Director - Site & Patient Engagement

About the Department                                                                                                                                               

The Clinical, Medical and Regulatory (CMR) department at Novo Nordisk is one of the most diverse and collaborative groups within the organization. From health-care-provider interactions and developing and implementing regulatory strategies with the FDA to providing medical education and collecting data to support efficacy and new product development, CMR is involved. The one thing that keeps us all marching to the same beat is our patient-centered focus. At Novo Nordisk, you will help patients around the world. As their needs evolve, so does our challenge to find better and more innovative ways to improve their quality of life. We’re changing lives for a living. Are you ready to make a difference?

The Position

In order to support the growth and expansion into new therapeutic areas across North America, the Operational Excellence & Delivery function (OED) is seeking a Director of Site & Patient Engagement (S&PE).

In collaboration with NAO Therapeutic Heads, Medical Affairs and global stakeholders, the Director of S&PE will establish the North America Clinical Development (NACD) strategy for the development and execution of customized clinical trial recruitment and retention. This role will work closely with Diversity Director within OED to include diverse recruitment capabilities and provide leadership within the project teams.

Relationships

Reports to head of Operational Excellence and Delivery within NACD. Establishes & manages mutually beneficial relationships with external partners relevant to the recruitment and retention of clinical trials for NACD & Novo Nordisk (e.g. Health Systems, Contract Research Organizations, Clinical Vendors, Patient Advocacy groups and Site Management Organizations etc.)

Establishes & manages senior level relationships positively with multiple internal stakeholders relevant to the recruitment, retention of clinical trials and innovation projects for NACD & Novo Nordisk (e.g., across NACD, CMR, International Operations (IO), HQ R&D, & Commercial).

Supervisory responsibilities within OED including both direct & indirect reports.

Essential Functions

• Identify and foster new and existing strategic relationships with key research sites/Institutions and build support strategies to ensure success with the overall conduct recruitment and retention of clinical trials across the NACD portfolio
• Identify and utilize big data visualization tools as well as internal stakeholder feedback to support identification of patients, understanding of competitive trial landscape, inform site selection, and assess effectiveness of recruitment/retention strategies in a staged approach that prepares for studies prior to initiation, through study startup, ongoing during the trial and in final, post-hoc reviews
• Together with internal stakeholders, develop tools and best practices to manage priority clinical research sites as well as identify and develop emerging research centers with robust patient populations
• Responsible for the prioritization of new and existing engagements that bring together key research sites, CROs/specialized vendors, patient advocacy groups and other critical stakeholders
• Collaborate cross-functionally with key stakeholders within CMR, NACD, Medical Affairs and OED to ensure strategies meet portfolio demands and monitor/address site feedback
• Develop and implement metrics/KPIs to track engagements and performance of clinical trial recruitment and retention efforts
• Further build the S&PE function by attracting and retaining top talent. Ensure fit for purpose efficient and sufficient resources are in place to perform all tasks within the group
• In collaboration with Medical Affairs, OED and NAO Trial Management, report on and present performance-based KPIs, incorporating stakeholder and site feedback to create robust actions plans for project delivery
• Support and educate internal stakeholders on multi-channel options for patient recruitment and retention
• Champion diversity enrollment and enrichment efforts to attract broad patient populations

Physical Requirements

Up to 20% overnight travel required; May require occasional work outside of standard business hours to support special requests/events.

Development of People

Ensure that reporting personnel have individual development plans (IDP), with annual goals and measurements that are consistent with the priorities of the business, and that interim reviews are held so that their work is focused on those priorities, and they understand their level of accountability for results and the measurement process.

Ensure that the IDP forms include completed learning and aspiration plans and are in place for all reporting personnel to enable the achievement of goals and capability to assume increased levels of responsibility.

Manage the application and communication of all Novo Nordisk policies, procedures, and Novo Nordisk Way.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree is required (in science-related discipline preferred). An advanced degree preferred and may substitute for some years of experience as deemed appropriate.
• 12 years of progressively responsible clinical trial experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, CRO and/or healthcare industry
  • 10 years must be directly related to clinical trial execution
  • Minimum 3 years of supervisory experience
  • Preferred 5 years of team leadership in clinical development/trials
• Expertise in ICH-GCP principles and their application to clinical trial design, planning, and conduct
• Extensive experience in problem-solving, negotiations, and collaborative team building with stakeholders and direct reports
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and concisely in various settings
• Demonstrated leadership experience in Clinical Operations/Medical Affairs in the pharmaceutical/biotech industries
• Strong experience in clinical trial diversity and inclusion plans, site relationship management, and site segmentation
• Proven ability to positively influence outcomes, key project decisions, and strategic problem-solving
• Strong collaborator with the ability to build and maintain positive relationships with people at all levels of the organization
• Experience in developing technical and/or business solutions to complex problems, including challenging-to-recruit clinical trials
• Demonstrated track record of portfolio and project management, working across all functions with stakeholders at all levels, locally and globally.

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.

At Novo Nordisk we recognize that it is no longer good enough to aspire to be the best company in the world. We need to aspire to be the best company for the world and we know that this is only possible with talented employees with diverse perspectives, backgrounds and cultures. We are therefore committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates the diversity of our employees, the patients we serve and communities we operate in. Together, we’re life changing.

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.