Director - Business Development

About the Department

The Novo Nordisk Cambridge location is the headquarters for Global Business Development across all of our therapeutic and technology areas.
We contribute to innovation in one of the world's largest life sciences ecosystems by participating in events and discussions with renowned and upcoming scientists–looking for the next scientific breakthrough to bring transformative treatments to patients. We work with start-ups, established companies, venture capitalists, teaching hospitals, and academic institutions to support the development of innovation for mutual benefit, and to help patients in all of our current therapy areas. Through a variety of partnership models, we accelerate ideas from the lab and clinic to advance and expand our product portfolio and to improve outcomes for the patients we serve.

The Position

The Director, Business Development (BD) will have responsibility for evaluating external growth opportunities and, where appropriate, executing transactions to access the assets of interest. The Director BD regularly interfaces with therapeutic area heads, search and evaluation, alliance management, and senior management. This position is at the epicenter of the evolving R&D landscape and is critical in helping identify, evaluate, and weigh-in on opportunities in the marketplace.

***Please note we are open to hiring at senior director title commensurate with experience***

Relationships

The Director, Business Development will be a member of the global transactions group headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The Director will report to a member of the Business Development leadership team. The Director will work with colleagues through a matrix organization. Key stakeholders include members of executive management and global members of management in Research and Development and Commercial organizations, including the Bio Innovation Hub in Cambridge which focuses on driving an externally anchored portfolio of research projects before pre-clinical stage. External collaborators include, industry peers and executives, and academic researchers. The Director will act as point person and lead negotiator on substantial external collaborations with academic, biotech and large pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical partners. The role could potentially manage a small number of direct reports in the future.

Essential Functions

• Participate in and, ideally, lead negotiations in business transactions
• Partner with Search & Evaluation team and the therapeutic area heads to improve identification of deals of interest and drive diligence to quickly come to “go” or “no go” decisions
• Lead cross-functional evaluations of all aspects of therapeutic drug programs from preclinical through clinical stages across the relevant assessment areas: proposed clinical benefit, mechanism, preclinical data, manufacturing, regulatory strategy, clinical development path, intellectual property and commercial potential
• Work effectively with legal, finance, commercial, clinical and scientific teams and make business development proposals to senior management
• Consider broad corporate priorities and participate in strategy planning for financial investment trade-off decisions required

Physical Requirements

Up to 20% overnight travel required.

Development of People

Ensure that reporting personnel have individual development plans (IDP), with annual goals and measurements that are consistent with the priorities of the business, and that interim reviews are held so that their work is focused on those priorities, and they understand their level of accountability for results and the measurement process.

Ensure that the IDP forms include completed learning and aspiration plans and are in place for all reporting personnel to enable the achievement of goals and capability to assume increased levels of responsibility.

Manage the application and communication of all Novo Nordisk policies, procedures, and Novo Nordisk Way.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA) preferred
• 8+ years of relevant experience required. Experience in pharmaceutical or biotechnology organizations preferred.
  • Advanced degree may be substituted for experience as appropriate
• Demonstrated record of presenting to senior management of partnership opportunities
• Demonstrated ability to build rapport with therapeutic and functional area leaders
• Strong analytical skills required to provide sound inputs into financial evaluations
• Strong presentation skills
• Proven ability to lead all elements of due diligence and deal negotiation
• Ability to identify and prioritize risks across functional areas, weigh those appropriately with benefits of investment, and effectively frame business decisions for senior management
• Ability to successfully navigate internal dynamics, experience working in a matrix organization preferred
• Organizational leadership experience preferred; ability to motivate others to advance goals, and the ability to effectively manage multiple projects or roles in a rapidly evolving environment
• Prior managerial experience a plus

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 . This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.