Senior Director, Reseach and Development Counsel

Senior Director, Research and Development Counsel

Company: Madrigal Pharmaceuticals

Madrigal is a biopharmaceutical company pursuing novel therapeutics for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), also known as metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Our first therapy, Rezdiffra (resmetirom), was granted accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adults with NASH with moderate to advanced liver fibrosis (consistent with stages F2 to F3 fibrosis) and is being studied in a Phase 3 trial for the treatment of NASH with compensated cirrhosis.

Job Title

Senior Director, Research and Development (R&D) Counsel

Location

Conshohocken, PA/Hybrid

Department

Legal Affairs

Reports To

General Counsel

Employment Type

Full-Time

Position Summary

Madrigal Pharmaceuticals is seeking a highly skilled Senior Director, R&D Counsel to provide strategic legal support to our Research and Development teams. This individual will work across clinical development, regulatory affairs, and medical affairs to enable the advancement of Madrigal’s investigational and marketed products. The ideal candidate will bring a deep understanding of legal and regulatory frameworks supporting drug development, particularly in the areas of metabolic diseases such as MASH/NASH.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary legal advisor for R&D functions, including Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Translational Science, and Medical Affairs.
• Draft, negotiate, and manage a wide range of R&D agreements, including clinical trial agreements, research collaborations, vendor contracts, and data-sharing agreements.
• Provide legal counsel on U.S. and ex-U.S. regulatory strategy, clinical trial design, data privacy, patient engagement, and interactions with health authorities.
• Support development and implementation of compliance policies and training related to R&D activities.
• Advise on scientific and medical communication strategies, including publication review and external engagement with investigators and thought leaders.
• Partner with internal legal and business teams and external counsel to proactively manage legal risks and support business objectives.
• Monitor and interpret regulatory and legal developments impacting clinical research and drug development.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited U.S. law school; active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 15+ years of relevant legal experience, including at least 5 years advising pharmaceutical or biotechnology R&D teams.
• Strong knowledge of drug development, clinical trials, and FDA regulatory processes.
• Experience drafting and negotiating complex life sciences agreements.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and project management skills.
• Ability to navigate complex issues and provide clear, business-aligned legal guidance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior in-house experience in the biopharma industry.
• Experience supporting liver disease, metabolic, or rare disease programs.
• Familiarity with accelerated approval pathways, surrogate endpoints, and data privacy regulations (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR).

Compensation

Base salary is determined by several factors that include, but are not limited to, a successful candidate's qualifications, skills, education, experience, business needs, and market demands. The role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, and comprehensive benefits, which include flexible paid time off (PTO), medical, dental, vision, and life and disability insurance.

Madrigal is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran or disabled status, or other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Unsolicited resumes from agencies should not be forwarded to Madrigal. Madrigal will not be responsible for any fees arising from the use of resumes through this source. Madrigal will only pay a fee to agencies if a formal agreement between Madrigal and the agency has been established.

Please be aware that we are currently receiving numerous reports of individuals misrepresenting themselves as Madrigal Pharmaceuticals’ Hiring Managers, seeking to engage with job candidates through fraudulent online advertisements or job posting sites. These unauthorized individuals are using Madrigal’s name and logo in an attempt to solicit up-front fees and obtain personal information from interested job candidates. Please know that Madrigal does not conduct interviews via text or in chat rooms; conduct interviews via Skype, RingCentral or solely via telephone; charge candidates an advance fee of any kind (e.g., fees for purchasing equipment); nor does it offer positions of employment without undergoing a thorough recruiting process. Interviews with Madrigal are conducted via the Zoom platform.

Please also note that any correspondence with regard to employment would come from an authorized madrigalpharma.com email address or from an email address from one of our trusted search firm partners. We are aware that incorrect/fraudulent email addresses, with Madrigal misspelled, have been utilized in these most recent fraud attempts. If you receive unsolicited employment offers from people claiming to work for Madrigal we recommend that you: do not respond to their questions; do not open any attachments; and do not click on any hyperlinks.