Associate Director, Microbial Expression Delivery

Novo Nordisk; Måløv; On-site; DKK 847,000 - 1,245,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Short-term incentives

Long-term incentives

Employee benefits

Job summary

Novo Nordisk seeks an Associate Director to build and lead the Microbial Expression Delivery department at our Måløv site in Denmark. You will set direction for a team of 12 scientists and technicians and ensure timely, high-quality protein deliveries across the portfolio.

You will translate portfolio priorities into actionable goals, manage centralised platforms such as LC-MS and automated workflows, and foster a collaborative, inclusive culture that accelerates research.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree or PhD in a relevant scientific field.
• Proven leadership experience and ability to build trust and deliver results.
• Solid experience with microbial expression of proteins and peptides; understanding analytical and automated workflows.

Responsibilities

• Establish Microbial Expression Delivery as a new department with end-to-end protein deliveries.
• Oversee centralised platforms (LC-MS, automated workflows) with clear accountability.
• Translate portfolio priorities into clear team direction, balancing capacity and dependencies.
• Strengthen handovers with other departments and internal partners to speed deliverables.
• Remove organisational barriers and align priorities for faster decisions.
• Lead with scientific excellence and an inclusive, respectful culture.

Skills

Molecular biology

Biotechnology

People leadership

Collaboration

Communication

Strategic thinking

Education

PhD in molecular biology or related field

Tools

LC-MS

Automation platforms

Job description

Your impact begins here

As Associate Director, you will build and lead Microbial Expression Delivery, a newly established department that turns microbial expression technologies into dependable protein and peptide deliveries for Novo’s research portfolio. You will set clear direction for a team of 12 scientists and technicians, sharpen handovers and help research projects move with pace and predictability. Your leadership will get researchers the proteins and data they need sooner, supporting progress for people living with serious chronic diseases.

Your impact begins here

As Associate Director, you will build and lead Microbial Expression Delivery, a newly established department that turns microbial expression technologies into dependable protein and peptide deliveries for Novo’s research portfolio. You will set clear direction for a team of 12 scientists and technicians, sharpen handovers and help research projects move with pace and predictability. Your leadership will get researchers the proteins and data they need sooner, supporting progress for people living with serious chronic diseases.

What You’ll Bring

You combine scientific depth in microbial expression with the leadership to bring people together around shared priorities.

• An advanced degree in molecular biology, biotechnology, biochemistry or another relevant scientific discipline.
• People leadership experience and a track record of building trust, developing colleagues and delivering results through collaboration across functions.
• Solid experience with microbial expression of proteins and peptides, and an understanding of how analytical and automated workflows, including LC-MS, turn scientific insight into reliable project impact.
• Experience working in a project-driven or similar matrixed organisation, with the ability to communicate clearly about priorities, dependencies and expectations.
• A collaborative, curious, pragmatic and inclusive way of leading: you invite different perspectives and make it easy for others to succeed through clear direction and respect.

Useful, But Not Essential

A PhD in a relevant scientific field.

What You’ll Do

You will establish a department that gives colleagues across the Centre for Expression Engineering (CEE) one clear place to request high-quality proteins, peptides and data, and a team that delivers them timely.

• Establish Microbial Expression Delivery as a new department that centralises automated expression technologies and takes end-to-end ownership of timely protein deliveries across the portfolio.
• Take responsibility for our centralised technology platforms, including LC-MS, automated high-throughput workflows, and variant and expression feasibility testing, with clear accountability across interfaces.
• Translate portfolio priorities into clear direction for your team, balancing capacity, dependencies and stakeholder needs to keep deliveries predictable.
• Strengthen handovers and speed up shared deliverables with other CEE departments and internal partners, such as cell line generation, expression optimisation, feasibility assessments, technology implementation and proof-of-concept work.
• Remove organisational barriers across Therapeutic Discovery, apply modular, end-to-end ways of working and align priorities so decisions are made faster.
• Lead visibly: role-model scientific excellence and open communication, and build a respectful, challenge-safe culture where people grow and contribute their best.

Who You’ll Work With

You will lead the Microbial Expression Delivery team, made up of 12 scientists and technicians, within the Centre for Expression Engineering. CEE is part of Research Centres of Excellence (RCE), which supports Novo’s research portfolio by enabling microbial strain engineering, strain development and protein production.

Your closest partners are the other CEE departments, scientific and automation experts, and project teams who request deliverables from your centralised workflows. You will also work with colleagues across Therapeutic Discovery, of which RCE is an integral part. In a matrixed organisation, your role is to create clarity on priorities, agree who owns what and keep work moving.

You will work out of our largest research centre in Måløv, Denmark.

What You Can Expect Here

You will be trusted to build something new and given the support to do it well. You will work with scientific and automation experts, shape how a new capability is set up, and grow your leadership alongside a team that values quality, simplicity and impact.

Clear expectations and a culture that rewards results mean you can focus on delivering your best work. You will also help create the same conditions for your team: an open, collaborative and inclusive environment where colleagues can thrive, develop and make their voices heard.

Salary: For this role, the Annual Base Salary ranges from 847,000.00 to 1,245,100.00 DKK corresponding to the level of the position.

The placement within the salary range will be assessed during the recruitment process based on the candidate’s skills, competencies, knowledge, and relevant experience.

Incentives and Benefits: The salary package may include short-term and/or long-term incentives as well as other employee benefits based on position level, location, functional area, and relevant market benchmarks.

Learn more about our Reward Philosophy here.

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