Sr Director, International Total Rewards
Zurich, Switzerland Zurich, CH
About the Department
Imagine being a part of a team committed to helping people defeat diabetes and other serious chronic conditions. Here at Novo Nordisk, we seek out opportunities to contribute to healthier communities and better lives for all people. And, that’s what you’ll gain by joining Novo Nordisk’s People & Organization team. Our P&O team is passionate about their purpose – enabling business success the Novo Nordisk Way by turning the Company’s business strategy into an actionable workforce strategy. A strategy which captures the entire employee life-cycle. At Novo Nordisk, you will join an inclusive team of diverse talent and benefit from a range of possibilities for professional and personal development. Are you ready?
Head of International Total Rewards
Are you passionate about driving international Total Rewards strategies? Do you want to shape how Novo Nordisk recognise and reward 65,000+ colleagues across the globe? Here is the opportunity to lead the total rewards strategy for one of the world's fastest-growing healthcare companies, where your work directly impacts our ability to attract and retain the talent driving change in millions of patients' lives.
Your new role
As Head of International Total Rewards, you will be at the heart of Novo Nordisk's people strategy, designing and implementing compensation frameworks that span continents, cultures, and career stages. This is a role where strategic vision meets operational excellence and where your decisions will shape how thousands of colleagues experience their careers with us. You will report into the Group Vice President (GVP), People, Leadership & Performance.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Developing and overseeing our international total rewards strategy, ensuring it aligns with business objectives and supports talent attraction, retention, and engagement across all regions in International Operations
- Leading benchmarking and market analysis to maintain our competitive positioning, using data-driven insights to recommend adjustments to pay structures
- Ensuring compliance with international compensation regulations while collaborating with legal and compliance teams to mitigate risks across diverse markets
- Managing a team of approx. 25 people, fostering collaboration and driving results in a dynamic, international environment
- Building and maintaining stakeholder relationships across regions, partnering with regional HR teams and senior leadership to address local needs while ensuring consistent policy implementation
- Promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in all reward programmes, ensuring fair, transparent structures that support equal opportunities across all demographics
- Driving innovation in total rewards by integrating emerging trends, leveraging technology to streamline processes, and introducing cutting-edge approaches to enhance employee engagement.
Your new department
In People, Organisation & Corporate Affairs, you will be part of a team that enhances employee engagement and attracts top talent to ensure Novo Nordisk remains a premier choice for exceptional individuals. Together, we foster an inclusive workplace culture that empowers individuals to thrive and supports our mission to make a positive impact on people's lives.
The International Total Rewards team plays a critical role in this mission. As a strategic partner to leadership across the organisation, you'll work with colleagues spanning 194 countries to ensure our reward programmes reflect both global consistency and local relevance. Your team operates at the intersection of people strategy, business performance, and organisational culture—making this a uniquely influential position within our growing company.
Your skills & qualifications
We are looking for an experienced Total Rewards leader who can navigate complexity with confidence and bring both strategic vision and practical execution skills. You will need:
- A minimum of 10 years' experience in Human Resource Management with significant focus on compensation and benefits or total rewards and developing global reward strategies
- Proven leadership experience managing international teams as well as experience as a leader of leaders, fostering growth and development within leadership teams
- Knowledge of international labour laws, tax regulations, and compliance requirements across multiple jurisdictions will be an advantage
Exceptional communication and influencing skills with the ability to convey complex reward structures clearly to stakeholders at all levels and drive strategic alignment
- Proven ability to navigate complex stakeholder environment and global matrix organization
- Strong analytical acumen to evaluate compensation data, market trends, and employee feedback, enabling data-driven decision-making
- Deep cultural sensitivity and global perspective, understanding how diversity impacts employee expectations and designing inclusive, equitable reward systems accordingly
- Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, or related field.
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. Here, you will find a culture of warmth where your expertise is valued and your voice is heard—because we know that attracting and retaining exceptional talent starts with how we care for our own people. 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, something you'll have direct influence over in this role.
Deadline
22nd of March 2026 (Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis)
You do not need to attach a cover letter to your application, but please include a few sentences about why you are applying in your resume or CV. We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants. To ensure a fair recruitment process, please refrain from adding a photo in your CV.
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.