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Sustainability AI and Digitalisation Lead

Novo Nordisk • Denmark • Added on Jul 13, 2026
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This role bridges the gap between high-level sustainability strategy and technical digital implementation. You will lead the digital roadmap for corporate sustainability, identifying how AI and data analytics can transform decision-making across environmental and social domains. By overseeing the full digital value chain, you ensure that complex ESG data is not just collected, but utilized to drive operational change and strategic foresight.

Working at a pharmaceutical giant means your data-driven insights directly impact global healthcare accessibility and massive-scale decarbonization efforts. This position is critical for moving beyond manual reporting into a future of real-time AI-enabled impact, where technology helps solve the tension between industrial growth and environmental circularity. You will prove that social equity and climate targets are achievable through advanced algorithmic modeling and digitisation.

This suits someone who possesses deep domain knowledge in sustainability but speaks the language of data scientists and software engineers fluently. You should be a visionary leader comfortable navigating complex corporate structures while remaining focused on tangible technological delivery.

Job FAQs

What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

The Sustainability AI and Digitalisation Lead is responsible for defining and executing the digital roadmap for the Corporate Sustainability department. This involves translating complex environmental and social goals into actionable AI and data-driven use cases, ensuring that technology serves as a primary driver for the company's sustainability strategy. You will lead the AI enablement strategy, providing direct support to the Environmental and Social Responsibility teams. This includes managing the end-to-end digital value chain, from initial business case development for new tools to the final implementation of digital insights that support top management decision-making.

Key learning opportunities for this job

In this role, you will gain unparalleled exposure to the integration of cutting-edge AI into the sustainability framework of a global organization. You will deepen your expertise in how data governance and advanced analytics such as Python-based modeling can be applied to solve real-world problems like circular economy logistics and equitable healthcare access. Furthermore, you will have the chance to collaborate with world-class institutions and global organizations like the World Economic Forum or WHO. This fosters a unique learning environment where you can stay at the forefront of technological shifts while contributing to international sustainability standards and benchmarks.

How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?

The ideal candidate brings at least five years of deep experience in Social and Environmental Sustainability. While technical AI knowledge is essential, the company prioritizes a candidate who understands the nuances of ESG domains first, with the ability to secondary apply digital and technical solutions to those specific challenges. You should hold a Master’s or PhD in a field like Data Science, Engineering, or Sustainability. Beyond your technical grasp of coding languages and data governance, you must be a strong communicator who can navigate a fast-paced environment and build bridges between technical developers and non-technical business leaders.

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, emphasize your experience in bridging the gap between sustainability theory and digital practice. Instead of just listing certifications, provide concrete examples of where you successfully translated a sustainability problem into a digital solution that delivered measurable value or improved decision-making. Research Novo Nordisk’s specific Circular for Zero and social impact initiatives. Highlighting an understanding of the pharmaceutical industry’s unique regulatory and data privacy landscape in your cover letter will demonstrate that you are prepared for the complexities of a highly regulated healthcare environment.

What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?

This role sits at the heart of the company's 'Circular for Zero' environmental strategy and its social commitment to equitable access. You will focus on creating the digital architecture needed to track and reduce CO2 emissions across the entire supply chain while also modeling ways to reach underserved populations. By leveraging AI, you will help the company move toward predictive sustainability, allowing the organization to simulate the impact of business decisions on their ESG targets before they are even made, specifically focusing on circularity and carbon mitigation.

What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?

One of the primary challenges will be the alignment of diverse legacy systems and data sources across a global organization with over 60,000 employees. Ensuring data quality and standardized governance across different regions and functions requires significant persistence and diplomatic stakeholder management. Additionally, you will need to manage the speed of technological evolution versus the slower pace of corporate implementation. Keeping the AI strategy relevant while navigating the strict regulatory and legal requirements of the pharmaceutical industry can be a complex balancing act.

How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?

A typical day might begin with a sprint review alongside data scientists in Denmark and India to track the progress of a new sustainability dashboard. Mid-morning could involve a strategic meeting with the Head of Social Responsibility to discuss how AI can better identify gaps in global treatment accessibility. Your afternoon might be spent building business cases for new digital investments or presenting insights to senior leadership regarding the latest technological trends from academic partners. The day usually ends with stakeholder outreach to ensure the digital roadmap remains aligned with broader corporate goals.

What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?

Within a global leader like Novo Nordisk, this role offers high visibility, placing you in the CEO Office's orbit. Successfully delivering an AI-driven sustainability transformation can lead to senior executive roles in digital transformation, global sustainability leadership, or strategic operations. The department is currently expanding its digital footprint, meaning there is significant potential for lateral moves into specialized data science leadership or high-level corporate strategy positions, given the increasing importance of data-led ESG reporting in the financial markets.

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

You will regularly interact with senior leadership within Corporate Sustainability and the CEO Office. Collaboration is also frequent with the Data and Analytics head, as well as the specialized Environmental and Social Responsibility departments that rely on your digital tools. External stakeholders are equally important, including academic researchers, technology providers, and international organizations such as UNICEF or the NNF. You act as the primary interface between these external experts and the internal technical teams responsible for building the company's sustainability data foundation.

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