Director of Public Affairs

Are you ready to shape the future of rare disease policy and advocacy?

Join Novo Nordisk as Director of Public Affairs – Rare Disease and lead global strategies that elevate the patient voice, influence policy, and drive meaningful change. This is your opportunity to make a lasting impact by building trusted partnerships and championing innovation in one of the most dynamic areas of healthcare.

Your new role

In this role, you will lead the development and execution of integrated strategies that support the priorities of our Rare Disease franchises, foster meaningful partnerships with patient organisations and NGOs, and contribute to shaping the policy environment to reflect the value of innovation across the product lifecycle.

Key responsibilities, include:

• Develop and implement public affairs advocacy strategies for Rare Disease therapy areas, with a focus on pipeline assets and anchor diseases.
• Lead multi-year policy-shaping initiatives supported by tactical operating plans aligned with Rare Disease strategy.
• Monitor the rare disease policy landscape and proactively respond to emerging opportunities and risks.
• Champion the patient voice and deliver strategic insights to inform business decisions.
• Provide global input into public affairs strategy development and resource prioritisation.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with priority affiliates and global public affairs leadership to ensure alignment and impact.
• Serve as the primary interface to key policymakers and influencers and establish long-term partnerships with government bodies, decision-makers, and patient leaders.

Your new department

You’ll join the Rare Disease team, a purpose-driven organisation focused on trans-forming the lives of people living with rare conditions. We work across functions and geographies to bring innovative therapies to market and ensure our communications reflect the impact of our work. This is an office-based position to be located in Søborg, Denmark but we will consider also Zurich, Switzerland.  The final location will be confirmed during the recruitment process, taking both business needs and candidate fit into account.

Your skills and qualifications

As our ideal candidate, you hold a Master’s degree in any business-related field and have 10+ yrs experience in policy and government affairs activities in pharma industry or public affairs services, preferably in Rare Disease area.

In addition, you have:

• Bold experience in local and global policy-shaping and advocacy within a matrix setting
• Proven ability to build collaborative relationships internally and externally
• High-level strategic thinking and innovative problem-solving skills
• Deep understanding of patient and stakeholder needs in the rare disease space
• Excellent communication, capable of absorbing and summarizing complex issues, using clear written communication tailored to the audience.
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken

Working at Novo Nordisk

At Novo Nordisk, collaboration and innovation drive everything we do. Every day we work to find solutions that defeat serious chronic diseases. For over 100 years, this unordinary mindset has seen us build a company like no other—where mutual respect, curiosity, and determination make extraordinary results possible.

What we offer

In addition to a unique and supportive culture, Novo Nordisk offers strong learning and development opportunities tailored to your career and life stage. Our benefits reflect our commitment to empowering employees to reach their full potential while achieving work-life balance.

More information

To submit your application, please upload your CV in English (click on Apply and follow the instructions).

Deadline

21st October 2025. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. 

Disclaimer

Novo Nordisk is currently in the process of adjusting job titles globally. Please note that the job title listed in this advertisement may be subject to change. More detailed information will be provided during the recruitment process.

Novo Nordisk is not your typical healthcare company. In a modern world of quick fixes, we focus on solutions to defeat serious chronic diseases and promote long-term health. Our unordinary mindset is at the heart of everything we do. We seek out new ideas and put people first as we push the boundaries of science, make healthcare more accessible, and treat, prevent, and even cure diseases that affect millions of lives. Because it takes an unordinary approach to drive real, lasting change in health.