Lead Data Scientist
Job description
Job Title: Lead Data Scientist
Department: Supply Chain AI Solutions, Enterprise AI, Enterprise IT & Quality
Location: Ballerup
Your impact begins here
As Lead Data Scientist, you will set the technical direction for AI, Data Science, and machine learning that that enables our supply chain processes to become more autonomous, and data driven. You will build forecasting, optimisation and GenAI use cases end-to-end with a delivery team and take them into production, helping move us towards better network optimisation and no-touch planning. Your work will strengthen the real operational decisions that help high-quality medicines reach the millions of people living with serious chronic diseases.
What you’ll bring
- Several years of experience developing and deploying data science, machine learning or AI models using real business data.
- Strong Python and SQL skills, with a solid understanding of model validation, interpretation, uncertainty and business impact.
- Hands-on experience with Databricks, Unity Catalog and data pipelines, including data organised in a medallion architecture.
- Experience working in a CI/CD setup and writing reusable, testable and documented code.
- An understanding of reliability, monitoring, versioning, security, access control and maintainability of AI applications.
- Knowledge of LLM evaluation, guardrails and observability, for example using tools such as Langfuse or Grafana.
- The ability to work independently with both technical teams and business stakeholders, and to explain complex findings clearly.
- An MSc, PhD or equivalent practical experience in a relevant quantitative field.
Useful, but not essential:
- Experience from pharma, life sciences or supply chain.
What you’ll do
You will be both advisor and hands-on builder: shaping which problems are worth solving, then building what solves them in production.
- Partner with Supply Chain stakeholders and delivery team to scope business problems, choose the right methods and define how success will be measured.
- Set the data science direction across the use case portfolio, shape solution architecture with the Tech Lead, coach junior data scientists and review work delivered by external vendors.
- Develop statistical, machine learning and AI models for forecasting, network optimisation, recommendations and workflow automation – including RAG applications, assistants and agentic workflows where the use case calls for them.
- Build data and model pipelines in Databricks, using Unity Catalog for data governance and a medallion architecture to organise data.
- Take models into production through GitHub Actions CI/CD pipelines, with automated testing, experiment tracking, model registries, documentation and ongoing monitoring – applying the right validation, traceability, access control and change control along the way.
- Evaluate technical performance and business impact, be clear about uncertainty and limitations, and work with AI Engineers to integrate what you build into products and operational workflows.
Who you’ll work with
You will join Supply Chain AI Solutions, a small, end-to-end team within Enterprise AI, part of Enterprise IT & Quality – where colleagues work across the Novo value chain, close to the stakeholders they support.
In your team, data scientists, and engineers work side by side, combining analytical depth with the engineering capability needed to get models into production. You will work closely with the Tech Lead, AI Engineers and junior data scientists, and embed directly with Supply Chain domain experts and colleagues in the commercial organisation – so ideas move quickly from problem to working tool.
The team is cloud-native, using Databricks, Azure and AWS, and values agility, diverse thinking, continuous learning and practical work that improves real operational decisions.
What you can expect here
You will be trusted to set direction and make your voice heard, in a team culture built on feedback, honesty and fun. You will work at the forefront of AI and technology at Novo, at a time when we are upskilling our entire workforce to advance AI as a main driver for innovation for people living with serious chronic diseases.
You can expect continuous learning, career development and benefits tailored to your life and career stage. [Insert locally relevant benefits and employment conditions.]
Annual base salary ranges from 742,600 to 1,091,600 DKK, corresponding to the level of the position. Placement within the range will be assessed during recruitment based on skills, competencies, knowledge and relevant experience. The salary package may include short- 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 at [external link]
Start now
Your impact begins today. If you are ready to take AI from idea to production and change how our supply chain plans and operates, apply for the Lead Data Scientist role by the 20th of October. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.
Skills mentioned
We are a global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered just outside Copenhagen, Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases, built upon our heritage in diabetes. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure the diseases we treat. Our story began over 100 years ago when two small Danish companies started producing the revolutionary new drug, insulin, which had just been discovered by Canadian scientists. These companies, Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium and Novo Terapeutisk Laboratorium, were established by individuals driven by a common goal: to make life-saving insulin available to people with diabetes in Denmark and beyond. August Krogh, a Nobel laureate, and his wife Marie, a physician whose own diabetes fueled their quest, played a pivotal role in bringing insulin production to Denmark, leading to the founding of Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium in 1923. Shortly after, in 1925, the Pedersen brothers, former Nordisk employees, established Novo Terapeutisk Laboratorium, creating a dynamic of competition and innovation that would characterize the Danish pharmaceutical landscape for decades. After years of parallel growth and groundbreaking research, these two entities merged in 1989 to form Novo Nordisk A/S, a company that has since expanded rapidly. Today, we are a world leader not only in diabetes care but also in obesity care, haemophilia care, and therapies for rare endocrine disorders. Our commitment extends beyond developing innovative medicines; we strive to make them accessible to patients worldwide. We employ more than 77,000 people across 80 offices globally and market our products in approximately 170 countries. The Novo Nordisk Way, our set of guiding principles, is rooted in the vision of our founders and continues to inspire our thousands of colleagues. We are dedicated to applying our passion, skills, and commitment to defeat serious chronic diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people and represent some of the most urgent global health challenges. Our U.S. headquarters is located in Plainsboro, New Jersey, playing a vital role in the life sciences industry through sales, marketing, and clinical trial management for all Novo Nordisk U.S. products. We are also significantly investing in manufacturing capabilities, including a $4.1 billion expansion in North Carolina, to meet the growing demand for our diabetes and obesity medications.
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