Global Project Leader, Drug Development

Novo Nordisk · Plainsboro · $229,200–$401,100 (stated in the posting)

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About the Department

Our Research & Development organization brings together the best minds in life science innovation. The teams located in facilities in Lexington, Watertown, Cambridge and Plainsboro reflect the full R&D continuum, from early research through late-stage clinical development. Here, we are building for the future, 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. Our R&D hub merges biotech speed and agility with large pharmaceutical company quality, resources, and stability, uniting the best of both worlds to develop new medicines for patients.

The Position

The Global Project Leader (GPL) is responsible for enterprise leadership of highly complex product project(s) with significant business impact for Novo Nordisk (NN). The project may consist of a single late-stage project or multiple early-stage projects. The GPL owns the full product development lifecycle, including long-term decisions and their implications, and requires a broad T-profile across the Novo Nordisk value chain: sufficient specialist depth to understand scientific, regulatory, commercial, manufacturing, and operational realities, combined with breadth to connect functions, shape options, and set direction across the enterprise. This responsibility includes setting a high level of ambition for outcomes, value creation, and overall project impact; defining project strategies and plans; leading through the matrix rather than formal authority; and interacting independently with executive and senior leadership as well as taking leadership for one or more GPTs.

Relationships

Reports to the Portfolio Vice President.

Internal Key Stakeholders: R&D Leadership Team, Senior Leadership Teams across EVP areas, Executive Management, Global Project Leaders and GPT members, Project Governance Committees and TAPGs, Key functions including P&PS and GMS, International and US Operations, Finance, Legal, and Global Solutions. 

External Key Stakeholders: Health authorities (e.g. EMA, FDA, CHMP, PMDA), Advisory boards, ethics committees, key opinion leaders, investigators, CROs, vendors, and other partners.

Essential Functions

• Leading Product Projects
  • Define, organise, and lead research and/or development deliverables to achieve approval of important global product projects with significant business and portfolio impact for NN
  • Understand project reality and make clear, well-reasoned prioritizations and trade-offs, shaping options for senior decision makers to maximize value, quality, and long-term impact across markets and customer groups
  • Secure endorsement from senior management and governance boards by creating clarity on decision choices, implications, and accountability
  • Display enterprise and portfolio mindset by identifying synergies/dependencies across functions and projects to ensure alignment and optimized resource utilization
  • Assess project relevance and risks against future market and regulatory needs
  • Display innovative mindset to challenge conventions and continuously explore new, better, and faster paths towards launch
  • Define goals and objectives for the project. Align with LoB leaders on performance feedback and key areas of growth for GPT members. Offer coaching, mentoring, and feedback to GPT members in line with performance expectations to drive high-performing teams, build collective competences, and develop talent for future projects
  • Foster a culture of continuous, transparent stakeholder engagement and collaboration across teams, creating direction, alignment, and accountability in the matrix
• Internal & External Stakeholder Management
  • Identify, build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders and opinion leaders to anticipate obstacles/opportunities, understand reality across functions, and drive the most effective product development
  • Communicate and negotiate globally with internal and external stakeholders, including regulatory authorities
  • Build and maintain strong connections between global and local teams, supporting affiliates in both strategic and tactical execution
  • Role model a culture of continuous, transparent stakeholder engagement
• Communication
  • Actively contribute to commercial, scientific, production planning, and launch preparation discussions
  • Demonstrate the ability to simplify and clearly communicate project reality, progress, options, trade-offs, and key dilemmas independently to governance bodies and executive/senior leadership
  • Leadership communication in terms of setting & driving the GPT direction and communicating effectively
• Strategy & Tactics Understanding
  • Shape project strategy and recommend development options to relevant governance boards by translating project reality into clear choices and consequences
  • Apply broad T-profile expertise in portfolio management, launch management, lifecycle management, and cross-functional value-chain interfaces
  • Translate insights effectively into both strategic and tactical decision-making, with a focus on decision clarity, optionality, and industry-leading solutions
  • Apply Novo Nordisk best practices for strategy, tactics, and lifecycle material development to maximize brand and project performance
  • Share insights back within the project leadership organisation, codify learnings, and mentor others to strengthen collective project leadership capabilities across the enterprise
• Chair of Global Project Teams (GPTs)
  • The Global Project Team (GPT) Chair leads end to end product development, covering all product elements (e.g. drug, device, digital, data, and diagnostics). The role is accountable to governance bodies for one or more product projects and works with the GPT to achieve approved milestones and objectives
  • As GPT chair, the Global Project Leader is expected to:
  • Lead the Global Project Team by creating direction, alignment, and accountability across functions without relying on formal authority
  • Lead product projects in accordance with the NN Global Project Framework and respecting the Novo Way
  • Apply a portfolio, enterprise- and ecosystem-wide approach across all product elements and Lines of Business (LoBs), connecting specialist depth with enterprise breadth
  • Be accountable to the Portfolio VP and governance boards for progress, deliverables, milestones, and resource use
  • Manage interdependencies across LoBs, ensuring alignment with corporate and R&D strategy, sustainability commitments, and cross-functional accountability
  • Oversee project budgets and financial targets and provide structured, transparent reporting
  • Foster team engagement, motivation, and development through clear communication, continuous feedback, shared learning, and mentoring
• Scope of Authority
  • Independence: Requires a very high degree of independence and decisions taken can have a very significant business impact on the progress and development of the Novo Nordisk project portfolio. The GPL has the full authority to drive the project activities within the framework set with the relevant governance and the relevant senior management teams
  • Decision Making: Makes critical decisions throughout the project life cycle, including milestone setting, responsibility allocation, resource requirements, and escalation of options to governance, while maintaining clarity on choices, trade-offs, and implications with key stakeholders
• Innovation and Change
  • Independently plan, monitor, and continuously improve complex development activities, focusing on better and faster routes to value rather than default conventions
  • Demonstrate strong problem-solving and innovation capabilities by actively seeking inspiration and insights from within and outside the organisation, showing curiosity and a continuous learning mindset, and proactively exploring new approaches while challenging existing conventions
  • Coordinate complex work across multiple functions and external partners to develop new solutions, including challenging the status quo, embracing experimentation, and sharing learnings where appropriate to drive continuous improvement
• Geographical Responsibility
  • Global scope of responsibility
  • Travel up to 20 days per year
  • Functional influence across regions with awareness of cultural and operational differences
• Other Areas of Responsibility
  • Proactively involve relevant stakeholders in Lines of Business (LoBs), senior management groups, and Portfolio VP / VP to create direction, alignment, and accountability in decisions impacting projects, portfolios, or the wider organisation
  • Act as representative of the VP area in relevant internal and external forums as required.

