Director, Patents & Loss of Exclusivity

Director, Patents & Loss of Exclusivity
International Operations Legal, Ethics & Compliance
Zurich, Switzerland or Copenhagen, Denmark

Step into a highly visible role where your patent expertise helps shape commercial strategy, protect breakthrough medicines, and expand their reach to millions of patients.

Your new role

As Director of Patents & Loss of Exclusivity (LoE) within International Operations (IO) Legal, Ethics & Compliance, you will serve as strategic patent advisor in IO Strategic Operations as well as across IO regions and top markets, ensuring that patent considerations are seamlessly integrated into commercial decision-making. You will be the critical link between Corporate Patents, Global Litigation and IO's commercial priorities, driving patent understanding and capacity building across a vast geographic footprint.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Acting as strategic and proactive patent and semaglutide LoE advisor to IO Regional LEC and top IO markets LEC, identifying priorities and collaborating with Corporate Patents, Global Litigation, and legal functions across regions and affiliates.
• Driving the patent agenda across IO regions and markets, facilitating local patent understanding and capacity building through road shows, training activities, and strategic initiatives.
• Advising IO Strategic Operations units on patent matters, ensuring proper integration of LOE considerations into commercial decisions and launch processes.
• Representing IO in the semaglutide patent Litigation Project Team, contributing to proactive and effective enforcement of intellectual property rights aligned with IO business priorities.
• Representing IO in the Global Patents Leadership Team, ensuring alignment between Corporate Patents focus areas and IO commercial priorities.
• Identifying and communicating patent risks and opportunities with relevant stakeholders in IO, Regions and top markets in a timely manner to ensure risks are mitigated and opportunities are leveraged

Your new department

As part of International Operations, you will join our largest operational unit. Covering 194 countries and 95% of the world's population, more than 18,000 of us work passionately to serve 35 million patients each day. With a promise to outperform the competition, we continue to be the growth driver for Novo Nordisk, and to improve health at scale across the globe.

Within International Operations Strategic Operations sits the Legal, Ethics & Compliance team, where you will be part of a collaborative group of legal and compliance business partners who safeguard the business and enable commercial success. Based in Zurich or Copenhagen, reporting to the Assoc VP of IO Legal, Ethics and Compliance, with a dotted line to the VP of Corporate IP, you will work closely with colleagues across regions, affiliates, and headquarters, acting as a bridge between deep patent expertise and commercial execution at scale.

Your skills & qualifications

We are looking for a seasoned patent professional who thrives in complex, global environments, excels at stakeholder management and can translate highly technical information into clear, actionable recommendations and guidance. You'll bring with you:

• An M.Sc. degree or a Law degree (MSc/ combination of the two is preferred) and 12+ years of experience as a patent attorney, ideally with patent litigation experience
• Minimum 6–8 years of experience within the pharmaceutical industry, preferably spanning both innovator and generic companies
• Proven experience managing complex patent portfolios and cross-functional assignments, including managing Loss of Exclusivity situations
• Strong strategic IP acumen combined with deep business understanding, and the ability to assess and communicate patent risks and opportunities in clear, accessible language
• Demonstrated ability to influence, mentor, and collaborate with senior stakeholders across a global matrix organisation, including under high-speed and high-pressure conditions
• Experience supporting sales operations and navigating the pharmaceutical regulatory, market access and legal landscape

Working at Novo Nordisk

Every day we seek the solutions that defeat serious chronic diseases. To do this, we approach our work with determination, constant curiosity and a commitment to finding better ways forward. For over 100 years, this dedication has driven us to build a company focused on lasting change for long-term health. One where diverse thinking, shared purpose and mutual respect come together to create extraordinary results. When you join us, you're not just starting a job – you're becoming part of a story that spans generations.

What we offer

There is, of course, more on offer here than the uniqueness of our culture and the extraordinary results we produce. Being part of a global healthcare company means opportunities to learn and develop are all around us, while our benefits are designed with your career and life stage in mind.

Deadline

Please apply before Sep 6th 2026

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 preventing 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.