Principal Specialist - Safety Surveillance

Safety Surveillance Early Development

Søborg, Denmark

Are you passionate about ensuring patient safety in drug development? Do you thrive in a dynamic and collaborative environment where scientific excellence and meaningful impact are at the forefront? If so, we invite you to become our new Principal Specialist - Safety Surveillance in Novo Nordisk. Read on and apply today!

Your new role

The Safety Surveillance Early Development team is part of Global Patient Safety, and we handle all First Human Dose (FHD) studies across all indications at Novo Nordisk. As Principal Specialist, you'll be the safety lead for several products in our early pipeline, working at the crossroad of non-clinical and clinical development.

In this role you’ll:

• Lead the analytical and medical evaluation of emerging aggregate safety data from pre‑clinical and clinical studies to establish the product’s early safety profile


• Solve unique and complex safety challenges that impacts patient surveillance and business decisions


• Collaborate closely with the non‑clinical project manager, medical specialist, and clinical pharmacologist to develop scientifically strong study designs with ambitious timelines


• Chair a cross‑functional drug safety committee and ensure high‑quality safety input across development activities


• Prepare benefit–risk communication, contribute to clinical study designs and protocols, and represent Safety Surveillance in cross functional teams


• Identify and drive initiatives that strengthen scientific and strategic excellence in safety surveillance while working independently and with skilled colleagues across Non‑clinical and Clinical Development

Your new department

You will join Safety Surveillance Early Development, a team dedicated to ensuring patient safety in the earliest phases of drug development. The department provides scientific safety expertise to early‑stage projects, contributes to safety strategy, and plays an essential role in shaping decisions for first‑in‑human and early clinical studies. It supports activities such as protocol review, risk assessments, early signal detection, and participation in cross‑functional safety forums.

The environment is dynamic, collaborative, and highly engaged. Colleagues work closely together, share scientific insights, and actively support one another in evaluating complex safety data across multiple therapeutic areas. The team values knowledges sharing, openness, and a strong sense of purpose — all centred around providing the best possible solution to patients. By joining, you will help strengthen this culture and contribute to meaningful safety decisions that guide early development.

Your skills & qualifications
We’re looking for a scientifically driven colleague with a collaborative mindset who thrives on tackling complex safety challenges and turning data into meaningful insights.

You'll bring:

• PhD in Medicine or Natural Sciences (MD, DVM, MSc Pharm or equivalent) with extensive experience in pharmacovigilance or early‑phase pharmaceutical development


• Solid understanding of drug development processes, global regulatory requirements and GxP standards


• Strong grasp of medical concepts, disease mechanisms and scientific methodology


• Proven ability to identify challenges, shape strategies and translate them into clear, actionable steps


• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to guide and influence others through mentorship and informal leadership


• A self-driven, ethical and adaptable approach — you work independently, address issues proactively and maintain flexibility when situations or priorities change 

Working at Novo Nordisk

Every day we seek the solutions that defeat serious chronic diseases. To do this, we approach our work with determination, constant curiosity and a commitment to finding better ways forward. For over 100 years, this dedication has driven us to build a company focused on lasting change for long-term health. One where diverse thinking, shared purpose and mutual respect come together to create extraordinary results. When you join us, you're not just starting a job – you're becoming part of a story that spans generations.

What we offer

There is, of course, more on offer here than the uniqueness of our culture and the extraordinary results we produce. Being part of a global healthcare company means opportunities to learn and develop are all around us, while our benefits are designed with your career and life stage in mind.

Contact

For further information, please contact Pernille Keller at [email protected]

Deadline

18 February 2026 

Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Please include a few sentences about why you are applying for this position in your resume or CV. You do not need to attach a cover letter to your application. 

To ensure an efficient and fair recruitment process, please refrain from adding a photo to your CV.

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.

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 preventing 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.