Research Associate, Chemical Development

Novo Nordisk AS

Boulder, CO

JOB DETAILS
SALARY
$75,452–$92,220 Per Year
SKILLS
Analysis Skills, Biology, Chemistry, Chronic Disease, Communication Skills, Compensation Management, Cross-Functional, Customer Support/Service, Data Analysis, Detail Oriented, Disease, Educational Technology, Employee Assistance Plan, Environmental Impact, Healthcare, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), High School Diploma, Identify Issues, Laboratory, Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Notebook, Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS), Manufacturing, Manufacturing/Industrial Processes, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Nucleic Acid, Organic Chemistry, Process Development, Process Improvement, Regulations, Reporting Skills, Research & Development (R&D), Safety/Work Safety, Scalable System Development, Team Player, Technical Operations, Time Management, UV/VIS (Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy), Willing to Travel, Writing Skills
LOCATION
Boulder, CO
POSTED
7 days ago

About the Department

The Boulder Site is home to the specialized technical operations/CMC team for oligonucleotides and RNAi therapeutics. The CMC team works alongside Quality, Regulatory, Technical Operations and RNAi Early Development professionals at our Boulder, Colorado facility and works closely with our teams in Lexington, Massachusetts. Together, we are driving change. Are you ready to make a difference.

The Position

Novo Nordisk Global Nucleic Acid Therapies (GNAT) is seeking highly motivated scientists to join its CMC Chemical Development team in Boulder, Colorado. The candidate will be expected to be a key technical resource developing innovative solutions for scalable syntheses, work-up, purifications, and isolations of oligonucleotides, establishing improvements in purity, yield, reproducibility, throughput and environmental impact. The successful candidate will ideally have a strong organic chemistry understanding with exposure to principles of process development, optimization, scale up and tech transfer into a manufacturing setting. This position will support therapeutic programs in multiple disease areas and will contribute to the development of scalable processes supporting Novo Nordisk oligonucleotide programs. Qualified candidates will be expected to work well in a collaborative team environment and be able to independently execute research across a wide range of oligonucleotide and organic chemistry projects.

Relationships

Reports to a more senior position within the Chemical development department. Manages mutually beneficial relationships within entire Technical Operations group. This may include external partners relevant to the planning and implementation of bulk manufacturing of oligonucleotide API. Provides excellent customer service and builds strong working relationships within Chemical Development and internal/external partners.

Essential Functions

  • Provide research and development support of current chemical development projects utilizing state of the art techniques for preparation and analysis of oligonucleotides or nucleic acids
  • Conduct laboratory work in safe, clean, efficient manner that ensures a safe working environment for colleagues
  • Characterize starting materials, intermediates, and synthesized molecules using common analytical techniques such as HPLC, LCMS, NMR, GC, KF, and UV-Vis
  • Develop and optimize all elements of chemical transformations including reaction conditions, workup, purification and isolation. Ensure robustness and reproducibility of developed processes
  • Work within Technical Operations team to optimize current manufacturing processes for key oligonucleotide intermediates and reagents for oligonucleotide synthesis
  • Document and summarize results in laboratory notebook, and written reports. Capable of drawing valid conclusions from concrete and abstract variables
  • Contribute to the team's knowledge through scientific literature review and discussions
  • Maintain and troubleshoot common laboratory equipment
  • Support development and authoring of research reports to provide to internal and external manufacturing teams
  • Ability to complete assignments that meet clearly defined deadlines and time schedules

Physical Requirements

0-10% overnight travel required. Ability to lift 0-10 lbs.

Qualifications

  • BA/BS or Master's degree in Chemistry, Biology or related field with 0 years of industrial experience, or a High School Diploma with 8+ years relevant lab experience
  • Ability to follow technical instructions with some independence
  • Demonstratable laboratory skills in synthetic organic chemistry and/or oligonucleotide synthesis, characterization, and purification
  • Solid understanding of synthetic organic chemistry and/or oligonucleotide relevant reactions and mechanisms
  • Detail-oriented in both data analysis and project timelines
  • Self-motivated with a proactive mindset
  • The successful candidate must possess excellent writing and communication skills and a demonstrated ability to work independently and with cross-functional teams
  • Ability to thrive in a multi-disciplinary and fast-paced research environment with tight deadlines

The base compensation range for this position is $75,452 to $92,220. Base compensation is determined based on a number of factors. This position is also eligible for a company bonus based on individual and company performance. Novo Nordisk offers long-term incentive compensation and or company vehicles depending on the positions level or other company factors.

