Global Head of Legal Operations

Roche • San Francisco, CA

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

At Roche, we foster a culture where individuality is embraced, and personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections are encouraged. We value, accept, and respect everyone for who they are, enabling personal and professional growth. Our mission is to prevent, stop, and cure diseases, ensuring universal access to healthcare for present and future generations. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

This position can be based in Basel, Switzerland, or South San Francisco, US. We are open to considering other Roche locations in Europe and the Americas (North & Central) depending on the selected candidate. Please note that fully remote working is not an option for this role.

Are you ready to shape the future of legal operations for a global healthcare leader? As our Global Head of Legal Operations, you will join our Legal & Compliance strategy & operations team to lead, transform, and scale our global operations function supporting over 700 legal professionals worldwide. You will play a pivotal role in architecting a tech-augmented delivery model, advancing our digital capabilities, and driving our long-term strategy to empower our teams and deliver exceptional business value.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive leadership in legal operations within a large, matrixed multinational organization, with a proven track record of driving operating model transformations.
• Expertise in enterprise legal data architecture, generative AI/LLM frameworks, and driving large-scale digital adoption.
• Influential, visionary change leader who excels at upskilling multidisciplinary teams and shifting culture toward agility and tech fluency.
• Deep executive presence, with the ability to communicate strategic narratives and operational insights effectively to executive committees and C-suite stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Law, Information Technology, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degrees or certifications in Legal Operations or Change Management are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the multi-year global legal operations strategy to drive efficiency, mitigate risk, and support the achievement of our 2030 Data & Digital Ambitions.
• Establish and steer a global service delivery model, strategically integrating internal teams, legal service hubs, alternative legal service providers (ALSPs), and panel firms.
• Architect our global legal systems and data framework, enforcing single sources of truth across systems of record and engagement.
• Oversee a global legal knowledge strategy that transforms advice and playbooks into structured data assets accessible to teams and automated AI solutions.
• Deploy AI-powered, agentic self-service tools within core business systems to embed automated legal guardrails for routine tasks.
• Establish operational KPIs and real-time analytics to monitor emerging risks, streamline contract cycle times, and turn legal data into strategic business intelligence.
• Champion change leadership and a culture of innovation, empowering legal professionals through modern ways of working and collaborative decision-making.

Benefits

• Pay transparency details are provided based on the primary posting location. For this role, the primary location is Basel. If you are interested in additional locations where the role may be available, we will provide the relevant compensation details later in the hiring process.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive