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Associate Director of Business Development

Novo Nordisk

Cambridge, MAJob$180–220K/yrSeen 1w agoSeen in employer's feed 3 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$180–220K/yr
Location
Cambridge, MA
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

The Associate Business Development Director evaluates external growth opportunities and may execute transactions to access assets of interest. The role leads cross-functional diligence, supports negotiations, and prepares and presents business cases to senior management. It works across a matrix organization with internal stakeholders in Research and Development and Commercial organizations, as well as external industry and academic collaborators.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Cross-Functional Diligence, nice to haveCommunication, requiredLeadership, requiredSenior Management Presentations, requiredDeal Comparables, requiredDeal Terms, requiredAcademic License Negotiation, requiredOutlicensing Negotiation, requiredSublicensing Negotiation, requiredDeal Execution, requiredRapport Building, requiredFinancial Evaluation, requiredPresentation, requiredRisk Prioritization, requiredBusiness Decision Framing, requiredInternal Stakeholder Navigation, requiredMatrix Organization, nice to haveMotivation, requiredProject Management, required

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree, requiredAdvanced Degree, nice to have7+ Years Relevant Experience, requiredPharmaceutical or Biotechnology Experience, nice to have

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Match
Tuition Assistance
Paid Time Off
Parental Leave

Full job description

About the Department

The Novo Nordisk Cambridge location is the headquarters for Global Business Development across all of our therapeutic and technology areas. We contribute to innovation in one of the world's largest life sciences ecosystems by participating in events and discussions with renowned and upcoming scientists looking for the next scientific breakthrough to bring transformative treatments to patients. We work with start-ups, established companies, venture capitalists, teaching hospitals, and academic institutions to support the development of innovation for mutual benefit, and to help patients in all of our current therapy areas. Through a variety of partnership models, we accelerate ideas from the lab and clinic to advance and expand our product portfolio and to improve outcomes for the patients we serve.

The Position

Global Business Development is responsible for Novo Nordisk's corporate business development activities related to establishing external partnerships, collaborations and acquisitions, as well as integration and alliance management. The Group Vice President (GVP) area consists of units covering business development from end-to-end with Search, Evaluation & Intelligence, BD and M&A Transactions, Integration and Alliance Management.

The Associate Business Development (BD) Director will have responsibility for evaluating external growth opportunities and, where appropriate, executing transactions to access the assets of interest. The Associate BD Director regularly interfaces with therapeutic area heads, search and evaluation, alliance management and senior management. This position is at the epicenter of the evolving R&D landscape and is critical in helping identify, evaluate and weigh-in on opportunities in the marketplace.

Relationships

The Associate BD Director is a member of the global transactions team and reports to the Assistant Vice President Business Development Transactions and M&A. This position works with colleagues through a matrix organization. Key stakeholders include members of executive management and global members of management in Research and Development and Commercial organizations. External collaborators include, industry peers, executives and academic researchers.

Essential Functions

  • Leads cross-functional evaluations of all aspects of therapeutic drug programs from preclinical through clinical stages across the relevant assessment areas: proposed clinical benefit, mechanism, preclinical data, manufacturing, regulatory strategy, clinical development path, intellectual property and commercial potential. Actively guide team through collection and assessment of diligence findings and decision-making process for “go-no go” decisions”

  • As Project Manager, leads diligence teams effectively with search and evaluation, legal, finance, commercial, clinical and scientific teams to ensure all necessary inputs to make business development proposals to senior management

  • Participates as a team member sitting in internal and external meetings (as appropriate) and supporting work to assist in negotiations in large business transactions. Leads term sheet and contract negotiations for small deals such as academic licenses and other small outlicensing/sublicensing opportunities. Operate with autonomy while conducting term sheet and contract negotiations

  • As a member of a team, considers broad corporate priorities and participates in strategy planning for financial investment trade-off decisions. Helps team to train more junior members of team on key elements of deal process such as preparing comparable transactions assessment and understanding steps of internal governance processes

  • Works closely with R&D, R&D leadership and Search & Evaluation, to put together business cases/PowerPoint presentations for each opportunity for RPComm, which involves understanding and communicating how they will fit into the broad corporate priorities and strategy. Leads preparation of materials for BD Group and Deal Group presentations. Leads presentations of key business aspects of deals to senior management

Physical Requirements

20-30% overnight travel required.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree strongly preferred

  • 7+ years of relevant experience required. Experience in pharmaceutical or biotechnology organizations preferred; Advanced degree may be substituted for experience as appropriate

  • Strong communication and leadership skills necessary to effectively lead diligence teams

  • Demonstrated experience presenting to senior management

  • Strong record of preparing deal comparables and crafting deal terms

  • Competency negotiating academic licenses and small outlicensing/sublicensing opportunities

  • Proven ability to lead deal through all stages with guidance; successful completion of such deals

  • Demonstrated ability to build rapport with therapeutic and functional area leaders

  • Strong analytical skills required to provide sound inputs into financial evaluations

  • Strong presentation skills

  • Ability to identify and prioritize risks across functional areas, weigh those appropriately with benefits of investment and effectively frame business decisions for senior management

  • Ability to successfully navigate internal dynamics

  • Experience working in a matrix organization preferred

  • Ability to motivate others to advance goals and the ability to effectively manage multiple projects or roles in a rapidly evolving environment

The base compensation range for this position is $180,000 to $220,000. Base compensation is determined based on a number of factors. This position is also eligible for a company bonus based on individual and company performance. Novo Nordisk offers long-term incentive compensation depending on the position's level or other company factors.

Employees are also eligible to participate in Company employee benefit programs including medical, dental and vision coverage; life insurance; disability insurance; 401(k) savings plan; flexible spending accounts; employee assistance program; tuition reimbursement program; and voluntary benefits such as group legal, critical illness, identity theft protection, pet insurance and auto/home insurance. The Company also offers time off pursuant to its sick time policy, flex-able vacation policy and parental leave policy.

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 defeating 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.

Novo Nordisk is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations.

If you are interested in applying to Novo Nordisk and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply, please call us at 1-855-411-5290. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

How this job compares

Set against the 20,666 open Business Development jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$180–220K/yr
  • Massachusetts median$133–200K/yr493 salary ranges
  • US median$125–197K/yr14,649 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $200K, is 18% above the Massachusetts median midpoint ($170K) — in the middle half of Business Development salary ranges in Massachusetts.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 617 open Business Development jobs in Massachusetts and 20,666 across the US. 13% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Massachusetts
Experience
This posting asks for at least 7 years of experience; Business Development postings that state a minimum ask for 6 years at the median (16,438 postings).
Education
6,281 of the 20,666 open Business Development jobs (30%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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