Corporate Counsel Jobs

About The Position

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
• Active member in good standing of at least one U.S. state bar and eligible to practice as in-house counsel in California, as applicable.
• Approximately 8 or more years of relevant legal experience.
• Meaningful experience advising on legal matters relating to pharmaceutical or biotechnology research, clinical development, or clinical operations.
• Significant experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex agreements.
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently and serve as a trusted legal advisor to business and functional leaders.
• Excellent legal judgment and ability to assess legal risk, distinguish material risks from manageable business risks, and recommend practical solutions.
• Strong understanding of the legal and regulatory environment applicable to pharmaceutical and biotechnology research and development.
• Working knowledge of data privacy and data protection considerations relevant to global R&D activities, including recognizing when specialized Privacy counsel should be engaged.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills, including handling complex and non-standard contractual issues.
• Ability to translate complex legal, regulatory, and privacy requirements into clear, practical guidance for scientific, clinical, and business stakeholders.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with ability to understand scientific and business objectives and incorporate them into legal advice.
• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills and ability to collaborate across Legal and highly matrixed cross-functional teams.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, exercise sound judgment, and work autonomously in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to identify process improvements and develop scalable legal tools, templates, and approaches.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including explaining complex legal issues to stakeholders with varying levels of legal expertise.
• Self-starter who takes ownership while recognizing when to engage subject-matter experts or escalate significant issues.
• High degree of integrity, professionalism, accountability, and commitment to quality.

Nice To Haves

• Relevant experience in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry and/or at a law firm advising life sciences clients.
• Experience with clinical trial agreements, CRO and clinical vendor agreements, research agreements, and other agreements supporting R&D activities.
• Knowledge of FDA and EMA regulatory frameworks, ICH Good Clinical Practice, and data privacy and protection requirements relevant to global clinical research.
• Experience advising cross-functional teams and working effectively within a complex, global, highly matrixed organization.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a primary legal advisor to assigned R&D functions, programs, and teams, providing strategic, practical, solutions-oriented counsel throughout research and clinical development.
• Advise on legal issues associated with global Phase 1 through Phase 4 clinical studies, registries, and related development activities, including trial conduct, informed consent, data privacy, data handling and transfers, research activities, and interactions with research partners.
• Draft, negotiate, and advise on agreements supporting R&D, including clinical trial, CRO, clinical vendor, research, consulting, confidentiality, and data-use agreements.
• Partner with R&D stakeholders to structure arrangements and develop solutions balancing legal, regulatory, and privacy risk with scientific, operational, and business objectives.
• Identify, assess, and communicate material legal risks, and recommend actionable risk mitigation and resolution to R&D leaders and other decision-makers.
• Review and advise on clinical trial and research-related documents, including informed consent forms, privacy notices, data-use documentation, and clinical trial submission materials.
• Provide guidance on laws, regulations, and industry standards governing clinical research and development, including FDA and EMA requirements, ICH Good Clinical Practice, and applicable data privacy and protection requirements.
• Work across Legal and with R&D stakeholders to resolve novel or complex legal issues that could affect research or development activities.
• Serve as a senior escalation point for complex or non-standard R&D contracting matters and guide contracts professionals and other Legal colleagues.
• Develop and improve contract templates, playbooks, guidance, and other resources to support efficient, consistent, scalable R&D legal support.
• Identify opportunities to streamline legal and contracting processes, clarify roles and decision rights, and appropriately use standardized approaches and technology.
• Provide training and education to R&D teams, contracts professionals, and other stakeholders on contracting, clinical research, data privacy, and other relevant legal topics.
• Monitor developments in laws, regulations, and industry practices relevant to research and clinical development and advise stakeholders of potential organizational impacts.
• Promote collaboration and effective communication among Legal, R&D, and other cross-functional stakeholders.
• Support other strategic R&D initiatives and Legal department priorities as needed.
• Support the organization’s environmental protection, injury prevention, and continual improvement commitments by identifying hazards, reporting incidents, and participating in EHS initiatives and training.