Principal Scientist - Diabetes and Pancreas Biology External Innovation

About the Department

Global Drug Discovery (GDD) is engaged in accelerating the path of novel cardiometabolic therapies for clinical development within Novo Nordisk.

A main focus is discovery and evaluation of novel targets that can modulate cardiometabolic disease and advance the projects to deliver to the NN pipeline.

The therapeutic area (TA) teams collaborate closely with the teams in GDD and Novo Nordisk sites around the globe. The TA will drive a high level of scientific innovation in the scientific and therapy area of diabetes and obesity to assure the key and scientific topics and areas are being pursued to support Novo Nordisk's Global Drug Discovery (GDD) aspirations.

The Position

The Principal Scientist will provide scientific leadership in the identification and validation of new drug targets, advancing novel therapies to the clinic, and developing technologies to accelerate drug research.

This will be achieved by functioning as a subject matter expert in the Diabetes, Obesity and MASH (DO&M) Therapy Area (TA) to ensure execution and success of the TA strategy, with a focus on diabetes (both Type 1 and Type 2) and pancreas biology.

The Principal Scientist will contribute to overall diabetes pipeline growth and is expected to provide strategic guidance to project teams, evaluate emerging targets and technologies, and propose and oversee external collaborations and strategic partnerships.

The Principal Scientist may mentor scientists in department and will represent the organization to the external scientific community through publication and presentation of highly impactful research.

Relationships

Reports to the leader within the Metabolic Research. Internal relationships include working with research employees, project managers, as well as colleagues across therapeutic areas.

External relationships include collaborations, partnerships, and academic collaborators

Internal relationships include working closely with technical staff & other members of the scientific leadership team; regular collaborations with members of other research departments at NNRCSI;

frequent interaction with project managers & other colleagues across global R&D. Individual may indirectly supervise less experienced team members.

Individual will interact with external research collaborators both academia- & industry-based.

Essential Functions

• Lead external collaborations and strategic partnerships to further company goals related to therapeutic area.
• Assume project oversight roles on drug programs run in external alliances and arising from external discovery efforts.
• Subject matter expertise in metabolic disease drug discovery. Demonstrates a specialized depth and / or breadth of expertise in diabetes, and engages relationships with other key areas related to drug development in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Apply and integrate new technology, including AI & ML capabilities
• Work with full autonomy on complex tasks requiring highly-specialized knowledge of strategic importance to the therapy area.
• Maintains deep understanding of pathophysiology of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, particularly as related to pancreas biology, and a connection to the external scientific community through continuous evaluation of relevant literature.

Provide expert-level guidance for project team related to experimental strategies to evaluate emerging targets, biologies, or technologies.

• Propose and lead external collaborations and strategic partnerships to further company goals related to therapeutic area.
• Contribute subject matter expertise to develop the research agenda with a clear understanding of the link between scientific project goals and overall long-term business needs.
• Propose new projects that support the strategic agenda and address gaps in technological capabilities and therapeutic areas.
• Represent the organization through external communication of impactful scientific research in the form of presentation at external conferences and publication in scientific journals and patents.
• Leads global, cross-functional experimental teams to achieve project goals. Provides significant mentorship and training of junior and senior colleagues within field of expertise.
• Communicate the scientific strategy effectively to the key members of research committees, peers as well as key collaborators.
• Develop content and deliver presentations to internal and external stakeholders

Qualifications

• PhD in relevant field preferred, Masters degree required
• 10 years of experience in early drug discovery, demonstrated through a combination of professional (pharmaceutical or biotech industry) and academic roles;

Master's degree with 16 years relevant experience can be considered.

• Proven experience providing technical and strategic expertise in metabolic diseases.
• Comprehension of scientific and translational challenges pertinent to drug development in Type 1 and / or Type 2 diabetes, with prior industry experience.
• Expertise in pancreas biology.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate closely with in vivo and in vitro teams.
• Strong project management skills and proven track record of successfully coordinating projects and securing support from both internal and external stakeholders.
• Proven track record of driving innovation through the application of cutting-edge tools and technologies.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to create presentations and effectively address / present to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrates a high level of personal integrity and commitment to confidentiality.
• Excellent in establishing trustful relationships and possesses cross-cultural understanding to manage diverse stakeholders.
• Strong collaboration and negotiation skills, fostering a supportive, engaged, and creative approach to teamwork.
• Requires flexibility, resiliency, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.

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.

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.