International Operations Finance Graduate - Japan

International Operations Finance Graduate in Japan: Kick-start your life-changing career!

Are you a bachelor’s or master’s student with an interest in international finance? Be a part of Novo Nordisk’s growth journey and accelerate your own. Turn your degree into a global career at one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies! 

About the International Operations Finance Graduate Programme

Novo Nordisk International Operations encompasses markets in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Oceania, and Latin America. The finance organisation focuses on driving competitive value creation with a strong performance culture with a focus on feedback. We are looking for people to help us transform numbers into actionable insights, to act as partners to line of business (e.g., sales and marketing organisation) and to create a solid platform for the company’s future success. Financial management and controlling of our operations, ensuring financial compliance, making challenging decisions, and handling risks proactively are just a few of our activities.

During the programme you will work with senior managers and build an international network of world-class colleagues, establishing yourself as one of tomorrow’s key people in finance at Novo Nordisk.

We have designed the full-time position as an International Operations Finance Graduate, so that,  following its successful completion, you will be equipped with the necessary skills and experiences to become an integral part of our company with a permanent position in Novo Nordisk. 

As you embark on your life-changing career in Novo Nordisk, we will provide you with:

• Accelerated personal and professional development from day one
• International professional experience
• Vast exposure and networking possibilities

The position

During the two-year programme you will undertake three challenging and exciting rotations of eight-months duration, starting in your home country Japan, followed by a combination of either HQ in Denmark or International Operations Strategic Head Office in Zurich, an IO Regional Office or one of our many global affiliates. You will become truly close to the marketplace and will get hands-on experience with business challenges and risks that pharmaceutical companies face in the marketplace and be able to impact the business with the acquired financial understanding. 

The rotations are shaped to suit your development needs, while meeting our business requirements and to ensure you build the required competences needed to become a future finance leader in  Novo Nordisk. 

Please note: this specific graduate programme is targeted at candidates from Japan, or those who would like to start their careers in Japan. We have many other graduate programmes, which are open to applicants from anywhere in the world.

Qualifications

To thrive and succeed as an International Operation Finance Graduate in Japan, we expect you to have:

• A citizenship from Japan, a work permit or a premanent residency in Japan
• A recent master’s (from 2024 or 2025) or bachelor’s degree (from 2023 or 2024) in a relevant field, for example within finance, economics, business administration or management accounting
• If applying with a bachelor's degree, we expect you to have 1 to 2 years of relevant work experience 
• If you have a master's degree, then you will have no more than 1 year of full-time work experience between or after completing your master’s degree and no more than 3 to 4 years in total
• Above average academic achievements
• International experience, for example from studying a full semester abroad, working or volunteering
• Relevant work experience or extracurricular activities obtained next to your studies
• International mind-set and ability to adapt quickly to change
• Team-player attitude, excellent communication skills, high drive, and an eagerness to learn
• Globally mobile and professional fluency in English and Japanese

If you think you meet the criteria and are interested in joining the programme with start-up date 1 September 2025, please make sure to submit your application no later than 30 November 2024 GMT+1.

Important: upload this when you apply 

Before clicking the apply button, please ensure you have uploaded your CV (please upload under “resume”), cover letter and most recent academic records (upload these two documents as one file under “cover letter”) in English. Applications without these uploads will not be considered.

In the cover letter we expect to learn more about your motivation for wanting to join Novo Nordisk and the graduate programme, as well as your personal and professional competencies. Hence, make sure you include: 

• What are your expectations to the graduate programme and how will the International Operations Finance track support your career aspirations?
• What characteristics do you appreciate in others when working in a team and what three characteristics you think others appreciate about you, and why?
• Define innovation in a financial context, in your opinion

The cover letter should not exceed one page.

You can apply from any device but as you will be asked to answer several questions on the application page, we recommend applying from a PC instead of a mobile phone.

About the Graduate Programme

Our Global Graduate Programme is designed to bring together change makers with a diversity of perspectives and equip them with the tools needed to accelerate their personal and professional development. The two-year programme allows you to explore the world while developing your career. You will be taken on three rotations around the globe where you will work in a fast-paced environment and grow in ways you never could have imagined. You will be exposed to the entire Novo Nordisk value chain while being challenged to explore your boundaries and reach your full potential.

If you want a general introduction to the Novo Nordisk Graduate Programme including all 18 tracks then click here. 

Contact

For questions about the graduate programme, please visit our IO Finance track or attend one of our webinars. If you are unable to find the information you need, feel free to contact our current Graduate at BJCE@novonordisk.com.

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is 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. We employ more than 69,000 people in 80 offices around the world, and market our products in 170 countries. We are on a relentless mission to drive change for millions of people living with chronic diseases, and we need people like you to join us on this mission and take Novo Nordisk into the future.

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

At Novo Nordisk we recognize that it is no longer good enough to aspire to be the best company in the world. We need to aspire to be the best company for the world and we know that this is only possible with talented employees with diverse perspectives, backgrounds and cultures. We are therefore committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates the diversity of our employees, the patients we serve and communities we operate in. Together, we’re life changing.