Director, Precision Proteins and Inorganic Growth

Interested in a career that matters?

Are you ready to shape new avenues of growth in Human Health and turn emerging opportunities into businesses with meaningful impact?

Human Health Biosolutions is a key growth area for Novonesis, with a broad portfolio spanning probiotics, prebiotics, HMOs, postbiotics, enzymes, novel vitamins, protein ingredients and emerging technologies. In this senior leadership role, you will sit at the intersection of strategy, science and commercial opportunity, leading our Precision Proteins agenda while actively pursuing inorganic growth opportunities across Human Health.

You will lead a team of experienced Business Developers, Commercial Leads and Strategy & Partnerships Managers and collaborate extensively across Novonesis and with external partners. Your ambition will be clear: accelerate near-term growth while building the platforms and partnerships that can unlock our longer-term potential.

The Role & Your Impact

As Director, Precision Proteins and Inorganic Growth, you will lead two strategically important growth agendas.

You will lead the strategic development and growth of Precision Proteins in Early Life and Specialized Nutrition, shaping how we turn the potential of precision fermentation into differentiated protein ingredients and new commercial opportunities. Complementing this long-term growth agenda, you will drive inorganic growth across Human Health through external innovation, licensing, minority investments, strategic partnerships and potential acquisitions.

This is a highly strategic and commercially oriented leadership role requiring you to navigate complex opportunities, make clear portfolio choices and mobilize diverse stakeholders behind a common direction.

Your key responsibilities will be to:

• Set the direction for Precision Proteins, accelerating its development and commercial growth in Early Life and Specialized Nutrition as a long-term growth platform for Human Health and Novonesis.

• Drive inorganic growth in Human Health, identifying and actively pursuing opportunities across external innovation, licensing, minority investments, third-party partnerships and potential acquisitions.

• Steer the innovation strategy and portfolio, including strategic partnerships and external projects, while driving clear prioritization of resources and investments.

• Shape Human Health's broader innovation agenda as part of the Strategic Marketing leadership team, enabling a holistic and commercially driven approach across Dietary Supplements, Early Life and Specialized Nutrition.

• Build powerful internal and external partnerships, collaborating across Commercial, R&D, M&A, IP, Regulatory Affairs and Operations as well as with start-ups, strategic partners, customers and the broader M&A ecosystem.

• Lead and develop a high-performing team, setting a compelling direction, creating clarity on goals and priorities, and building a strong One Novonesis mindset.
  

What You’ll Need to Be Successful

We are looking for an accomplished leader who can connect strategy with execution and bridge commercial and technical perspectives.

To succeed in the role, you will bring:

• A relevant master's degree within a business or technical field, such as an MSc or MBA.

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience, with demonstrated leadership experience and a track record of driving both short- and long-term growth.

• Relevant business development experience, preferably within a B2B environment and Early Life and/or Specialized Nutrition.

• Strong strategic and commercial judgement combined with the ability to understand technical opportunities and translate complexity into clear choices and actions.

• Proven ability to lead and influence across functions, organizational boundaries and seniority levels.

• Strong analytical capabilities and a structured, results-oriented approach, with the tenacity to bring complex initiatives to completion.

• Confidence operating in an international environment and building trusted relationships from peers to executive stakeholders.

• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Additional Skills & Interests We Value

Beyond your experience, you will thrive here if you are energized by ambiguity, pace, and the opportunity to build something new.

You bring an enterprise mindset and naturally look beyond organizational boundaries to find the best solution for Novonesis. You create followership through clarity and trust, remain composed when several complex workstreams compete for attention, and combine ambition with a strong sense of accountability.

You enjoy bringing different perspectives together and creating momentum with commercial, scientific and external stakeholders around opportunities that do not always have an obvious playbook.

What We Offer

This is an opportunity to help shape the next chapter of growth in Human Health.

Novonesis is a global leader in biosolutions and precision fermentation at industrial scale. The role gives you the opportunity to combine that foundation with an ambitious external growth agenda and help unlock the potential of precision fermentation for high-value health and nutrition ingredients.

You will be positioned at the center of strategic decision-making, working across commercial and technical disciplines and engaging with senior internal stakeholders, innovative companies, strategic partners and customers. Just as importantly, you will have the opportunity to develop a talented team and establish the direction and partnerships that can create growth over both the short and long term.

Ways of Working / Working Conditions

The position is based in Denmark, ideally Lyngby, and follows a hybrid working model with the majority of time spent in the office.

You should expect approximately 10–20% travel, reflecting the international scope of the position and its engagement with internal and external stakeholders.

Relevant information

For questions about the position, please contact Daniel Albuquerque at dac@novonesis.com or Linda Neckmar, at line@novonesis.com.

Application deadline: 11th of November 2026

Our purpose guides the way

In Novonesis, we know that solutions rooted in biology can help solve humanity’s biggest challenges. Since we began more than a century ago, this has been our guide. It’s how we've gotten so far. And it’s how we'll impact the future. Now, more than ever, the world needs change. And with biosolutions, the possibilities for transformation are endless. If our purpose resonates with you, we encourage you to apply.

Opportunities for everyone

We are committed to an inclusive recruitment process and equal opportunity for all applicants. Therefore we ask you to apply without a cover letter or photo and instead include a few sentences in your CV explaining your motivation for applying.

We make all employment decisions based on business needs and welcome candidates with a wide range of backgrounds, including ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status.

Explore other openings

If this position isn’t the right fit, you may still find other opportunities with us. You’re welcome to explore open roles or create a job agent to stay connected with future opportunities at novonesis.com/Career

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Our History

In 2024, Chr. Hansen and Novozymes joined forces to form Novonesis.

We are 10,000 people worldwide whose expertise spans more than 30 different industries. All around the world our biosolutions already create value for thousands of customers and benefit the planet. Our biosolutions enable feeding and fueling the world more sustainably, from healthy and sustainable nutrition to biofuel. Our biosolutions also reduce the use of fossil-based resources, chemicals, energy and water. And this is just the beginning.