• Job Description

  Req#: 290351

  Research & Early Development Project Vice President

  Are you ready to be at the centre of new drug innovation at a leading pharmaceutical company? Are you excited to lead high-performance drug development teams and help drive our expanding drug project portfolio?

  Research and Early Development seeks a Project Vice President to join our Global Project Management team to lead new and ongoing drug projects from discovery up to and including early human trials.

  About the department

  The department, “Global Project Management”, manages the research and early development project portfolio across all therapeutic areas and technological modalities (proteins, peptides, antibodies, siRNA, gene therapies, affibodies, small molecules) in Novo Nordisk. We are a team of 12 colleagues based in The Greater Copenhagen Area, Måløv, Denmark. As a team, we all have extensive experience from the pharmaceutical/biotech industry and actively exchange our expertise to challenge the benchmark.
  

  We continuously strive for scientific excellence and best practice in project management while working closely with diverse stakeholders across the global Novo Nordisk organisation. We have an increasingly strong eye on the evolving digital and human centric options in developing new drugs. As project leaders we care not only about our own projects but are committed to the success of our entire R&D portfolio, our company’s mission, and the patients we serve. The job reports directly to the Head of Global Project Management.

  The position

  The role carries a strong project leadership mandate where the Project Vice President holds accountability for the execution of the project strategy with direct reporting to governance.

  You will be responsible for driving research and early development projects toward their transition into clinical phase 1 / phase 2. We typically engage in the drug research projects from the period leading up to a new research project entering our formal portfolio, and we stay with the projects until a suitable time point between selection of the Development Candidate and ½-1 year before initiation of clinical phase 2. Your main task is to lead the identification of a lead candidate and maturation towards clinical development, including first health authority interactions. This includes responsibility for the first product development plan & strategy and the early clinical development activities.

  You will lead a cross functional global project team for each project under which multiple sub-teams operate. Besides driving innovative research results, you will work with colleagues from the entire Research & Early Development and Development organisation as well as with our commercial organisation to define the project strategies and plans in a portfolio context. IPR strategies, project planning and budgeting are of course key elements of the job. You will secure that the project strategies are executed in alignment with Novo Nordisk governance and cross-functional stakeholders, and you will be the key person in interactions with Novo Nordisk governance bodies enabling optimal decision making.

  Qualifications

  You hold a M.Sc., Ph.D. and/or M.D. within life sciences, chemistry, medicine, or similar, and you have extensive pharma experience. You have a broad understanding across the pharmaceutical drug development value chain, including elements of biology, pharmacology, protein engineering, IPR, CMC, non-clinical, translational medicine, clinical development, digital tools and options, regulatory, market access and commercial aspects.

  Professional competencies and experience:
  

  • Thorough understanding of the R&D value chain and the pharmaceutical industry
  • Demonstrated ability to design, challenge and reduce project timelines
  • Experience in international private and academic collaborations and partnerships
  • Understanding and insight into digitalisation options within drug development across the value chain
  • Experience with formal (line of business management) or informal (project management) leadership
  • Open and international mindset

  We are looking for someone who can manage complex drug development projects with clear and transparent direction. This is a very visible leadership role that demands a high level of personal engagement, drive, independence, and integrity.

  Working at Novo Nordisk
  At Novo Nordisk, we don’t wait for change. We drive it. We’re a dynamic company in an even more dynamic industry, and we know that what got us to where we are today is not necessarily what will make us successful in the future. We embrace the spirit of experimentation, striving for excellence without fixating on perfection. We never shy away from opportunities to develop, we seize them. From research and development, through to manufacturing, marketing, and sales – we’re all working to move the needle on patient care.

  Contact

  For further information, please contact Senior Leadership Search Partner Kristoffer Baadsgaard on +45 30 77 56 05.

  Deadline

  November 15, 2023

  You do not need to attach a cover letter to your application, but please include a few lines about your motivation in your resume. Please assist us in maintaining a fair and inclusive selection process by not attaching a photo to your application.

  We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.

  At Novo Nordisk we recognize that it is no longer good enough to aspire to be the best company in the world. We need to aspire to be the best company for the world and we know that this is only possible with talented employees with diverse perspectives, backgrounds and cultures. We are therefore committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates the diversity of our employees, the patients we serve and communities we operate in. Together, we’re life changing.

• About the company

  Novo Nordisk A/S is a Danish multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bagsværd, Denmark, with production facilities in eight countries, and affiliates or offices in 5 countries.

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