Corporate and Commercial Counsel

Evumed; Cork; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working model

Competitive compensation package

International travel opportunities

Job summary

Evumed seeks an experienced Corporate and Commercial Counsel to lead legal, governance, compliance, data protection and AI governance across its European operations. You will draft and negotiate commercial agreements, ensure regulatory compliance, and partner with senior leadership to enable growth in Ireland, the UK, and continental Europe.

The role includes acting as DPO, building scalable processes, and coordinating with regulatory bodies and external advisers.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor with 10+ years post-qualification experience.
• Experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare or regulated industries.
• Strong knowledge of GDPR and European privacy regulations.

Responsibilities

• Provide legally commercially focused guidance to the President and leadership teams.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage European commercial contracts and relationships.
• Lead GDPR/UK GDPR compliance and act as DPO.
• Develop and implement AI governance and digital compliance policies.

Skills

Contract negotiation

Regulatory compliance

Data protection/GDPR

AI governance

Corporate governance

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Qualified Solicitor/Attorney

Job description

About Evumed

Evumed Limited is a forward-thinking generics and biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cork, Ireland, established as the European arm of a global pharmaceutical platform. Through our parent company and global partnerships, we develop and deliver generic, branded, and biologic medicines, bringing innovation and accessibility together to improve lives.

At Evumed, we are committed to delivering high-quality, accessible medicines across Europe by leveraging our global manufacturing and regulatory footprint.

About the Role

Reporting directly to the President, the Corporate and Commercial Counsel will lead all legal, contractual, governance, compliance, data protection, and AI governance activities across Evumed's European operations.

This role is responsible for providing strategic and practical legal advice to the business while establishing and maintaining a robust legal and compliance framework that supports Evumed's growth across Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland.

The Legal Counsel will serve as Evumed's principal legal advisor and will be responsible for drafting, reviewing, supporting the negotiation, and managing all commercial agreements, ensuring legal risks are appropriately identified and mitigated. The position will also act as Evumed's Data Protection Officer (DPO), ensuring compliance with GDPR and other applicable privacy regulations.

A key focus of the role is building scalable legal, compliance, and governance processes that support the company's expanding European footprint, new product launches, commercial partnerships, and digital transformation initiatives.

Operating within a highly regulated pharmaceutical environment, the Legal Counsel will work closely with the President, Senior Leadership Team, and functional leaders to ensure legal and regulatory compliance while enabling commercial success.

Key Responsibilities

Legal Advisory

• Serve as the primary legal advisor to the President and Senior Leadership Team.
• Provide commercially focused legal advice across all business functions.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate legal risks associated with Evumed's operations and growth plans.
• Support strategic business initiatives, product launches, commercial partnerships, and market expansion activities.
• Monitor and advise on legal and regulatory developments impacting the pharmaceutical sector.

Commercial Contracting

• Draft, review, lead the negotiation and manage company contracts and legal agreements (supply, distribution, 3PL/logistics, importation and service agreements) across European markets.
• Develop and maintain contract templates, approval workflows, and contracting policies.
• Support commercial negotiations with customers, suppliers, distributors, service providers, and strategic partners, parent and master company.
• Support Regulatory and Quality on quality, technical and safety data exchange agreements (Quality Agreements, Technical Agreements, SDEAs).ensuring alignment with commercial agreements and appropriate allocation of contractual responsibilities.

Contract Management & Legal Operations

• Manage contract lifecycle activities including drafting, execution, renewal, and termination.
• Maintain legal records and documentation standards.
• Develop and maintain a delegation of authority and signatory policy, including powers of attorney.

Data Protection & Privacy

• Serve as Evumed's designated Data Protection Officer (DPO).
• Lead GDPR and UK GDPR compliance activities across all European operations.
• Act as the primary point of contact with data protection authorities.
• Conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) where required.
• Manage data breach response processes and reporting obligations.
• Review and approve data processing agreements and privacy-related contractual provisions.
• Deliver data privacy training and awareness programmes across the organisation.

AI Governance & Digital Compliance

• Lead development and implementation of Evumed's AI governance framework.
• Advise on compliance with the EU AI Act and emerging AI regulations.
• Conduct risk assessments of AI tools and technologies used within the organisation.
• Review and negotiate contracts with AI and technology providers.
• Develop policies and procedures governing the responsible use of artificial intelligence.
• Support employee awareness and training regarding AI compliance requirements.

Corporate Compliance & Governance

• Develop and maintain company-wide compliance policies and procedures.
• Advise on anti-bribery and corruption requirements.
• Support competition law and antitrust compliance.
• Manage whistleblowing and ethics-related programmes.
• Support Corporate governance and company secretarial activities, including board minutes, written resolutions, director appointments, statutory records and coordination of CRO filings and Companies Act 2014 compliance.
• Advise on legal compliance across all European markets.

Employment Law Support

• Provide employment law guidance across multiple European jurisdictions.
• Support HR and leadership teams on disciplinary matters, grievances, investigations, restructurings, and terminations.
• Review employment-related policies and contractual documentation.
• Manage external employment counsel where necessary.

Intellectual Property

• Support the protection and management of Evumed's intellectual property assets.
• Review licensing arrangements and intellectual property agreements.
• Advise on confidentiality, proprietary information, and trade secret protection.

Litigation & Dispute Management

• Manage legal disputes and litigation matters involving the company.
• Coordinate external legal advisors and associated budgets.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Commercial, Regulatory, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, and IT teams.
• Collaborate with external partners, distributors, manufacturers, and consultants to ensure contractual and regulatory compliance.
• Build strong working relationships across Evumed's European operations.
• Provide practical legal guidance, training and mentoring to commercial and functional teams, supporting sound commercial judgement and effective risk management.

Process Development & Continuous Improvement

• Build scalable legal, compliance, privacy, and governance processes to support company growth.
• Establish, develop and lead Evumed's in-house legal function across its European operations, including legal processes, contracting standards, governance frameworks and management of external legal advisers.
• Drive continuous improvement in contract management and compliance systems.
• Support digitalisation and automation initiatives within legal and compliance functions.

Qualifications & Experience

• Qualified Solicitor, Barrister, Attorney, or equivalent legal qualification within Ireland, the UK, or a European jurisdiction.
• Minimum 10 years' post-qualification legal experience.
• Experience within pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, medical device, or other highly regulated industries desirable.
• Strong commercial contracting and negotiation experience.
• Experience supporting multi-country European operations desirable.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of GDPR and European privacy regulations.
• Knowledge of AI governance frameworks and emerging AI regulations.
• Experience managing external legal counsel and complex legal matters.
• Strong understanding of corporate governance and compliance frameworks.
• Company secretarial experience under the Companies Act 2014 desirable.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

Work Environment

• Three days at company office and two days remote working from home per week.
• Occasional international travel to European affiliates, partners, service providers, and industry events.

What We Offer

You'll join a high-impact, international team at an exciting stage of growth, with the opportunity to establish and shape Evumed's legal and compliance function across Europe. We offer a very competitive compensation and benefits package, a hybrid working model based in Cork, Ireland, and genuine opportunities for professional development as we continue to expand our European footprint.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be authorised to work in Ireland or hold valid EU/UK work rights; sponsorship is not available for this role.