Vice President, Corporate Transactions

Tessera Therapeutics•Somerville, MA

About The Position

The Vice President, Corporate Transactions is a strategic and business-oriented legal leader who thrives in a fast-paced, innovative environment. This role requires deep experience advising public companies on securities law, corporate governance, and complex corporate transactions, with the ability to translate legal requirements into practical business solutions. The individual will be a trusted partner capable of navigating ambiguity, exercising sound judgment, and providing clear, pragmatic guidance to senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders. As a key member of the Legal Leadership team, this role will lead and support a broad range of corporate matters, including SEC and Nasdaq compliance, capital markets activities, business development transactions, external communications, contracting, and governance initiatives. The position involves working across functions, influencing strategic decisions, and contributing to the continued growth and success of a publicly traded biotechnology company. Tessera leaders are described as empathetic and transparent coaches with a strong sense of integrity, committed to the growth and development of their teams, the organization, and themselves.

Requirements

J.D. from a fully accredited law school.
15+ years of industry-related experience.
5+ years in-house experience at a biopharmaceutical company with rare diseases business strongly preferred.
Good standing and licensed to practice law in one or more U.S. states.
Experience in drafting and negotiating licensing, M&A and complex contracting arrangements.
Sound judgment, mission driven, high integrity, and dedication to ethical conduct.
Excellent analytical, written, and verbal communication skills.
Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills.
Strong project management skills and ability to multi-task while still meeting high quality and timeliness standards.
A roll-up-your-sleeves, player-coach with the ability to work collaboratively with a pragmatic approach and a positive attitude in a results-driven, highly accountable environment.

Nice To Haves

Strong people leader experience effectively recruiting, leading, and retaining teams and inspiring others to maximize engagement and performance.
Experience in the preparation and review of SEC filings and compliance with SEC requirements.
Experience advising on investor relations matters, including review of earnings announcements, earnings scripts, press releases, investor presentations, investor communications, and other communications.
Ability to manage corporate governance and corporate secretarial duties for meetings of the company’s Board of Directors and its committees.
Experience supporting capital markets transactions, including equity offerings.
Knowledge of Internal Audit with SOX compliance matters.
Ability to manage outside counsel effectively and efficiently and adhere to a budget.

Responsibilities

Act as a business partner to senior management and internal constituencies (such as Business Development, Finance, Human Resources and R&D), providing solution-oriented legal advice, risk assessments and interpretations of sophisticated agreements.
Collaborate on strategic transactions, including capital markets and business development activities; lead legal due diligence activities; and draft, review and negotiate transaction-related documents.
Oversee general corporate law functions, including with respect to reporting and compliance, corporate governance, contracting, transactions and real estate.
Advise the Human Resources and Finance teams with respect to a variety of matters, including the company’s equity incentive programs.
Partner with cross-functional teams to develop communication strategies and review communication materials, including press releases, scripts, and investor relations presentations.
Work closely with the General Counsel, Human Resources, Finance, and others on matters related to the Board of Directors and its committees, including drafting resolutions and minutes, and attend meetings according to business needs.
Oversee cross-functional efforts to develop and implement policies and procedures and train employees contracting requirements, and other matters.
Manage outside counsel and the relevant portions of the Legal department’s budget.
Maintain a solid understanding of applicable laws, regulations, and enforcement actions to identify emerging risks, keep management advised, and implement policies and training programs, as needed.