Vice President - Innovation Team Bioinnovation Hub

About the Department
Our Cambridge Innovation Center is a part of our Novo Nordisk Research & Development US organization. We apply cutting-edge technologies to early R&D projects with the goal of bringing real change to people with Diabetes, Obesity and MASH. Your skills, dedication and ambition will help us change lives for the better. In exchange, we'll offer you an opportunity to work with extraordinary talent, continuously learn and develop, and drive change to defeat diabetes and other serious chronic conditions.
The team is comprised of collaborative, diverse and passionate people who have a true sense of pride in their work and are committed to helping others grow and develop their careers. You'll also have a platform to engage with key stakeholders on a global scale throughout the entire pipeline process. While changing the future of diabetes, obesity and MASH is no easy task, we also recognize the importance of an enjoyable workplace, which is why we've cultivated a culture of fun, ingenuity and innovation. Our competitive compensation package and support of a healthy work-life balance all add to a best-in-class employee experience. We are changing lives for a living. Are you ready to make a difference?
The Position
The Vice President, Innovation Team is accountable for driving an externally anchored project portfolio through decision milestones/gates and ultimately to transactions. By being responsible for portfolio decisions within an established budget the role has direct impact on Novo Nordisk's pre-clinical and early clinical pipeline. The VP will have indirect leadership responsibility for significant resources at partner organizations to drive transformative Research & Early Development (R&ED) projects through co-creation partnerships.
As part of the external interface, this role is central for the success of creating a diversified external research pipeline and has the specific purpose of:

• Shaping and executing partnerships to expand Novo Nordisk's need for a growing and diversified R&D pipeline.
• Driving development of R&ED plans for novel product concepts and activating project teams within Novo Nordisk R&D to execute on co-creation R&ED plans to IND ready assets.

Responsible for advancing a portfolio of 5-10 research projects from ideation until IND ready assets. The role will mature a project portfolio with ambitious productivity targets over the next 2-3 years to deliver INDs in 2025 and subsequent years. At steady state the unit is expected to contribute 5-15% of Novo Nordisk's preclinical and early clinical pipeline. Budget responsibility will grow with the portfolio with an annual budget of 70 to 120 mUSD in support of this portfolio.
Managing the bridge to internal expertise and ensure sufficient prioritization and allocation from outside own organizational area in constructs that will be completely new ways of working for Novo and Partners. Actively connecting and feeding knowledge into the Global Novo Nordisk R&ED organization, with a specific focus on diverse innovation approaches and lean project plan executions (early project de-risking), new ways of working, as well as asset transitioning. Internalizing transacted projects into the core R&D organization and governance. The role creates value by leading entrepreneurial initiatives through externally contracted partners leveraging their capabilities and resources to progress scientific ideas in support of Novo Nordisk business needs. The position has the mandate to decide on externally owned project concept ideas and technology platforms accounting for strategy fit and anticipated internal and external scientific challenges and recommends improvements and ensure global scalable solutions.
Relationships
Reports to the Head of Bio Innovation Hub Transformational Research Unit (TRU). Indirect reports are externally 'sponsored' R&D teams driving project portfolio within TRU organization (100-150 FTE's) in the innovation ecosystem. The role functions as an interface between the Bio Innovation Hub and all organizational levels within the Global Drug Discovery and Global Research Technologies organizations as well as the wider R&D in Novo Nordisk, supporting the scientific agenda developed as part of the collaborations to be established. Internal stakeholders include science management and specialists across global research functions, management teams in R&ED and Development, line managers in R&ED and Development, Corporate Patents, Global Business Development, R&D Human Resources. External stakeholders include representatives of biotech, venture capital firms, and universities including partners, biotech executives, university principal investigators.
Essential Functions

