About this role
R&D Legal Bagsværd, Denmark Are you a seasoned legal professional who thrives at the intersection of science, innovation, and strategic partnerships? Do you enjoy navigating complex research collaborations, emerging technologies, and cutting-edge legal challenges that help shape the future of healthcare? If so, this is your opportunity to influence some of Novo Nordisk's most important R&D initiatives while partnering with leading scientific and business stakeholders around the world.
Your new role As Associate General Counsel, you will play a key role in providing strategic legal support to Novo Nordisk's Research & Development organisation. Working closely with Global Research, Therapeutics Discovery, External Innovation, and AI & Digital Innovation teams, you will help enable scientific collaboration and innovation while protecting Novo Nordisk's interests and ensuring compliance across a dynamic global landscape. In this role, you will combine legal expertise, business acumen, and strong stakeholder management skills to support complex transactions and partnerships that accelerate research and drug development.
Your responsibilities will include: Providing strategic legal advice to senior stakeholders across R&D, with particular focus on research collaborations, external innovation, AI, digital initiatives, and technology-driven partnerships. Drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and advising on a broad range of agreements, including research collaborations, SaaS contracts, AI platform agreements, master service agreements and data agreements. Identifying and resolving complex legal, compliance, intellectual property, privacy, and regulatory matters while balancing scientific, commercial, and operational objectives.
Partnering with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure efficient contract execution, effective risk management, and alignment with Novo Nordisk policies and strategic priorities. Contributing to process improvements, template development, knowledge sharing, and continuous enhancement of R&D Legal's capabilities. Your new department In Finance, Legal & Global Solutions, we enable Novo Nordisk to fulfil our purpose by safeguarding the business, providing corporate infrastructure, and driving value creation.
We are a team of 2,300 colleagues primarily based at our headquarters in Denmark and our Global Business Services centres in India and Mexico. Within R&D Legal, you will join a highly specialised and collaborative team supporting Novo Nordisk's global research organisation. We work closely with scientists, business leaders, innovation teams, and external partners worldwide to create the legal foundations that enable groundbreaking scientific advances.
Our environment combines intellectual challenge, continuous learning, and a shared commitment to helping patients through innovation. This role is based in Denmark, and you will report directly to a Director located in the United States, working across a global network of R&D and legal stakeholders. This unique setup offers significant international exposure and the opportunity to influence strategic research collaborations worldwide.
Your skills and qualifications You are an experienced legal professional who enjoys working in a fast-paced environment where scientific innovation, technology, and business strategy intersect. You bring strong judgement, commercial awareness, and the ability to build trusted relationships across a diverse stakeholder landscape. To succeed in this role, we expect you to have: A Master's degree in Law or another relevant advanced degree, with additional knowledge in areas such as contract drafting, licensing, intellectual property, GDPR, negotiations, research collaborations, or business development.
9 years of experience negotiating and advising on research, collaboration, licensing, technology, data, or other complex commercial agreements, ideally within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, or healthcare sectors. Strong knowledge of intellectual property rights, privacy regulations, AI-related legal considerations, compliance requirements, and commercial contracting frameworks. Excellent stakeholder management and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders and establish productive, long-term partnerships internally and externally.
A proactive, solution-oriented mindset combined with strong analytical capabilities, project management skills, and fluency in written and spoken English. In addition, you bring a collaborative approach, sound judgement, personal integrity, resilience, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining exceptional attention to detail. Working at Novo Nordisk Every day we seek the solutions that defeat serious chronic diseases.
To do this, we approach our work with determination, constant curiosity and a commitment to finding better ways forward. For over 100 years, this dedication has driven us to build a company focused on lasting change for long-term health. One where diverse thinking, shared purpose and mutual respect come together to create extraordinary results.
When you join us, you're not just starting a job – you're becoming part of a story that spans generations. 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: Salary: For this role, the Annual Base Salary ranges from 931,700.00 to 1,369,700.00 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 . 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.
Deadline 28. August 2026 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.