Business Unit Director, Rare Disease

In rare disease, leadership means more than driving performance — it means driving purpose. In this role, you’ll shape the commercial strategy for our Rare Disease portfolio to deliver impact that truly changes lives.

Your new role

As a Business Unit Director, you will build and lead the identification, development, and implementation of business opportunities that enable Novo Nordisk Switzerland to expand leadership in Rare Diseases. You will develop and maximise the potential of employees and the organisation, representing Nove Nordisk’s vision, values and commitments.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Leading strategic development and business planning for the Rare Disease business unit, including defining goals, strategies, budget and identifying business opportunities to maximise the potential of Rare Disease in Switzerland
• Overseeing marketing and launch activities for Rare Disease products — preparing marketing plans, aligning investments with business strategy and managing successful product launches.
• Coordinating cross-functional alignment between medical and marketing, contribute to pricing and reimbursement proposals/negotiations and assess market research and competitive benchmarks.
• Directing customer-facing efforts, CRM and territory management systems, ROI evaluations, budget allocation and set realistic, motivating sales targets and incentive systems.
• Leading and developing staff, acting in line with ethical standards and company procedures, and actively participating in management meetings and cross-functional project groups.

Your new department

Novo Nordisk Swiss Affiliate is a team of 100 highly engaged and competent people with a quest to make Switzerland Healthier by bringing innovative solutions to the people in need, partner with Society for the benefit of the most vulnerable and deliver excellence and innovation in execution.

The Rare Disease team is a part of a dynamic organisation and consists of highly skilled and ambitious professionals, focused on results, dedicated to business ethics and values of Novo Nordisk. As a Business Unit Director Rare Disease, you will report to the General Manager Switzerland and will be part of the affiliate leadership team.

Your skills & qualifications

As a person, you are a natural leader with proven ownership and accountability. You are a strong collaborator and communicator, capable of driving conversations with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. You have an entrepreneurial mindset and demonstrate to be an outside of the box thinker. You’ll bring with you:

• At least 5 years of progressive marketing experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with at least 3 years in people leadership.
• Broad and balanced commercial experience, including for example marketing, medical, field sales and additional areas such as new product planning, commercial operations, and market research.
• Expertise in Rare Disease or specialty care environment is a clear differentiator.
• Growth and learning mindset with enterprise leadership capabilities, and a successful track record leading product launches
• Self-drive and the ability to inspire your team and colleagues through ambitious targets, goal setting, clarity and rapid decision making
• Bachelor’s degree in science, healthcare, business, or a relevant field, fluency in both Swiss German, English and ideally french, with an advanced degree (e.g., MBA) and additional global commercial experience preferred.

Working at Novo Nordisk

Every day we seek the solutions that defeat serious chronic diseases. To do this, we approach our work with an unconventional spirit, a rare determination and a constant curiosity. For over 100 years this unordinary mindset has seen us build a company unlike any other. One where a collective passion for our purpose, mutual respect and a willingness to go beyond what we know delivers extraordinary results.

Deadline
8 December 2025. (Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis)

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.