Sustainability & Impact professional (12-month parental leave cover)

At Novo Holdings, we are offering an opportunity to join our Sustainability & Impact team as a Sustainability & Impact professional on a 12-month parental leave cover. In this role, you will contribute to advancing Novo Holdings’ responsible investment agenda and support investment teams across the organisation. 

The team and role 

Novo Holdings aims to be a leading responsible investor. We integrate ESG considerations into investment decisions and support selected portfolio companies in maturing their sustainability practices and setting science-based targets, while pursuing our ambition to invest 10 per cent of assets in the green transition. The Sustainability & Impact team drives Novo Holdings’ responsible investment and sustainability strategy and its execution across the organisation. 

The team supports investment teams throughout the investment lifecycle through ESG due diligence, portfolio company engagement, and monitoring. The team is also responsible for sustainability reporting. 

As part of the Sustainability & Impact team, you will join a highly collaborative group of experienced professionals. You will contribute to core sustainability processes and projects, act as a trusted sparring partner to investment teams, and support the continued development of Novo Holdings’ sustainability approach. 

Your responsibilities will include: 

• Performing ESG due diligence on private companies, including identifying material sustainability topics, steering third-party consultants, and preparing assessments for the investment committee. 

• Engaging with portfolio companies across company stages and ownership structures to support sustainability progress and provide subject matter expertise to help prioritise efforts. 

• Contributing to the continuous development, improvement, and streamlining of sustainability and ESG processes and tools, ensuring they are fit for purpose and decision-relevant, including through data and AI-enabled digital solutions. 

• Managing sustainability-related projects, analyses, and communication, as well as the further operationalisation of Novo Holdings’ impact framework. 

• Acting as a sparring partner to colleagues across the Sustainability & Impact team and investment teams. 

Professional qualifications 

We are looking for a candidate who brings: 

• Approximately four to seven years of experience within sustainability, ESG, or responsible investment, ideally from private equity, consulting, or a relevant corporate sustainability role. 

• Solid experience with ESG due diligence or corporate sustainability strategy work, combined with a strategic mindset and clear communication. 

• Experience in applying sustainability and ESG considerations in a practical and commercially grounded way, ensuring relevance for company value creation and investment decision-making. 

• The ability to quickly understand new business models and sectors and translate this understanding into relevant sustainability risks and opportunities. 

• Strong analytical and project management skills, with the ability to distil complex topics into clear, decision-relevant insights. 

• A relevant master’s degree, for example in finance, economics, sustainability, or a related field. 

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint, and full professional proficiency in English. 

Personal qualifications 

As a person, you are: 

• Curious, ambitious, and motivated by contributing to long-term sustainable value creation. 

• Structured, pragmatic, and solution-oriented, with the ability to work independently and drive projects to completion. 

• Confident in engaging and constructively challenging stakeholders, while thriving in a collaborative team environment. 

• Able to prioritise effectively and manage multiple workstreams in parallel. 

• A trusted and reliable colleague with high ethical standards and personal integrity. 

Join us 

The role is based at our headquarters in Hellerup, just north of Copenhagen, where we share premises with the Novo Nordisk Foundation. We offer a purpose-driven and international working environment, with close collaboration across investment teams and functions. Novo Holdings aims to be recognised as an exceptional enterprise by both stakeholders and employees. We value diversity and collaboration, and we offer strong opportunities for professional development. 

Application 

We are looking to fill the position as soon as possible. Please submit your application no later than 19 February 2026, including your CV and a cover letter that explains your motivation and how you have created value and impact in your previous roles.  

The role requires regular presence at the office, with up to one day per week working from home. Please note that no relocation support is offered. 

About Novo Holdings 

Novo Holdings is a holding and investment company responsible for managing the assets and wealth of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Our purpose is to improve people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet by generating attractive long-term returns on the Foundation’s assets. 

Novo Holdings is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with additional offices in San Francisco, Boston, London, Singapore, Shanghai, and Mumbai. Novo Holdings is a leading global life sciences investor, investing in life science companies at all stages of development, with a portfolio of more than 180 companies. In addition to its life sciences activities, Novo Holdings manages a broad portfolio of public and private assets. As of year-end 2024, Novo Holdings had total assets of EUR 142 billion.