Research Associate - In Vivo Pharmacology (Lexington, MA, US)

Lexington, United States Type not listed
Notify me about similar jobs

Novo Nordisk is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

About the Department

Our Research & Development organization brings together the best minds in life science innovation. The teams located in facilities in Lexington, Watertown, Cambridge and Plainsboro reflect the full R&D continuum, from early research through late-stage clinical development. Here, we are building for the future, creating a distinct R&D community based on collaboration, partnerships, and cutting-edge research across multiple modalities and therapeutic areas. We recognize that improving human health starts here and that patients rely on us. Our R&D hub merges biotech speed and agility with large pharmaceutical company quality, resources, and stability, uniting the best of both worlds to develop new medicines for patients.

The Position

The Research Associate will be responsible for strategy implementation and operations for conducting and summarizing non-clinical in vivo studies internally and externally in the support of new drug evaluations. Design, coordinate, and report pre-clinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic in vivo experiments within research projects.  Communicate evaluations and implications of in vivo data internally, externally, and in regulatory submissions as relevant.

Demonstrates some subject matter knowledge. Sets and achieves day-to-day operations with some impact on others within or outside the unit. Works on problems of limited scope. Follows standard practices and procedures in analysing situations or data from which answers can be readily obtained. Normally receives general instructions on routine work and detailed instructions on new projects or assignments. Might require guidance from manager/senior colleagues.

Basic, hands-on work plus beginning to be responsible for assays set-up & execution; participates in data analyses & presentation with supervisor to team or site; may develop/draft protocols of moderate complexity with supervisor input; may present ideas or data to team, site, or global project team.

Relationships

Reports to the Senior Manager, Platform Innovation. This position will interact with the related research area team members and other research groups at Novo Nordisk, as well as global internal stakeholders and external research collaborators. This position will function as an individual contributor.

Essential Functions

Strategy implementation and operations for conducting non-clinical in vivo studies

Drug candidate screening, hit identification, and lead optimization, preferably in oligonucleotide field.

Design/conduct experiment to understand the mechanism of siRNA

Assay optimization: develop and optimize multiplexed in situ hybridization (ISH/FISH) and immunohistochemistry/ immunofluorescence (IHC/IF) protocols

Molecular biology methodologies, e.g., RNA extraction and RT-qPCR, protein extraction and western blot

In vivo structure-activity-relationship studies (e.g., mouse dosing; sample analysis)

Generating and maintaining clear experimental record and reports as needed

Summarizing non-clinical in vivo studies

Analyze and interpret data from in vivo studies

Prepare comprehensive summaries and reports of the findings from in vivo studies

Communicate the results and implications of in vivo studies to internal and external stakeholders

Support of new drug evaluations

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support the evaluation of new drugs

Contribute to the design and execution of pre-clinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic in vivo experiments

Qualifications

High School Diploma and 8+ years’ relevant experience required. With an Associate or Vocational degree, 4+ years’ relevant experience required; or BS/BA with limited to no experience

Familiarity with in vivo models for non-clinical studies (e.g., animal handling, dosing, and necropsy )

Experience in experimental design and the use of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in drug discovery

Strong scientific communication skills, including the ability to present and interpret in vivo data

Demonstrated intellectual curiosity and a translational mindset in exploring new technologies.

A team player who thrives in a collaborative work environment

The base compensation range for this position is $70,400  to $123,200. 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 and or company vehicles 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.

]]>

Job details

Seniority
Associate
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Lexington, United States
Employment type
Not listed

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 85 comparable Associate Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 25 biopharma companies.

85Comparable roles tracked
72Currently active
25Companies hiring similar roles
10Countries represented

Salary context

25 of 85 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · QSP postdoctoral scientist · Lilly $58,000/yr – $123,200/yr
Highest disclosed · Advisor – In Vivo CAR Discovery · Lilly $138,000/yr – $224,400/yr
Peer group range $90,600 – $181,200 (median $90,600)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 85 comparable roles

United States62
Germany7
Switzerland3
Canada3
Iceland3
Spain2

+ 4 more countries

Seniority mix

85 of 85 peers have a known seniority level

Intern/Fellow/Postdoc52
Associate24
Manager9

Therapeutic area mix

11 of 85 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Neuroscience4
Cardiovascular / CVRM2
Oncology2
Immunology2
Respiratory1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Lilly Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Pfizer Cambridge, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Amgen Inc. Thousand Oaks, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Amgen Inc. Thousand Oaks, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Amgen Inc. South San Francisco, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Amgen Inc. Thousand Oaks, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Advisor – In Vivo CAR Discovery
Lilly · Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Process Development Associate Scientist - Pre-Pivotal Drug Product Technologies
Amgen Inc. · Thousand Oaks, United States · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Associate Scientist, In vivo Pharmacology, Inflammation
Amgen Inc. · Thousand Oaks, United States · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Associate Scientist Discovery Proteomics
Amgen Inc. · South San Francisco, United States · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.