About the Department

Our US Research & Development hub, located in the Greater Boston area, brings together the best talent to drive life science innovation. Located in Lexington, Watertown and Cambridge, our teams reflect the full scope of R&D, from early research through late-stage clinical development. We are building for the future by creating a distinct R&D community based on collaboration, partnerships, and cutting-edge research across multiple modalities and therapeutic areas. We recognize that improving human health starts here and that patients rely on us. By combining the speed and agility of biotech with the quality, resources, and stability of a large pharmaceutical company, our US R&D hub will benefit from the best of both worlds to develop new medicines that meet the needs of patients.

The Position

The Target Discovery Engine (TDE) is a global, multidisciplinary team that focuses on accelerating the path of target discovery and validation at Novo Nordisk. Scientists, in the TDE, take a human-centric approach to drug discovery, utilizing cutting-edge approaches to model human disease combined with advanced techniques in functional genomics and machine learning to identify and characterize novel targets. By doing so, the TDE team aims to redefine how the industry approaches target discovery, with the ambition of accelerating the drug discovery process, through unlocking a deeper understanding of disease and treatment outcomes. The Associate Director of Discovery Technology, TDE Boston, will be responsible for leading a team of highly skilled scientists and associates with expertise in cell and molecular biology, multiomic analysis and functional genomics, and defining and driving in vitro technology platforms to advance the NN target discovery pipeline.

Relationships

Reports to the Director, Discovery Technology (Boston). The person in this role will collaborate closely with the Discovery Biology team in Boston and with global TDE teams (in China and Europe) to ensure efficient delivery of target discovery and validation efforts. Additional internal relationships include working with research employees, project managers, as well as with global colleagues across Novo Nordisk Inc. This position may have direct reports. External relationships include those with contract research organizations, key opinion leaders, innovative academic and biotech partners.

Essential Functions

• Development and implementation of state-of-the-art in vitro platforms that support expansion and acceleration of the broader TDE strategy
• Propose and drive innovative research strategies to deliver on technology goals and ambitions for target discovery, with an emphasis on validation
• Responsible for developing a workflow and team to support in vitro technology platforms
• Manage operations and resources appropriately and efficiently in collaboration with project management and the Director, Discovery Technology
• Coach and mentor scientists in the team to work on defining a critical path for each project and efficient delivery of data to enable go/no-go decisions
• Manage a team of research scientists and associates to deliver on TDE technology projects
• Mentor, advise and coach research scientists and associates within the TDE and Boston Research Teams
• Drive personnel development and ensure team is fully supported to achieve goals
• Develop and communicate a vision and engage people in that vision
• Build and maintain strong relationships and collaborations with internal scientists and external researchers
• Promote relevant cross-organizational collaborations and ensure efficient transfer and knowledge sharing with key stakeholders in global sites, including China and Europe
• Responsible for the internal and external communication of department strategies, progress and challenges
• Establish relevant external collaborations with academia to facilitate constant development of the departments core technologies

Physical Requirements

0-10% overnight travel required.

Development of People

Supervisory, ensure that reporting personnel have individual development plans (IDP), with annual goals and measurements that are consistent with the priorities of the business, and that interim reviews are held so that their work is focused on those priorities, and they understand their level of accountability for results and the measurement process. Ensure that the IDP forms include completed learning and aspiration plans and are in place for all reporting personnel to enable the achievement of goals and capability to assume increased levels of responsibility. Manage the application and communication of all Novo Nordisk policies, procedures, and Novo Nordisk Way.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in molecular or cellular biology, or other related fields preferred. Master's Degree may also be considered. Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum of 10+ years’ relevant experience required
• Experience in in vitro functional genomics, multiomic technologies and large-scale data handling and the application of these techniques in a drug discovery setting
• Demonstrated track record of delivery on projects related to target identification/validation and/or progression of a drug discovery program
• Scientific knowledge of metabolism, diabetes and/or obesity
• Experience building and maintaining productive internal and external relationships across complex research organizations and with research alliances.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Experience managing projects, direct reports, and/or mentoring junior scientists preferred.

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.