Job Description

Senior Manager, Medical Affairs Rare Diseases

Lead scientific strategy in rare diseases where every breakthrough transforms lives and every patient matters.

Your new role

As Senior Manager, Medical Affairs Rare Diseases, you'll lead the medical strategy and scientific engagement for rare endocrine disorders, rare blood disorders, and haemoglobinopathies (Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia) across the UK. This is a leadership role where you'll drive scientific excellence while building and inspiring a team dedicated to bringing innovative therapies to patients with some of the world's most challenging conditions.

Please note: Final Medical Signatory status is not mandatory for this position.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Developing and executing comprehensive medical affairs strategies for rare endocrine, rare blood, and haemoglobinopathy indications aligned with UK affiliate business objectives
• Leading and managing a team of medical advisors, senior medical advisors, and regional medical advisors, conducting regular development conversations to help them reach their full potential
• Establishing and maintaining strategic relationships with key opinion leaders, healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups, and NHS health boards to champion patient outcomes
• Providing scientific support for clinical trials, investigator-initiated studies, and product launches within the rare disease portfolio
• Leading the development of integrated evidence plans, publication strategies, and tailored educational tools in line with NHS requirements
• Driving compliant and high-quality KOL management, advisory board planning, and scientific dialogue for pre-launch phases in full compliance with ABPI, PMCPA, and MHRA requirements
• Partnering with healthcare systems and medical associations to identify solutions along clinical care pathways that improve patient outcomes
• Serving as an active member of the medical leadership team with shared accountability for business strategy, decision-making, and execution

Your new department

As part of International Operations, you will join our largest operational unit. Covering 194 countries and 95% of the world's population, more than 18,000 of us work passionately to serve 35 million patients each day. With a promise to outperform the competition, we continue to be the growth driver for Novo Nordisk, and to improve health at scale across the globe.

Within the UK affiliate, Medical Affairs plays a pivotal role in advancing scientific knowledge and ensuring healthcare professionals understand the optimal use of our therapies. As we expand into rare diseases, you'll be instrumental in shaping how we bring scientific excellence to these underserved patient populations. Working within a dynamic matrix organization, you'll collaborate across the Rare Disease Business Unit and contribute to the wider International Operations, and Global teams.

Your skills & qualifications

We're looking for a scientifically credible leader who is passionate about rare diseases and making a meaningful difference in patients' lives. You'll bring:

• Registered Medical Practitioner, UK registered pharmacist, or PhD qualification (essential)
• Significant therapy area knowledge related to rare endocrine, rare blood disorders, and haemoglobinopathies (Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia)
• Extensive experience in medical affairs within rare diseases, with strong knowledge of clinical development, regulatory processes, and medical governance
• Proven experience leading functional and cross-functional teams in complex, sophisticated markets, including solid understanding of matrix organizations
• In-depth knowledge of ABPI code of practice (essential), GCP, clinical trial methodology, drug development, and publication processes
• Strong scientific credibility combined with excellent communication, networking, presentation, and facilitation skills
• Deep knowledge of UK healthcare systems and a passion for influencing the industry from a medical perspective
• Business acumen (industry experience or MBA desirable) and the ability to quickly adjust to new situations in a continuously evolving environment

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. In rare diseases, this commitment becomes even more profound – where small patient populations mean every interaction counts, every insight matters, and every day offers the chance to pioneer solutions that span generations. When you join us, you're not just starting a job – you're becoming part of a story that reaches patients who need us most.

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. In this role, you'll have the opportunity to shape medical strategy at UK and international levels, work with leading experts across the rare disease community, and drive meaningful change for patients living with conditions that have historically been underserved.

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.