Novo Nordisk Posted November 11, 2026

Senior Cell Bank Scientist, CMC Drug Development (Bagsværd, Capital Region of Denmark, DK)

Bagsværd, Denmark Type not listed
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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

Sr Development Scientist

CMC Development

Cell Bank, CMC Drug Development

Location: Bagsværd

 

Your impact begins here

Ready to bring together microbial science, GMP manufacturing and project responsibility in a senior role where your work directly supports the development of future medicines? Join our Microbial Cell Bank team, where every drug substance begins - we manufacture and maintain the cell banks that are the starting point for drug substance production all over the world. Working cross-functionally across projects, you will combine your scientific expertise with GMP responsibility and help drive continuous improvement of our Cell Bank operation. Ready to take the lead where every medicine begins? Apply today!

What you’ll do

As a Senior Scientist in the Microbial Cell Bank, you will take a leading professional role in activities related to the production and lifecycle management of our cell banks. You will take ownership of complex tasks and projects, working closely with scientists, laboratory technicians, QA, QC and project teams. With your experience, you will help navigate cross-functional processes, identify solutions and contribute to developing both our processes and ways of working. Depending on your experience and interests, the role provides an opportunity to build deeper expertise and potentially develop towards a specialist position.

Your main responsibilities will include:

Planning and supporting GMP manufacture of microbial Master Cell Banks (MCBs) and Working Cell Banks (WCBs).

Taking project responsibility for cell bank projects from incoming Initial Cell Clone (ICC) through production, characterisation, release and lifecycle activities.

Preparing and maintaining specifications, production documentation and other GMP documentation.

Coordinating activities and solving issues across QA, QC, project teams and other key stakeholders.

Handling deviations and change requests and driving systematic problem solving.

Supporting regulatory activities, audits, inspections and responses to Health Authority questions.

Driving continuous improvements to cell bank processes and ways of working.

Contributing to the continued digitalisation of our Cell Bank operation and exploring how new technologies, including AI, can support smarter and more efficient ways of working.

 

What you’ll bring

To succeed in this role, we imagine that you hold a relevant master’s degree within biotechnology, microbiology, biochemistry or a related scientific field. You also have:

a solid background from the pharmaceutical industry and a strong understanding of GMP.

hands-on skills in microbial cultivation and knowledge of microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology and analytical science.

a proven ability to navigate a complex organisation and work across functions.

a strong quality mindset combined with an analytical and pragmatic approach to problem solving.

an interest in digitalisation and new technology. Experience with AI is an advantage, but curiosity and motivation to explore how AI can improve our work are equally important.

On a personal level, you are collaborative, curious and motivated by taking professional and independent ownership of activities and projects involving multiple stakeholders. You enjoy sharing your knowledge and contributing to the development of others while continuously strengthening your own expertise. You communicate effectively across functions and organisational levels and are comfortable challenging existing ways of working when you see opportunities to improve.

Who you’ll work with

CMC Development turns promising molecules into approved products in close collaboration with colleagues across Research & Development and Global Manufacturing & Supply.

Cell Banks are at the starting point of drug substance production and play an important role in bringing new medicines through CMC Drug Development. We are a team of approximately 16 scientists and laboratory technicians working with microbial cell banks in Bagsværd and mammalian cell banks in Hillerød, with an ambition to collaborate closely and share knowledge across the two locations.

We have a strong focus on quality, collaboration and delivering for our projects. At the same time, we are ambitious about developing the Cell Bank area and continuously improving our processes, facilities and digital ways of working. We value an open and collaborative environment where we help each other, share knowledge and believe that having fun at work is an important part of being a strong team.

What you can expect here

You will work in an international environment where your expertise is valued, and your contribution can shape decisions across markets. You will be supported to perform at your best and trusted to take ownership. You will be encouraged to make your voice heard, learn from colleagues and contribute to work that helps create progress for people living with serious chronic diseases . We foster a collaborative culture where we care for one another, value initiative, and empower you to drive projects forward while growing professionally.

What we offer

Salary: The annual base salary for this role ranges from DKK 651,000 to DKK  956 , 900 , depending on the level of the position. Placement within the range will be assessed during the recruitment process based on the candidate’s skills, competencies, knowledge, and relevant experience.

Incentives and benefits: The salary package may include short-term and/or long-term incentives and other employee benefits based on position level, location, functional area, and relevant market benchmarks.  Learn more about our Reward Philosophy here .

 

Start now

Please apply by 22 November 2026.

Due to the short deadline, please apply as soon as possible. We review CVs and invite candidates to interview on an ongoing basis.

If you have any questions about the position, please feel free to contact Associate Director Jesper Roland Jørgensen at +45 30797885.

While not mandatory, we strongly encourage you to submit a cover letter explaining why you are the ideal candidate to join us in the Cell Bank team. Please do not include a photo in your CV, as this supports a fair and efficient recruitment process.

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

Job details

Seniority
Senior
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Bagsværd, Denmark
Employment type
Not listed

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 641 comparable Senior Manufacturing & CMC roles across 87 biopharma companies.

641Comparable roles tracked
603Currently active
87Companies hiring similar roles
29Countries represented

Salary context

230 of 641 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 · Senior Technician Calibration - Maintenance · Mylan Technologies, Inc. $37,000/yr – $80,000/yr
Peer group range $58,500 – $215,300 (median $150,850)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 641 comparable roles

United States429
India44
Ireland26
Netherlands19
China12
United Kingdom11

+ 23 more countries

Seniority mix

641 of 641 peers have a known seniority level

Senior407
Principal129
Associate Director105

Therapeutic area mix

2 of 641 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Dermatology & Aesthetics1
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1

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
Novo Nordisk Kalundborg, Denmark Senior
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60%similar
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60%similar
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Same function Same seniority Same country
50%similar
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45%similar
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45%similar
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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%
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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.