Physical Requirements

The Global Project Leader position is based in Plainsboro as part of Research & Development with a global impact/influence through the execution of the development project via the R&D organization and interaction with external advisors and regulatory authorities worldwide. Domestic and International travel will be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university and 14+ years of experience required.
  • Equivalent experience requirements for advanced degrees would be a Master's degree and 12+ years of experience, a PhD and 10+ years of experience, or MD/DO and 5+ years of experience
• Extensive senior level experience (typically 12+ years) across several functional relevant areas (in NN terminology more than one EVP area)
• Proven leadership of complex, cross-functional, global development projects, including creation of direction, alignment, and accountability in a matrix organisation
• Experience across the pharmaceutical value chain within NN and/or other pharmaceutical organisations
• The role requires a broad T-profile with leadership responsibility and experience in both project and people leadership
• Ability to influence in a matrix organisation
• Act as a role model for the Novo Way, demonstrating accountability, continuous improvement, innovation mindset, and enterprise-minded leadership
• Demonstrate a level of expertise in driving performance, leading projects, project definition/initiation, project planning, project execution and risk management, project completion and communication, stakeholder relations, strategy understanding, communication and affiliates interaction, role model leadership behaviours (as GPT chair – drive, shape, set direction, communicate, coach and provide feedback, engage with stakeholders, enterprise and innovative thinking, decision making)
• Demonstrate an advanced level in cross functional processes and governance interactions, portfolio management and long-term strategy, and leveraging insights into strategy and tactics

Your impact begins today. If you are ready to lead the development of innovative medicines and shape critical decisions that bring new treatments to patients worldwide, apply for the Global Project Leader role by 8 November 2026. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, and we encourage interested candidates to apply as early as possible.

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.  The base compensation range for this position is $229,200 to $401,100. Base compensation is determined based on a number of factors. This position is also eligible for a company bonus based on individual and company performance. Novo Nordisk offers long-term incentive compensation and or company vehicles depending on the position's level or other company factors. 

At Novo Nordisk, we're not chasing quick fixes – we're creating lasting change for long-term health. For over 100 years, we've been driven by a single purpose: to defeat serious chronic diseases and help millions of people live healthier lives. This dedication fuels our constant curiosity and inspires us to push the boundaries of what's possible in healthcare. We embrace diverse perspectives, seek out bold ideas, and build partnerships rooted in shared purpose. Together, we're making healthcare more accessible, treating and defeating diseases, and pioneering solutions that create change spanning generations. When you join us, you become part of something bigger – a legacy of impact that reaches far beyond today.

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.

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