Head of Transactions and Contracting Legal

Role Summary

The Head of Transactions and Contracting Legal is a key member of the legal leadership team, acting as a strategic advisor to senior management, including the Head of Business Development, Chief Procurement Officer, and the Global General Counsel. This position leads high-impact legal support for transformative business initiatives such as mergers and acquisitions, in-licensing and out-licensing, collaborations, and strategic alliances. This role will oversee the transformation and simplification of contracting and drive the legal aspects of transactions to align with business objectives. Location: Boston, MA.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Transactions: Oversee the drafting, negotiation, and execution of complex agreements, including collaboration, licensing, and asset/share purchase agreements.
• Legal Counsel: Advise the Business Development team and executive management on deal strategy and execution.
• Due Diligence: Coordinate legal due diligence for potential transactions, collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• Contract Management & Oversight: Manage and transform the contracting function (excluding contract operations), maintain contract templates to standardize workflows globally and mitigate risk.
• Risk Management & Compliance: Identify legal risks in contractual arrangements and M&A activities, ensuring compliance with applicable regulations.
• Leadership & Team Management: Build and manage a high-performing legal team as well as oversee external counsel.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner with legal colleagues and business units to ensure seamless implementation of contractual commitments.

Qualifications

• Preferred: Juris Doctor (JD) degree and active license to practice law within the relevant region.
• Preferred: Extensive in-house experience in high-stakes negotiations, transactions, and contracts, with professional training in pharmaceutical law from a highly regarded law firm.
• Preferred: 15+ years of relevant post-qualification legal experience, particularly in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry.
• Preferred: Demonstrated progression of responsibility in in-house pharmaceutical or biotech legal roles.
• Preferred: Significant experience managing attorneys and legal professionals at all seniority levels.
• Preferred: Fluency in spoken and written English at a business level.
• Preferred: Comfortable managing complexity and ambiguity in a dynamic environment.
• Preferred: Strong team player with a proven ability to build effective working relationships globally and cross-functionally.
• Preferred: Business-oriented mindset with a solid understanding of business strategies and financial matters.
• Preferred: Ability to set and drive strategic priorities for the legal team in alignment with business goals and risk management.
• Preferred: Exceptional communication, presentation, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders.