Group Manager, In-Vitro Science (Fixed term 13-14 months, maternity cover)

Novo Nordisk A / S; Oxford; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading pharmaceutical research center in Oxford is seeking a Functional Genomics Manager. This role focuses on managing a team of scientists to drive innovation in high-throughput screening and data generation for therapeutic targets. The ideal candidate will have a PhD in a Life Science and at least three years in the pharmaceutical sector with experience in automated laboratories. Responsibilities include team leadership, performance management, and technology optimization to support novel drug discovery initiatives.

Qualifications

• At least three years’ experience in a highly automated life science laboratory.
• Line management experience and experience leading cross-functional teams.
• Experience with functional genomics screening for target discovery.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of research scientists.
• Ensure team skills align with business objectives through hiring and development.
• Drive adoption and optimization of screening technologies.

Skills

High-throughput screening

Cross-functional team leadership

Collaboration with in vitro scientists

Automation in laboratory

Education

PhD in Life Science or related field

Tools

Dotmatics

Revity

D360

Job description

Novo Nordisk Research Centre Oxford

Oxford, UK

This role is more than team management — it’s about accelerating discovery at scale. You will lead a team of technology-driven scientists, advance in vitro innovation and automation, and transform data into insights that drive the next generation of target discovery.

Your new role

As the Functional Genomics Manager within the Technology Leaders team, you will lead and manage a group of research scientists (four scientists and one manager overseeing twelve lab assistants) who support medium- to high-throughput phenotypic functional genomics screens. You will oversee the application and development of in vitro technologies and automation needed to generate large-scale functional data for target selection, profiling, and validation within the In Vitro Science department.

Your responsibilities will include :

• Setting annual goals, managing performance reviews, compensation, and bonuses, overseeing onboarding, and coaching or mentoring junior scientists.
• Ensuring team skills align with business objectives through hiring, development planning, promotions or demotions, and assignments to cross‑functional teams.
• Acting on employee survey results, driving continuous improvement initiatives, and maintaining effective performance management practices.
• Leading the team to deliver high-quality data packages aligned with In Vitro Sciences and therapy area priorities. Supporting data generation to advance innovative targets through effective planning, prioritization, and implementation of technologies across multiple parallel projects.
• Driving adoption, optimization, and expansion of screening and automation technologies for target identification and validation, and continuously evaluating emerging technologies.

Your new department

The In Vitro Sciences department, based at Novo Nordisk Research Centre Oxford (NNRCO), is part of Novo Nordisk Global Research. As a state‑of‑the‑art target discovery and validation research centre, it is responsible for identifying novel targets with mechanisms of action and diseases aligned with Novo Nordisk therapy area priorities. The centre uses innovative and unbiased in silico and in vitro human‑centric collaborative approaches to identify new therapeutic opportunities in cardiometabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, NASH, CKD, atherosclerosis, heart failure, and associated co‑morbidities.

The department also drives productive collaborations with academia (particularly the University of Oxford) and biotechnology partners. The In Vitro Science team is part of a global organization, including a team based at the Novo Nordisk research centre in Boston. Together, we work closely with our partners in the Global Research Therapy Areas in Boston and Denmark to progress novel targets into Novo Nordisk’s early project pipeline.

Your skills & qualifications

We are looking for a Group Manager who thrives in a high‑paced, dynamic environment. You will bring :

• A PhD in Life Science, Pharmaceutical Science, Biotechnology, or a related field.
• At least three years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry, working in a highly automated life science laboratory, developing, validating, and running assays for automated high‑throughput screening in drug discovery.
• Line management experience and / or experience leading cross‑functional matrix teams. Experience with functional genomics screening for target discovery and / or mechanism of action studies.
• A collaborative mindset, working with both in vitro and computational scientists in matrix teams.
• Experience with Dotmatics, Revity, D360, or other scientific informatics platforms.