GR Boston is discovery and evaluation of novel targets that can modulate D&O diseases and advance the projects to deliver to the NN pipeline. The D&O therapeutic area (DOTA) teams based in the greater Boston area will collaborate closely with the team in Denmark and the Novo network sites.  The DOTA will drive a high level of scientific innovation in the scientific and therapy area of diabetes and obesity to assure novel and exciting scientific topics and areas are being pursued to support Novo Nordisk's Global Research aspirations. 

The Director will be responsible for managing a scientific team and laboratory staff to drive the programs with impact on the pipeline.

Relationships

Reports to the Head of Metabolic Research in DOTA. Internal relationships include working with research employees, project managers, Therapy Area Heads, as well as colleagues across DOTA & GR. This position has direct reports. External relationships include those with business partners and academic collaborators.

Essential Functions

 Leadership:
    •    Leading the department in line with Novo Nordisk Way
    •    Influence and execute strategy for the disease area
    •    Securing global cross-organizational collaboration
    •    Leadership development of talents with leadership and organizational potentials
    •    Drive change management in own area as well as influence change management in the other departments as well as the TA

 Scientific Responsibilities:
    •    Driving state-of-the-art drug discovery
    •    Lead the department to have significant impact to build and expand a sustainable pipeline within DOTA , including target ID, validation, and ensuring project progression and delivery
    •    Integration and application of newest technology
    •    Integrating data science with biology
    •    Continuously move the scientific concepts and models towards newest ways of thinking
    •    Challenge the scientific rationale, hypothesis and result interpretation of projects in pipeline
    •    Pro-active in engaging with key stakeholders across the organization
    •    Role model – working across to drive a collective benefit for NN

Business development:
    •    Work together with therapy area head and lead team to identify scientific gaps in research direction as well as capabilities to mitigate and reduce gaps.
    •    Identify external groups for potential collaboration to mitigate gaps and/or increase pipeline
    •    Assure scientific drive and value generation of ongoing and new external collaborations

People Management:
    •    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
    •    Ensuring the area incl. sub-functions delivers according to the Novo Nordisk goal setting
    •    Performance management
    •    Securing an optimal utilization of resources
    •    Drive continuous development and improvements to meet business goals
    •    Ensure budget and business targets are met
    •    Responsible for Occupational Health & Safety in the department

Collaboration across DOTA and GR:
    •    Secure collaboration across DOTA at all levels 
    •    Role model – joint responsibility for target progression and pipeline support across GR

 Communication:
    •    Communicate, in a structured and well-articulated way, the rationale behind scientific strategy to the key members of research committees, peers as well as key collaborators within GR, R&D and other NN areas

Physical Requirements

10% overnight travel required, both domestically and internationally.

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

• Education:
  • PhD required.  Degree within biology and life science preferred
• Experience:
  • 12+ years of relevant experience required, with strong preference of industry experience
  • Experience in neuronal and metabolic regulation is required, preferably in a biopharma setting
  • Subject matter expert with a high level of creativity

• 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 discovery and development either by pharma background or in academia. Demonstrated scientific leadership illustrated by publication and presentations at scientific conferences
  • Demonstrated record of success with business-changing impact
  • Strong international network with access to KOLs
• Personal skills:
  • Excellent in establishing trustful relationships, and cross-cultural understanding
  • Flexibility and the ability to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment are required
  • Demonstrates a high degree of innovative and conceptual thinking within a discipline or field of expertise
  • Both a team leader and a team player with strong people skills. Deep interest and talent for interpersonal relations and communication, excellent situational leadership and change management skills
  • Creative, innovative. and inquisitive personality
  • Excellent in establishing trustful relationships, and cross-cultural understanding Experience in target discovery and commercialization
  • Strong collaboration skills. A strong team player that brings people along through a supportive, engaged and creative way of working
  • Requires a high level of communication skills, including the development of clear agenda, meeting leadership, drawing groups to good conclusions, and communicating scientific results and content across international sites and stakeholders from many parts of a complex multinational organization Requires documented ability to collaborate in a globalized technology unit
  • Leader that will inspire and engage staff and colleagues across R&D
  • Role models the Novo Nordisk Way, encouraging a culture of engagement and dedication Strong, dynamic, ambitious and determined
  • Fluency in spoken and written English is a prerequisite for the role

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 defeating 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.

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.