• Responsible to secure idea inflow, prioritization of new ideas, development of R&D plan implementation with scientific expertise
• Secure inflow channels and across the innovation ecosystem, ideate and prioritize product concept ideas with partners, develop collaboration frameworks
• Accountable for portfolio decisions and Novo Nordisk pipeline impact of the TRU deliverables. This is secured by establishing seamless interfaces with Novo Nordisk's global R&ED, Development units, and Commercial functions
• Represent Novo Nordisk in Joint Steering Committees as appropriate and ensure decisions are guided by scientific and translational priorities also when requiring complex analysis of situations and data
• Meet timelines and budget targets for portfolio; drive towards decision and transaction milestones /gates in a quasi-virtual set-up.; directly lead a cross-functional R&ED team to establish and execute project plans
• Engage in proactive dialogue with all levels of the organization to recommend and reach agreement on strategies, plans, and budgets for new initiatives to secure access to science with transformative potential
• Independently in drive the innovation agenda and new activities. Constantly raise the bar and strive for higher performance in the TRU and actively challenge the ordinary processes and priorities
• Drive generation of disruptive joint product concepts by working closely together with the TRU's scientific experts, partners, and Novo Nordisk core R&D functions to develop and progress R&D plans to an IND ready stage
• Advance portfolio of 5-10 research projects from ideation until IND ready assets. The role will mature a project portfolio with ambitious productivity targets over the next 2-3 years to deliver INDs in 2025 and subsequent years
• At steady state the unit is expected to contribute 5-15% of Novo Nordisk's preclinical and early clinical pipeline
• Budget responsibility will grow with the portfolio with an annual budget of 70-120 mUSD in support of this portfolio
• Accountable for the interface to the global R&D organization and their allocation of resources to partnered projects. This includes internalization of acquired programs into the LoB and internal governance
• Engage in learning opportunities in relation to the external partnerships and feed knowledge into the Global Novo Nordisk R&D organization as link between TRU and management levels of the global R&D organization
• Develop new partnerships and generate new ideas for transformative product concepts
• Connect Novo Nordisk R&ED to the Greater Boston and U.S. science and entrepreneurial community and identify new concepts with the potential of future first-in-class pipeline assets and enabling capabilities and technologies. This includes running activities that support fostering an engaged and high-performing working environment across external and internal stakeholders in accordance with the Novo Nordisk Way
• Build and nurture relations with venture capital, biotech partners, academia, and industry peer partners, primarily relating, but not restricted to blue sky transformative science with the potential to create novel first-in-class human therapeutics and disruptive technology platforms
• Create and deploy a range of novel win-win engagement models to leverage or pivot early innovation and external R&D capabilities and resources
• Develop New Ways of Working for the group and all of Novo Nordisk R&D
• Work in close collaboration with Business Development, Finance and other R&ED and Development functions to support licensing and development of co-created pre-clinical and clinical assets towards commercialization
• Develop and present (up to multimillion USD) external concept proposals to the TRU Board and Global Business Development group in pioneering efforts for Novo Nordisk

Physical Requirements
10-20% overnight domestic and international travel required.
Qualifications

• Education
  • M.D., PhD within life sciences or M.D. PhD required
• Experience
  • At least 15 years of relevant experience, preferably within an organization developing products using new or transformational technologies
  • Leadership or people management experience in industry, biotech or academic research setting with the ability to motivate others to advance goals, and the ability to effectively manage multiple projects or roles in a rapidly evolving environment is preferred
  • Ability to navigate in a scientific space with high uncertainty and to acquire new knowledge fast
  • Broad scientific knowledge within NN disease space and/or drug discovery and device technology development
  • Strong pharmaceutical industry understanding and ability to develop and execute translational scientific strategy
  • Strong scientific and business understanding across R&D, and ideally experience from translational medicine / pre-clinical drug development; track record in setting scientific direction and driving projects along the value chain
  • Strong capabilities to develop and execute strategies in line with overall R&D strategy
  • Proven experience in implementing and managing R&D projects with external partners using a range of partnership models ideally with global footprint
  • Significant experience managing projects and partnership budgets. Strong analytical skills for conducting cost-benefit analyses
  • Experience working in cross-functional teams in a matrixed environment with an ability to orchestra win-win solutions in complex stakeholder landscapes and act as a partner to senior management
  • High personal integrity and impeccable values. Strong intercultural understanding and collaboration capabilities both internally and externally
  • Strong networking and communication skills; fully fluent in English (written and spoken)

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.