Pharmaceutical Development Graduate Programmes

Looking for a life-changing career within pharmaceutical development? Then look no further! This two-year graduate programme will give you comprehensive knowledge of the key departments in the drug development value chain from the early clinical trials phase to the regulatory approval process as well as label expansions and life cycle management of existing products.

You will get to know the drug development process from multiple stakeholder angles, enabling you to find the niche where your competencies and interests coincide. Working at Novo Nordisk will give you the opportunity to make a significant difference to patients and society whilst also delivering exciting results for the business. This is a great opportunity for future R&D specialists and leaders to gain international experience in a world-leading company that truly offers a life-changing career.

You will receive formal training and gain knowledge and invaluable international experience leading to both professional and personal development. Managers and mentors as well as a huge global network of current and former graduates are ready to guide and support you along the way.

We have two different tracks within pharmaceutical development:

Regulatory Affairs
Trial Management

Scroll through this page to learn more about these exciting programmes.

Regulatory Affairs

Learn more about what it's like to be a part of the Graduate Programme

The Regulatory Affairs Graduate Programme track will give you a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory landscape and how the Regulatory Organisation creates value in the global projects and contributes to the success of the company. First rotation will be at our headquarters in Denmark and we welcome applications from all nationalities to this programme.

In Novo Nordisk, Regulatory Affairs secure the approval of new multibillion-dollar products and drug indications, making it possible for the company to bring innovative products to patients. We stand at the centre of project planning and execution from the earliest stages of drug development all the way through life-cycle management, meaning that we are involved across the entire drug value chain from early research to commercialisation and beyond.

This is a great opportunity to collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders across the globe, gaining a good understanding of the Novo Nordisk organisation, the value chain and key regulatory stakeholders and built on key transferable skills within communication, navigating data as well as project-and stakeholder management.

You will have the opportunity to work in two key parts of the organisation, Global Regulatory Affairs and RA CMC & Device and in one of our global affiliates or regional offices around the world, giving you operational experience and commercial insights, while learning about the key CMR functions.

During the two-year programme you will undertake three challenging and exciting rotations of eight-months duration. Two rotations will be at our headquarter in Denmark and one will be in one of our global affiliates around the world. You will work as a fully-fledged member of each team, with responsibilities for one or more projects, and play an instrumental role in ensuring that the Novo Nordisk Development organisation realises its vision of achieving and sustaining best in class medicine to make a difference for patients.

You will develop core skills within areas such as submitting applications for new products, product changes, clinical trials and reporting, and soft skills within for example stakeholder management and engagement. You will work closely with other departments in Novo Nordisk to ensure that issues are covered in their projects; and in that way improving regulatory processes and pharmacovigilance even further. Managers and mentors as well as a huge global network of current and former graduates are ready to guide and support you along the way and alongside your professional training directly related to your role, you will also get an opportunity in participating in cross-functional initiatives with your fellow Graduates.

For the positions starting in September 2025, we are looking for candidates with:

A recent Master’s or PhD degree in natural science, for example within pharmacy, chemical engineering, biology, biotechnology, biomedicine or a related field and above average academic achievements
International experience
Relevant work experience or extracurricular activities obtained next to your studies
A global mind-set, ability to adapt quickly to change and displaying agility
Team-player, excellent communication skills, high drive and an eagerness to learn
Globally mobile and professional fluency in English

Trial Management

Learn more about what it's like to be a part of the Graduate Programme

The Trial Management Programme has been designed to give you extensive exposure to different roles within Clinical Trial Management in the pharmaceutical industry with a strong focus on competencies such as project management, operational excellence, communication, leadership skills, stakeholder engagement and at the same time, an opportunity to build a global network and experience the value chain from multiple angles. First rotation will be at the HQ in Denmark. We welcome applications from all nationalities to this programme.

The two-year programme consists of three rotations in different parts of the Clinical Development organisation or areas which strong ties to it. You will be given a broad range of Trial Management responsibilities and experience a variety of cross-departmental project work, work with stakeholder management and have assignments within Trial Management in different phases of a clinical trial. It will give you a unique insight into the Development value chain of Novo Nordisk, and you will be part of a highly skilled and motivated international working environment with dynamic teams, each of which are providing Novo Nordisk with a competitive edge and driving state of the art clinical activities.

During the two-year programme you will undertake three challenging and exciting rotations of eight-months duration. The first rotation is planned to take place within Trial Management at our corporate headquarter in Denmark. The second rotation will be in one of our global affiliates around the world, where you will get hands on operational experience and get to see trial management from a local perspective. The third rotation will take place in a department with strong ties to clinical development back in our headquarters in Denmark.

You will receive formal training and gain knowledge and invaluable international experience leading to both professional and personal development, while working as a fully–fledged member of your team. Managers and mentors as well as a huge global, network of current and former graduates are ready to guide and support you along the way and alongside your professional training directly related to your role, you will also get an opportunity in participating in cross-functional initiatives with your fellow Graduates.

For the positions starting in September 2025, we are looking for candidates with:

A recent Master’s or PhD degree in natural sciences, pharmacy, biology, human biology, or a similar area of study
International experience
Relevant work experience or extracurricular activities obtained next to your studies
A global mindset, ability to adapt quickly to change and displaying agility
Team-player as well as excellent communication skills, high drive and an eagerness to learn
Globally mobile and professional fluency in English

Webinars

Meet our graduates in one of our many recorded webinars to learn more

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Pharmaceutical Development Graduate Programmes