Lead Data Engineer (Ballerup, Capital Region of Denmark, DK)
About this opportunity
Lead Data Engineer
Location - Ballerup
Your new role
The Lead Data Engineer in the Commercial AI & Data department is responsible for designing, developing, and implementing data foundation & assets. They are entrusted with making independent decisions on the selection of suitable approaches, and techniques for data preparation and rendering.
You will be part of a business area that drives impact across the full Novo Nordisk value chain. We strive to stay close to our stakeholders in the business to ensure we deliver on their needs, helping reach millions of people living with serious chronic diseases. Our focus is on being at the forefront within our three areas; ensuring the highest quality for patients, being a trusted tech leader and an environmentally responsible business.
Your key responsibilities include:
Data Architecture & Platform Design
Design enterprise-scale data architectures and data pipelines.
Define data models, storage strategies, and integration patterns.
Establish standards for data ingestion, transformation, and consumption.
Evaluate and recommend technologies for data solution development.
2. Data Pipeline Development
Lead the development of robust ETL/ELT pipelines.
Build and optimize batch and real-time data processing solutions.
Ensure high data quality, reliability, and performance.
Troubleshoot and resolve complex data engineering issues.
3. Technical Leadership
Provide technical direction to data engineers.
Conduct architecture reviews and code reviews.
Mentor and coach data engineers.
Establish engineering best practices, design patterns, and development standards.
4. Data Governance & Security
Implement data governance frameworks and standards.
Ensure compliance with security, privacy, and regulatory requirements.
Define metadata management, lineage, and data cataloging strategies.
Drive master data and data quality initiatives.
5. Stakeholder Management
Collaborate with business stakeholders, data scientists, analysts, and AI product teams.
Translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions.
Influence platform roadmaps and prioritization decisions.
Communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
6. AI & Analytics Enablement
Build data foundations that support AI, ML, and advanced analytics.
Develop feature stores and data products for AI use cases.
Enable self-service analytics capabilities.
Ensure data availability and reliability for model development and deployment.
7. Performance Optimization
Optimize data processing performance and costs.
Review platform health, reliability, and scalability and develop action plans.
Implement observability, monitoring, and alerting solutions.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives.
8. Delivery & Project Leadership
Lead delivery of large-scale data engineering projects.
Manage technical risks and dependencies.
Coordinate work across multiple teams.
Ensure projects are delivered with quality, within scope, and on schedule
Your new department:
The Lead Data Engineer in the Commercial AI & Data department is responsible for designing, developing, and implementing data foundation & assets. They are entrusted with making independent decisions on the selection of suitable approaches, and techniques for data preparation and rendering.
Skills & Qualifications.
Master’s degree in computer science, Statistics, Engineering, or a related field.
8+ years of experience in data engineering, data architecture, data product development, with a focus on designing, developing and delivering large-scale data initiatives.
In-depth knowledge of cloud and data platforms: Azure, Databricks, AWS, and Snowflake.
Hands-on programming experience in Python, SQL, and Spark.
Deep expertise in ETL/ELT design, data modeling, data warehousing/lake, streaming technologies (Kafka, events hubs).
Strong DataOps & DevOps background in Git, CI/CD pipelines, docker/Kubernetes.
Experience working with cross-functional, matrix teams.
Proven experience in delivering large-scale data initiatives.
Solid understanding of MDM, Data Quality, Lineage, Catalog, and Policy Management tools and practices.
In‑depth understanding and practical experience with architecture, implementation, DevOps and support for Data solutions.
Highly proficient in English and able to communicate with all levels.
Experience in pharmaceutical or regulated industries is beneficial but not mandatory.
Working at Novo Nordisk
Every day we seek the solutions that defeat serious chronic diseases. To do this, we approach our work with determination, constant curiosity and a commitment to finding better ways forward. For over 100 years, this dedication has driven us to build a company focused on lasting change for long-term health. One where diverse thinking, shared purpose and mutual respect come together to create extraordinary results. When you join us, you're not just starting a job – you're becoming part of a story that spans generations.
What we offer
There is, of course, more on offer here than the uniqueness of our culture and the extraordinary results we produce. Being part of a global healthcare company means opportunities to learn and develop are all around us, while our benefits are designed with your career and life stage in mind.
Salary
For this role, the Annual B ase S alary ranges from 742,600.00 to 1,091,600.00 DKK, corresponding to the level of the position.
The placement within the salary range will be assessed during the recruitment process based on the candidate’s skills, competencies, knowledge, and relevant experience.
Incentives and Benefits: The salary package may include short-term and/or long-term incentives as well as other employee benefits based on position level, location, functional area and relevant market benchmarks.
We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.
At Novo Nordisk, we're not chasing quick fixes – we're creating lasting change for long-term health. For over 100 years, we've 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 what's possible in healthcare. We embrace diverse perspectives, seek out bold ideas, and build partnerships rooted in shared purpose. Together, we're making healthcare more accessible, treating and preventing 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.
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Job details
How this role compares
Computed from every other active Data & Digital role in our database, not just this employer's listings.
We currently track 292 comparable Data & Digital roles across 41 biopharma companies.
Salary context
60 of 292 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)
Peers share this role's job function. This posting doesn't list a seniority level, so peers aren't narrowed by seniority either -- the range below may span more levels than usual.
Where these roles are based
Top locations among the 292 comparable roles
+ 14 more countries
Seniority mix
158 of 292 peers have a known seniority level
Therapeutic area mix
6 of 292 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden
Similar opportunities
The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.
Matched on job function only -- seniority, specialty, and location weren't confirmed as aligned.
Matched on job function only -- seniority, specialty, and location weren't confirmed as aligned.
Matched on job function only -- seniority, specialty, and location weren't confirmed as aligned.
Matched on job function only -- seniority, specialty, and location weren't confirmed as aligned.
Matched on job function only -- seniority, specialty, and location weren't confirmed as aligned.
How we calculate "similar"
No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.
Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.
0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.