Lead Data Engineer - Expand and Operate Novo Holdings Next-Gen Data Platform

Description
Do you want to build and ship at scale with a global impact? and do you want to have an impact on managing the assets for the world’s largest enterprise foundation? Then we are looking for you to become part of our Data & Analytics team as our Lead Data Engineer.

Novo Holdings is a world-leading life science investor, driven by the purpose of improving people’s health and the sustainability of the planet. Since 1999 we have been investing to promote ground-breaking solutions in healthcare and bio-sustainability while generating attractive returns for the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s grant-giving activities – supporting scientific, humanitarian, and social causes.

The Team
You’ll be part of the broader Data & Analytics team, combined of Data, Platform, AI, and Software Engineers. We are responsible for building Novo Holdings’ entire data landscape and tailored software and AI products to provide our organisation with a differentiated view across sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio management - as well as the single, trusted entry point to all of Novo Holdings’ digital capabilities. Unify our internally developed AI capabilities, reporting solutions, external vendor systems, and data sources into one governed, high-performance platform.

You’ll join a culture that values curiosity and encourages you to experiment and challenge assumptions. We pride ourselves on our product mindset, high velocity, and obsession with solving real user problems end-to-end.

About the Role
We are seeking a Lead Data Engineer to design, build, and maintain the backbone of our data platform. You will play a key role in architecting and implementing robust, scalable, and secure data solutions that support analytics, AI, and ML use cases. This is a hands-on role that blends technical depth with stakeholder collaboration and delivery ownership.

The Job
Your key responsibilities are:

• Lead the design and development of data pipelines and products using Azure, Databricks, and dbt

• Manage infrastructure provisioning and deployments with Terraform and Azure DevOps

• Implement CI/CD workflows, version control, and automation practices using Git and Azure DevOps

• Develop and maintain data transformations, models, and orchestration logic in Databricks, leveraging features such as Unity Catalog and Autoloader

• Build and deploy Python applications and PySpark data processing solutions

• Apply best practices in data modelling across structured and unstructured data sources

• Ensure system-to-platform and system-to-system integrations where the data platform serves as the intermediate layer

• Enable (near) real-time data processing and delivery capabilities

• Contribute to the development of the semantic layer, connecting data products to business logic

• Oversee production stability, monitoring, and daily operational excellence of data solutions

Professional Qualifications
Many paths can lead to the position of a Lead Data Engineer at Novo Holdings. We expect that you have 5+ years of experience in the field of Data Engineering, with a MSc or PhD in Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science or similar. Experience from an international environment, private or financial organisations is not a must but a plus. We believe that to succeed in the role it is more important that you have demonstrated problem-solving skills and a curious mind.

In addition, you are comfortable and familiar with:

• Azure cloud ecosystem

• Databricks (Unity Catalog, Autoloader, orchestration, environment management)

• Terraform for IaC provisioning

• dbt for data transformations and modelling

• Python (and PySpark) and SQL for pipeline and data product development

• Azure DevOps and Git for CI/CD and version control

• Experience working with both structured and unstructured data

• Exposure to (near) real-time data processing frameworks

• Strong stakeholder management and the ability to translate between business needs and technical requirements

• Understanding of semantic layers and their role in connecting data to business use cases

• Hands-on experience deploying Python applications into Databricks workspaces

Personal Qualifications
As a person you are:

• Outcome- and impact-oriented, with a strong product mindset

• Skilled at long-term thinking and setting technical standards for quality and maintainability

• Curious, structured, and proactive in solving complex problems

• Able to operate independently while contributing actively to a team-oriented environment

• Comfortable interacting with both technical specialists and business stakeholders, and able to communicate clearly and constructively

Working at Novo Holdings
Our work environment is driven by purpose and values, and we strive to be recognised by our stakeholders and people as an exceptional enterprise. We employ more than 230 professionals from various nationalities and backgrounds, all sharing the same goal: To generate attractive long-term returns on the assets of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Our investment teams are spread across offices in San Francisco, Boston, London, Singapore, Mumbai, Shanghai, and our headquarters just north of Copenhagen in Hellerup.

Contact
We are looking to fill the position as soon as possible and will conduct interviews on an ongoing basis. Please submit your application no later than 4 January 2026, including your CV and a cover letter that explains your motivation and how you have created value and impact in your previous roles.

If you have any questions, please contact Head of Data & Analytics, Mark van der Bourgh Lange at e-mail: [email protected]

Copenhagen