Associate Director, Training

About the role

Imagine being part of a team committed to helping people defeat diabetes and other serious chronic conditions. At Novo Nordisk, we seek opportunities to contribute to healthier communities and better lives. Joining the People & Organization (P&O) team, you will enable business success the Novo Nordisk Way by turning the company’s business strategy into an actionable workforce strategy that spans the entire employee life-cycle. This role offers a range of possibilities for professional and personal development within an inclusive team of diverse talent.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Training organization across the Group Vice President (GVP) area to drive compliance and performance improvements within a regulatory environment.
• Set a clear vision for training aligned with business strategy, foster engagement, and promote a culture of continuous improvement.
• Lead Training Managers and Training Partners across the GVP area, ensuring alignment, capability development, operational excellence, and consistent implementation of training standards and best practices.
• Build strong partnerships with business leaders, coach training leaders, and create a connected training community to enable knowledge sharing and impactful business outcomes.
• Lead timely capability building to close gaps identified in strategic workforce planning.
• Drive talent management, workforce planning, agility, organizational effectiveness, fast "Time-to-Perform," and maturity assessments across the GVP area.
• Ensure training compliance and inspection readiness, including strong leadership of Job Specific Training process managers at each site.
• Build synergies and standardization across the GVP area, as relevant.
• Contribute to strategic enterprise improvements as a member of the Global Manufacturing Supply (GMS) Training Leadership Team.
• Lead, train, and engage Training personnel, ensuring clarity of purpose, roles, and responsibilities while motivating and coaching the team.
• Develop and evolve the organization, manning, and competencies to meet performance and business needs.
• Practice cLEAN Leadership and support systematic problem solving, cGxP compliance, and Quality Improvement Plans.
• Manage the department’s budget and drive aligned implementation of GMS training standards, tools, and technologies.
• Oversee the performance of training systems and solutions.
• Establish and facilitate a network of training team leaders across the GVP area.
• Act as a strategic training partner and area process manager, ensuring training compliance and inspection readiness within Job Specific Training (GxP Training).
• Provide ongoing support to GVP, VPs, and Managers of Training Professionals.
• Drive yearly and quarterly implementation plans and ensure systematic follow-up.
• Represent the GVP area in relevant GMS projects and initiatives.
• Ensure a strong link between daily operations, projects, and the business area’s strategic targets.
• Support upskilling and development of core competencies in the GVP area to close strategic capability gaps.
• Lead continuous maturity assessments and improvements of GMS’s training system.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement in the training organization and lead Systematic Problem Solving (SPS) when issues arise.
• Serve as a role model and ambassador of the company values (the Novo Nordisk Way).
• Communicate direction and projects to stakeholders in a compelling manner, using effective change management techniques.
• Manage senior stakeholders and external expectations, gaining buy-in for new concepts and approaches.
• Oversee daily operations, performance, workload distribution, and stakeholder interactions.
• Handle administrative tasks such as IT request approvals, absence/vacation approvals, expense approvals, and purchase orders.
• Manage annual activities, including budgeting and the annual compensation cycle.
• Follow all safety and environmental requirements in the performance of duties.
• Supervise and develop reporting personnel, ensuring individual development plans (IDPs) with annual goals and measurements aligned with business priorities.
• Ensure IDPs include learning and aspiration plans for all reporting personnel to enable goal achievement and capability development.
• Manage the application and communication of all Novo Nordisk policies, procedures, and the Novo Nordisk Way.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in a related field from an accredited university and a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience.
• In lieu of a Master’s Degree, may consider:
  • (A) Bachelor’s degree in a related field with a minimum of nine (9) years of relevant experience,
  • (B) Associate’s Degree in a related field with a minimum of eleven (11) years of relevant experience, or
  • (C) High School Diploma or equivalent with a minimum of thirteen (13) years of relevant experience.
• Excellent working knowledge of training and training systems in a regulated environment, preferably within the pharmaceutical industry.
• People leadership experience required; experience leading leaders preferred.
• Strong Lean (or Lean Six Sigma) training competencies in manufacturing required.

Relationships

The incumbent reports directly to the Head of People & Organization (P&O) of Drug Product Manufacturing (DPM) US, with a matrixed reporting relationship to the P&O Site Leads of the assigned sites. This role interacts with all levels of the business and works in close partnership with P&O Site Leads at DPM US Sites, who are accountable for training and capability development. Key stakeholders include GMS P&O Training & Execution, line of business leaders, HR Business Partners, and other internal/external stakeholders.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in an open office environment and shopfloor with the possibility of frequent distraction.
• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time.