Global Search & Evaluation Director

Novo Nordisk; Gladsaxe Kommune; On-site; DKK 941,000 - 1,449,000; Full time

Job summary

Novo Nordisk in Søborg, Denmark seeks a Global Search and Evaluation Director to shape the company’s external portfolio by identifying promising drug assets and enabling technologies. You will lead evaluation from first look to due diligence and drive recommendations that steer portfolio priorities across multiple therapeutic areas.

You will leverage a robust biotech and venture capital network, manage complex cross-functional work, and present clear, data-driven insights to senior stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in business or life science is required.
• 12+ years of relevant experience with a Master’s degree, or 10+ years with an MD/PhD.
• Extensive professional network in biotech and venture capital communities.
• Proven track record in cross-functional project management.
• Ability to analyze complex data and present clear recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Excellent written communication and presentation skills; strong networking ability.
• Strong strategic business and financial acumen with curiosity about life sciences.
• Self-driven, goal-oriented; able to handle ambiguity and change.

Responsibilities

• Identify novel pipeline assets and enabling technologies across multiple modalities.
• Lead in-depth, cross-functional evaluations and due diligence from initial assessment to recommendations.
• Support negotiations of licences and collaborations in line with Search, Evaluation & Intelligence.
• Build and maintain business development opportunity landscapes and feed insights to strategies.
• Represent Novo at partnering events and conferences to establish credibility as a preferred partner.
• Collaborate with Global Business Development teams and stakeholders across R&D to Commercial.

Skills

Master's degree in business or life-sc

12+ years of experience with Master’s

MD/PhD degree

Biotech venture network

Project management

Analytical thinking

Written communication & presentation

Networking & stakeholder management

Strategic business & financial acumen

Self-driven / goal-oriented

Ambiguity tolerance

Education

Master’s degree in business or life science

MD or PhD degree

Job description

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Department: Global Business Development

Location: Søborg, Denmark. The role involves 10–20% overnight travel, which may include international travel.

Your impact begins here

As Global Search and Evaluation Director, you will help decide which external science becomes part of Novo’s future portfolio. You will find promising drug assets and enabling technologies, then lead their evaluation from first look through due diligence. Your recommendations will shape business development priorities across diabetes, obesity, liver and cardiovascular disease, blood and endocrine disorders and Consumer Rx – helping bring the right ideas from lab and clinic closer to the people who need them.

What You’ll Bring

You combine scientific depth with commercial judgement, and you are known in the biotech and investor communities. You will bring:

• A Master’s degree in business or life science.
• 12+ years of relevant experience with a Master’s degree, or 10+ years with an MD or PhD – for example from consultancy, an M&A house, an in-house corporate development role or an equivalent R&D role.
• An extensive professional network in the biotech and venture capital communities, particularly related to metabolic diseases.
• A proven track record in project management, including leading complex, cross-functional work to clear decisions.
• The ability to analyse complex ideas and data and turn them into clear, well-founded recommendations for senior stakeholders.
• Strong written communication and presentation skills, and an outgoing approach to networking, collaboration and stakeholder management.
• Strong strategic business and financial acumen, paired with real curiosity about life sciences and medicine.
• A self-driven, goal-oriented way of working, with the ability to handle ambiguity and change in a dynamic environment.

Useful, But Not Essential

• An MD or PhD degree.
• Research and medical training, ideally in a relevant medical field.
• Business development and licensing experience covering pharmaceutical drug discovery and development.

What You’ll Do

Search, Evaluation & Intelligence is the primary entry point for external drug and technology opportunities at Novo. In this role, you will lead the evaluation of business development opportunities and help Novo move quickly on the ones that matter most.

• Identify novel pipeline assets and cutting-edge enabling technologies across several modalities in Novo’s therapy areas of interest.
• Lead in-depth, cross-functional evaluations and due diligence, from initial assessment to clear recommendations.
• Support Business Development colleagues during negotiation of licences and collaborations, in alignment with Search, Evaluation & Intelligence.
• Build and maintain business development opportunity landscapes, and continuously feed insights into business development priorities and therapy area strategies.
• Help establish Novo as the preferred partner in relevant therapy areas by engaging actively with biotech companies, venture capital firms and large-cap pharma.
• Represent Novo at partnering events, scientific conferences and other relevant networking events.

Who You’ll Work With

You will join the global evaluation team in Search, Evaluation & Intelligence, part of Global Business Development, with colleagues based mainly in Denmark and Cambridge, MA, US. You will report to the Head of Global Evaluation. This is an individual contributor role without direct reports.

You will work closely with Novo’s Business Development teams in Denmark and Cambridge, and with stakeholders across the value chain – from R&D to Commercial and beyond – to build alignment and keep evaluations moving at pace.

Externally, you will draw on and grow your network across biotech, venture capital and large-cap pharma, working with start-ups, established companies and investors to turn promising science into partnerships that create value for both sides.

What You Can Expect Here

You will work where science, strategy and partnering meet, with a direct view of innovation across one of the world’s largest life sciences ecosystems. Your expertise will be trusted, your voice will count in portfolio and partnering discussions, and you will be expected to make clear calls, own them and follow through.

You will build new skills through cross value chain collaboration and grow alongside colleagues on the job and through relevant learning offerings. Clear performance expectations and a culture that rewards results will support you in doing your best work.

Salary: For this role, the Annual Base Salary ranges from 940,800.00 y 1,448,700.00 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.

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.