Vice President, Global Public Affairs

Shape how a global healthcare leader engages with the world's most influential policymakers and advocates. In this pivotal role, you'll translate enterprise strategy into coherent public affairs positioning, lead through transformation, and represent Novo Nordisk where policy meets purpose—protecting our reputation while advancing solutions that defeat serious chronic diseases.

Your new role

As Vice President, Global Public Affairs, you'll lead a critical function during a time of significant change and growth. You'll own the enterprise public affairs narrative, ensuring Novo Nordisk's external positioning remains credible, consistent, and aligned with our mission as we navigate increasing global scrutiny and policy complexity. You will be part of the Corporate Affairs Leadership Team, reporting into the Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs.

Your responsibilities will include:

- Leading the Global Public Affairs department through transformation by championing a change-ready mindset and implementing a new operating model that improves speed, consistency, and quality

- Setting and driving the global public affairs strategy and priorities, including policy positions and engagement focus across the entire value chain

- Translating the enterprise narrative and corporate strategy into coherent public affairs engagement plans that span geographies and therapy areas

- Establishing governance for global public affairs and advocacy engagement standards to ensure consistency and clear decision-making on priorities

- Serving as the escalation point for public affairs issues and crises, ensuring early detection, rapid cross-functional alignment, and solutions-oriented responses during high-pressure moments

- Representing Novo Nordisk as a trusted external public affairs leader by engaging with key policymakers, government officials, regulators, advocacy groups, and industry forums

- Mentoring and enabling public affairs leaders across the organization to strengthen internal alignment and shared understanding of expectations

Your new department

In People, Organisation & Corporate Affairs, you will be part of a team that enhances employee engagement and attracts top talent to ensure Novo Nordisk remains a premier choice for exceptional individuals. Together, we foster an inclusive workplace culture that empowers individuals to thrive and supports our mission to make a positive impact on people's lives.

Within Corporate Affairs, Global Public Affairs plays a vital role in shaping how Novo Nordisk engages with the external policy and advocacy landscape. As we navigate a period of transformation and increased global attention, your leadership will ensure our public affairs function delivers proactive, consistent, and solutions-oriented engagement that protects and strengthens our reputation while advancing policies that benefit patients worldwide.

Your skills & qualifications

We're seeking an exceptional public affairs leader who thrives in complex, high-stakes environments and can lead through change with clarity and confidence. To succeed in this role, you'll need:

- 15-20 years of experience in public affairs or policy, with a proven track record of leading global teams and functions through change-led delivery focused on reputational and policy outcomes

- Demonstrated ability to engage and influence stakeholders at Executive Leadership Team and Board level, both within and outside the organization, particularly on matters with reputational and policy implications

- Strong track record of leading complex, cross-functional transformation programmes that deliver measurable outcomes in regulated environments

- Strategic public affairs leadership capabilities with progression from affiliate to regional to global roles, including enterprise policy direction and external government stakeholder engagement

- Exceptional reputation, issues, and crisis management skills with a solutions-oriented approach to handling high-pressure external moments

- Master’s degree in Public Affairs, Policy, International Relations, or a related field

- Ability to quickly learn policy and business context and shape executive decisions based on reputational and business impact

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. In this role, you'll be at the forefront of how we engage with the world—ensuring our voice is heard, our reputation is protected, and our commitment to patients remains central to every policy conversation. 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. In this senior leadership role, you'll have the opportunity to shape strategy, lead transformation, and make a lasting impact on how Novo Nordisk engages with some of the world's most important policy and advocacy stakeholders—positioning you as a high-potential leader with scope to progress into future enterprise roles.

Deadline

11 June 2026 (Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis)

You do not need to attach a cover letter to your application, but please include a few sentences about why you are applying in your resume or CV. We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants. To ensure a fair recruitment process, please refrain from adding a photo in 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.