Scientific Director

Novo Nordisk•Lexington, MA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Global Research is advancing a portfolio of discovery-stage programs in obesity and cardiometabolic disease, and obesity-related co-morbidities (MASH, CVD, Women’s Health). The organization integrates deep disease biology, human translational science, external innovation and cross-functional drug discovery to accelerate the development of differentiated therapies for people living with chronic disease. The Scientific Director will serve as a senior scientific leader and cardiometabolic disease subject matter expert. Reporting to the Senior Director of Obesity Research US, the Scientific Director will help define and execute the scientific strategy for address obesity, quality of weight loss and associated co-morbidities. The role will provide strategic scientific innovation leadership across Obesity Research US, lead external innovation and due-diligence activities, and drive high-impact academic collaborations with clear scientific, operational and decision-making deliverables. The individual will operate with a high degree of autonomy, influence portfolio and platform strategy, and lead cross-functional teams to deliver timely, decision-enabling data and new innovative projects for the pipeline.

Requirements

PhD from an accredited university and 7+ years of experience required. Equivalent experience requirements for advanced degrees would be an MD/DO from an accredited university and 3+ years of experience
A diabetes drug discovery SME with a high level of creativity & curiosity with a strong innovative mindset
Expert level understanding of scientific & translational challenges related to drug development in T1D, with previous experience in industry
Proven track record of coordinating and obtaining buy-in from internal & external stakeholders
Ability to influence without direct authority, align cross-functional teams, and drive results globally
Requires a high level of communication skills, including the development of clear agenda, meeting leadership, drawing groups to good conclusions, & communicating scientific results & content across international sites & stakeholders from many parts of a complex multinational organization
A strong team player that brings people along through a supportive, engaged, & creative way of working
Fluency in spoken & written English is a prerequisite for the role with good communication skills & cross-cultural understanding to interact in the global organisation
Role models the NNway, encouraging a culture of engagement & dedication

Responsibilities

Serve as the senior scientific subject matter expert in cardiometabolic disease, obesity and related co-morbidities, with particular depth in CNS disease mechanisms, human translational research and quality of weight loss.
Define and execute a scientifically rigorous strategy for innovation within Obesity and Obesity-related co-morbidities, relevant in vitro strategy emphasizing translational endpoints and decision frameworks that advance the early cardiometabolic and obesity discovery portfolio.
Lead scientific strategy for assessing quality of weight loss, including preservation of lean mass, body composition, metabolic health, functional outcomes and co-morbidity-relevant biology.
Provide expert scientific leadership to multidisciplinary project teams; translate emerging biology, CNS driven mechanisms and technology opportunities into clear, actionable research plans and portfolio decisions.
Drive important collaboration between therapeutics discovery (chemistry) regarding small molecule, siRNA, and novel modalities.
Operate autonomously on complex, strategically important problems; anticipate scientific and business challenges and recommend innovative solutions with broad impact across global research and Obesity & Cardiometabolic Research.
Drive external innovation evaluations and scientific due diligence of targets, platforms, technologies and potential partnerships in cardiometabolic disease and obesity; synthesize findings into clear recommendations for senior leadership.
Identify, shape, negotiate and govern academic collaborations and strategic partnerships; define scope, milestones, decision points, data standards, and clear, measurable deliverables.
Build and maintain an international network of academic and industry experts; represent Novo Nordisk through scientific presentations, publications, patent contributions and participation in external scientific forums.
Collaborate effectively across a global organization, aligning scientific strategy and execution with therapeutic-area leaders, project teams and enabling functions across sites.
Lead global, cross-functional teams and workstreams to achieve program milestones; ensure work is scientifically robust, appropriately prioritized and delivered to agreed timelines.
Mentor and develop junior and senior colleagues; promote rigorous scientific standards, knowledge sharing and an inclusive, high-performing research culture.