Employees are also eligible to participate in Company employee benefit programs including medical, dental and vision coverage; life insurance; disability insurance; 401(k) savings plan; flexible spending accounts; employee assistance program; tuition reimbursement program; and voluntary benefits such as group legal, critical illness, identity theft protection, pet insurance and auto/home insurance. The Company also offers time off pursuant to its sick time policy, flex-able vacation policy, and parental leave policy.

The job posting is anticipated to close on July 14, 2026. The Company may however extend this time-period, in which case the posting will remain available on our careers website at www.novonordisk-us/careers.com.

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

At Novo Nordisk, were not chasing quick fixes - were creating lasting change for long-term health. For over 100 years, weve been driven by a single purpose: to defeat serious chronic diseases and help millions of people live healthier lives. This dedication fuels our constant curiosity and inspires us to push the boundaries of whats possible in healthcare. We embrace diverse perspectives, seek out bold ideas, and build partnerships rooted in shared purpose. Together, were making healthcare more accessible, treating and defeating diseases, and pioneering solutions that create change spanning generations. When you join us, you become part of something bigger - a legacy of impact that reaches far beyond today.

Novo Nordisk is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations.

If you are interested in applying to Novo Nordisk and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply, please call us at 1-855-411-5290. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

About the Company

N

Novo Nordisk AS

Working at Novo Nordisk

 

Life-changing careers

Starting a career at Novo Nordisk is more than getting a job. It is an opportunity to improve the lives of millions of people living with a serious chronic disease.

Whether you are a part of supplying insulin for patients around the world, discovering the next breakthrough at one of our state-of-the-art research centres, working with us is truly life-changing.

 

We are inspired by life

We are a proud life-science company on a mission to ensure that people living with a chronic disease can live a full life. Millions rely on us.

We’re inspired by life in all its forms and shapes, ups and downs, opportunities and challenges. From our colleagues in the lab, working to change lives through pioneering break-through treatments, to our colleagues putting sustainability at the core of our processes and working to prolong the life of our planet, this mission to improve lives is at the core of our every action.

 

Together we drive change

Change is a constant — change in lifestyle, change in technology, change all over. At Novo Nordisk, we don’t wait for change. We drive it.

We’re a dynamic company in an even more dynamic industry, and we know that what got us to where we are today is not necessarily what will make us successful in the future.

That’s why we continuously push to improve the way we work and the lives of the patients we serve, creating innovative solutions that fit the way people want to live. To accomplish this, we embrace a spirit of open-mindedness and experimentation, striving for excellence without fixating on perfection.

 

Together, we are life-changing

Our company is our people. We know that life is anything but linear and balancing what is important at different stages of our career is never easy. That’s why we make room for diverse life situations, always putting people first. We want to ensure that every employee can achieve a work-life balance that supports their current priorities and where they want to go next.

 

Your development starts here

We value our employees for the unique skills, backgrounds and perspectives they bring to the table. We work continuously to help bring out the best in all of our people, offering opportunities for development and creating an environment of mobility within the company. We strive to offer a workplace that’s great to be in and to be from.

It is very important to us that anyone working with us feels empowered as an employee and as a person. We all should have the opportunity to act fast, make decisions and be agile. 

With a career at our company, you will feel a difference right from the start. A sense of inspiration that comes from a shared belief in driving positive change for people, families and communities everywhere, and it’s a collective effort. We rely on the joint potential and collaboration of our more than 45,000 employees.

In the video above, meet  Marie Darting, one of our scientists, and hear more about her work as a formulation scientist, her perspective on development plans and the impact she feels her work has on people living with a chronic disease.

 

Who we are

We were founded in 1923 and today we are a global healthcare company headquartered just outside Copenhagen, Denmark.

Our purpose is to drive change to defeat diabetes and other serious chronic diseases, such as obesity and rare blood and endocrine disorders. We do so by pioneering  scientific breakthroughs, expanding  access to our medicines , and working to prevent and ultimately cure diabetes.

With almost 100 years of experience, one of the broadest diabetes product portfolios in the healthcare industry, as well as an award-winning pipeline of innovative products, our success is built on our company values – the Novo Nordisk Way.

COMPANY SIZE
2,500 to 4,999 employees
INDUSTRY
Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals
FOUNDED
1923
WEBSITE
https://www.novonordisk.com/