Medical Manager - Consumer Engagement and Future Pipeline

Novo Nordisk; Lisboa; On-site; EUR 55,000 - 87,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary range disclosed

Incentives and Benefits

Job summary

Novo Nordisk in Portugal seeks a Medical Manager to lead how Medical Affairs connects with consumers, patient communities and Digital Opinion Leaders. You will translate insights into medical strategy and ensure accurate, balanced scientific communication across online and AI-enabled spaces.

The role focuses on consumer engagement, future pipeline input, and governance, with a strong emphasis on health literacy and cross-functional collaboration within Novo Portugal.

Qualifications

• University degree in Life Sciences or related field.
• 5+ years in Medical Affairs or related scientific role.
• Experience translating complex science for non-specialists.
• Strong scientific acumen and ability to appraise literature and data.
• Strong project management and cross-functional stakeholder skills.
• Understanding of health literacy and AI-enabled information environments.
• Full professional proficiency in English and Portuguese.
• Experience engaging patient organisations and digital communities.
• Postgraduate qualification, PhD, MBA or relevant specialization is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Lead Medical Affairs strategy for consumers, patient communities and digital scientists.
• Provide medical input to the Consumer task force and governance.
• Build relationships with patient organisations and Digital Opinion Leaders.
• Own the Digital Opinion Leader strategy and operating model.
• Set medical content priorities and monitor online narratives and misinformation risks.
• Build internal capability in consumer health communication and compliant engagement.
• Provide Medical leadership for future pipeline assets and evidence-generation priorities.

Skills

Medical Affairs

Patient engagement

Digital health

Science communication

Cross-functional

Bilingual EN/PT

Education

University degree in Life Sciences

Postgraduate qualification

Job description

Your impact begins here

As Medical Manager – Consumer Engagement and Future Pipeline, you will lead how Medical Affairs in Portugal connects with consumers, patient communities and Digital Opinion Leaders. You will turn insights into Medical strategy and translate complex science into communication that is accurate, balanced, relevant and easy to understand. As information moves online and into AI-enabled spaces, your work helps people find trustworthy science today and prepares Portugal for the future pipeline.

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Your impact begins here

As Medical Manager – Consumer Engagement and Future Pipeline, you will lead how Medical Affairs in Portugal connects with consumers, patient communities and Digital Opinion Leaders. You will turn insights into Medical strategy and translate complex science into communication that is accurate, balanced, relevant and easy to understand. As information moves online and into AI-enabled spaces, your work helps people find trustworthy science today and prepares Portugal for the future pipeline.

What You’ll Bring

• A university degree in Life Sciences or another relevant scientific discipline – Healthcare professional (HCP) background preferred; other relevant life sciences degrees may be considered.
• At least 5 years of experience in Medical Affairs, patient engagement, consumer health, health communication, digital health, public health or a related scientific role.
• Demonstrated experience translating complex science for non-specialist audiences.
• Strong scientific acumen, including the ability to critically appraise scientific literature and clinical data.
• Strong project management and cross-functional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to prioritise and adapt in a fast-changing environment.
• An understanding of health literacy, patient engagement and the opportunities and risks of digital and AI-enabled information environments.
• Full professional proficiency in written and spoken English and Portuguese.
• Experience engaging patient organisations, advocates, digital communities or external communication partners.
• Experience with digital content, omnichannel engagement, social listening, health literacy or behavioural science.
• A postgraduate qualification, PhD, MBA or relevant specialisation is an advantage.

What You’ll Do

You will own the consumer and patient component of the Medical Affairs Plan and its budget, and set the medical direction for how Novo Portugal engages in the digital world.

• Lead Medical Affairs strategy for consumers, patient communities, Digital Opinion Leaders and digital scientific engagement across the cardiometabolic portfolio, as well as the future pipeline.
• Provide medical input to the Consumer task force, defining the scientific contribution, governance and boundaries of Medical engagement while safeguarding scientific integrity and the appropriate use of Novo medicines.
• Build trusted relationships with patient organisations, advocates and Digital Opinion Leaders, and design listening and co-creation activities that turn lived experience into practical insight.
• Own the Digital Opinion Leader strategy and operating model, from mapping and prioritisation to governance, capability building and measurement.
• Set medical content priorities and oversee digital scientific content, monitor emerging online narratives and misinformation risks, and contribute medical expertise to responsible search, social listening and AI initiatives.
• Build internal capability in consumer health communication and compliant engagement, and advise teams on the line between medical, disease-awareness and promotional communication.
• Provide Medical leadership for future pipeline assets, translating emerging evidence and unmet needs into early asset strategy, evidence-generation priorities, external scientific engagement and affiliate launch readiness.

Who You’ll Work With

You will join Medical Affairs at Novo Portugal, part of International Operations, reporting to the Medical and Regulatory Director. You will be an individual contributor with no direct reports, using informal leadership and coaching to move work forward. Your scope is Portugal.

Your closest internal partners will be the Medical Affairs, Marketing Consumer Team, Corporate Affairs, Legal, Market Access, Compliance and Regulatory Affairs. You will also adapt content and best practice from regional and global Medical Affairs to the Portuguese context.

Externally, you will work with patient organisations, Digital Opinion Leaders, caregivers, healthcare organisations, scientific societies and digital or media partners. Clear priorities and honest conversations with these partners help you decide, act and follow through at pace.

What You Can Expect Here

You will be trusted to own a significant area of Medical Affairs, where your scientific expertise shapes decisions across functions. You will build new skills at the forefront of digital and AI-enabled health information, learn from regional and global colleagues, and grow through hand‑on work on launch and portfolio projects.

You will be supported to perform at your best, with clear expectations, space to make your voice heard and colleagues who support each other.

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.

• Salary: For this role, the Annual Base Salary ranges from Euro 54,620 to Euro 87,390, 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. Further details to be shared during the recruitment process.
• 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.