Senior Commercial Legal Counsel

Ortolan; Basildon; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading pharmaceutical company in Basildon is looking for a Senior Commercial Legal Counsel for a 12-month maternity cover. This role involves providing strategic legal advice on complex commercial contracts, with a focus on Supply Chain and Product Development. You will manage negotiations and support internal teams while reporting directly to the AVP Legal & IP. Ideal candidates will have 5 to 8 years PQE in a similar environment, alongside a strong academic background and excellent negotiation skills.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Bonus and rewards package

Health & wellbeing program

Employee recognition awards

Pension scheme

Hybrid working

Qualifications

• 5 to 8 years PQE with experience in commercial law.
• Experience working in the pharmaceutical or life sciences sector.
• Flexibility and adaptability in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide commercially focused legal advice to business teams.
• Negotiate, draft and support commercial contracts.
• Support and advise on ad hoc legal issues.

Skills

Commercial Contracts

Supply Chain

In-licensing and Product Development

Regulatory

Excellent Written and Verbal Communication

Negotiation Skills

Legal Research

Education

Qualified lawyer in the UK or major Commonwealth jurisdiction

Strong academic background, educated to degree level

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

Senior Commercial Legal Counsel (Maternity Cover)

• Posted: 1 day ago
• Title: Senior Commercial Legal Counsel (Maternity Cover)
• Type: Contract
• Full or Part-Time: Full-Time
• Duration: 12 months
• Skills Required: Commercial Contracts, Supply Chain, In-licensing and Product Development, Regulatory

Senior Commercial Legal Counsel (Maternity cover - 12-month fixed term contract)

Basildon, Essex (hybrid role: 3 days office, 2 days home per week)

Salary: Competitive + Benefits + Bonus

If you are a detail-oriented and commercially astute legal professional, experienced in handling complex commercial contracts and providing strategic, business-focused legal advice, then we want to hear from you.

Join us to help improve peoples' lives and make healthcare better for everyone!

Why Pharmanovia?

Pharmanovia is a dynamic, fast-growing international pharmaceutical company with a portfolio of over 20 brands across more than 160 markets. Our mission is to improve patient health globally through the revitalisation of niche, tried-and-trusted medicines.

Our core behaviours are:

• We keep our promises and do as we say.
• We value our heritage and foster an entrepreneurial spirit.
• We reinvest in our future - in our products, our brands and our people.
• We give back to our communities.

Since its inception in 2013, Pharmanovia has grown consistently year on year, focusing on delivering high-quality branded prescription medicines to patients, prescribers, and healthcare providers across the world. Our growth has enabled the company to reinvest in its products, brands, people, and to give back to its communities. A people business with a strong, supportive culture that encourages innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, our team comprises over 300 employees and 29 nationalities, operating from offices in the UK, Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Germany, U.A.E., India, Australia and Singapore.

We are an agile, committed, and innovative global specialty pharma business and a preferred partner for innovator pharma companies, instigating a paradigm shift in the life cycle management of iconic medicines. We seek to extensively engage with clinical communities to communicate product improvements and prioritise environmental, social, and governance considerations across the business and workforce.

Pharmanovia's therapeutic areas include Cardiovascular, Oncology, Endocrinology and Neurology.

About the role:

We are seeking a senior-level commercial lawyer to join our fast-paced, entrepreneurial Commercial Legal Team on an interim basis, covering a period of 12 months maternity leave within the team.

This is a broad role providing commercially focused advice and support on a diverse range of legal issues to business colleagues in the various functions within Pharmanovia, including Commercial Operations, Supply Chain, In-licensing and Product Development, Regulatory Affairs, and across many geographies.

You will report directly into the AVP Legal & IP and, from time to time, will also work closely with the General Counsel. The role will involve providing first-line support to internal teams, with regular exposure to senior stakeholders within the business.

Negotiating, drafting and supporting on a broad range of commercial contracts, including:

• Product Commercialisation contracts (e.g. distribution agreements, logistics services agreements; product warehousing agreements)
• Supply Chain - e.g. product supply agreements; toll manufacturing agreements
• Product Development and Product in-licensing agreements
• General Service Agreements
• Regulatory Agreements
• Confidentiality / non-disclosure agreements
• Amendments to existing legal contacts
• Advising internal stakeholders on the content of other legal documents, such as powers of attorney
• Providing legal advice and guidance to the wider business on ad hoc legal issues and business projects
• Oversee the maintenance of a centralised legal contracts database
• Providing support to other team members, as required
• Performing other duties, as required or assigned

About you:

Candidates with around 5 to 8 years PQE and commercial legal experience, ideally gained within a pharmaceutical company, life sciences business, or similar commercial background, are likely to have the skills required to be successful in this role. We are also looking for:

• Qualified lawyer in the UK or major Commonwealth jurisdiction (e.g. Australia, New Zealand) or a major EU jurisdiction
• Strong academic background, educated to degree level (or equivalent)
• Excellent standard of written and verbal communication
• Excellent IT skills and knowledge of MS packages including Excel, Outlook, Word and PowerPoint
• Commercial contracts experience - reviewing, drafting and negotiating, with robust drafting capability and high attention to detail
• Worked on or supporting more senior legal colleagues on complex commercial matter, including product acquisitions/divestments and M&A activities
• Strong negotiation skills and ability to be strategic
• Demonstrated capability for legal research
• Knowledge of trademark law, trade law and sanctions is beneficial
• Ability to develop and maintain professional relationships with internal and external clients
• Highly organised and structured approach to work, with the ability to self-motivate and work independently
• Adaptability in a fast-moving, sometimes fast-changing business environment
• Flexibility with working hours when required

What we offer:

We offer a competitive salary plus bonus and rewards package including holiday, health & wellbeing program, employee recognition awards, social events, pension scheme and hybrid working.

By applying for this role, your details will be sent to Ortolan People, who are acting as consultants for the hiring company. Ortolan People are engaged to provide recruitment support in processing applications. We will endeavour to respond to all applicants within three working days. Occasionally for roles with a very high volume of applicants, this may not be possible.

If you would like to know more about Ortolan People and how we can help you reduce your ongoing recruitment costs, get in touch!

Ortolan have consistently provided us with a cost effective and extremely professional service. Their experienced team has helped us fill positions from the front line to senior executives and they have always been utterly reliable and a pleasure to do business with..