Associate Counsel, Contracting

Servier Pharmaceuticals; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 189,000 - 224,000; Full time

Job summary

Servier Pharmaceuticals in the U.S. based in Boston is seeking an Associate Counsel, Contracting who will provide practical, business‑oriented contracting support across U.S. functions with a focus on R&D activities.

The role involves drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and managing a broad range of agreements and helping implement contracting workflows, templates, and playbooks while advising on terms, risk, privacy, and regulatory considerations. Hybrid role with Seaport office 2–3 days per week.

Qualifications

• J.D. or LL.M from an accredited US law school.
• Admitted to practice in a US jurisdiction and MA in-house counsel eligibility if MA is not admitted.
• 4–7+ years of relevant legal experience in biopharma or life sciences.
• Strong interpersonal and presentation skills with ability to communicate at all levels.
• Ability to manage a high volume of contracting matters independently.
• Experience at a top-tier law firm is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide practical, business-oriented contracting legal support across U.S. functions with emphasis on R&D contracting.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and finalize a broad range of agreements including CDA, MSAs, SOWs, sponsor contracts, and vendor/CRO agreements.
• Identify and escalate key risks and work with stakeholders to reach timely resolutions.
• Advise business partners on contracting pathways, confidentiality, indemnification, termination rights, and other terms.
• Monitor matter status and report to Senior Counsel; improve contracting processes.
• Collaborate with Legal, Privacy, Compliance, and Procurement teams across functions and geographies.

Skills

J.D./LL.M.

Contract drafting

Contract negotiations

R&D contracting

Biopharma knowledge

Interpersonal skills

Stakeholder communication

Education

J.D./LL.M.

Job description

Servier in the U.S. is a Boston-based, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company launched by Servier Group in 2018. As a privately held organization, Servier is uniquely positioned to advance cutting-edge science, tackle underserved therapeutic areas and make patients the focus of every strategic decision.

Role Summary

The Associate Counsel, Contracting reports to the Senior Counsel - R&D, Contracting & Strategy and provides practical, business-oriented contracting legal support across all U.S. business and corporate functions of Servier Pharmaceuticals and Servier Bio-Innovation, with a primary focus on R&D-related contracting and related development activities.

The role will independently draft, review, negotiate, and manage routine to moderately complex agreements, while identifying and escalating higher risk matters as appropriate. In addition, the role will support efforts to develop, operationalize, and improve contracting workflows, templates, playbooks, and third-party engagement processes that advance business objectives while managing legal, compliance, privacy, regulatory, and operational risk.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide practical, business-oriented contracting legal support across all U.S. functions within Servier Pharmaceuticals and Servier Bio-Innovation, including R&D, Medical Affairs, Commercial, Market Access, Patient Services, Finance, Procurement, IT, and other corporate functions, with particular emphasis on R&D-related contracting needs.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and finalize a broad range of agreements supporting all business functions, with particular focus on R&D-related agreements, including CDAs, consulting agreements, MSAs, SOWs, clinical trial agreements, sponsored research agreements, research collaborations, material transfer agreements, vendor and CRO agreements, work orders, change orders, sponsorships, grants, data use and transfer arrangements, privacy and data processing agreements, SaaS/IT licenses, amendments, and other business-critical contracts.
• Support negotiations by identifying key legal, compliance, privacy, regulatory, intellectual property, operational, and business risks and working with internal stakeholders to reach timely, practical, and risk-appropriate resolutions.
• Advise, counsel, and educate business stakeholders on legal and risk management considerations arising from their activities, including appropriate contracting pathways, approval requirements, confidentiality obligations, indemnification, termination rights, and other material contract terms.
• Monitor, manage, and report on the status of contracting matters to the Senior Counsel, including matter volume, priority matters, turnaround times, recurring issues, and opportunities to improve contracting processes and stakeholder experience.
• Partner with business clients to understand strategic objectives, operational needs, timelines, and risk tolerance, and provide solutions-oriented legal guidance.
• Identify and elevate significant legal, compliance, privacy, intellectual property, regulatory, or business risks to the Senior Counsel and other appropriate stakeholders, with recommended approaches for mitigation.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives for the contracting function, including the development and updating of contract templates, playbooks, guidance materials, intake and triage workflows, CLM processes, knowledge management resources, metrics and reporting, process enhancements, and stakeholder training and education.
• Collaborate closely with other members of the U.S. Legal, Privacy, Ethics and Compliance, Procurement, Finance, as well as Global Legal and other global functions, on issues of shared responsibility.

Education And Required Skills

• JD or LLM from an accredited US law school
• Admitted to practice in a recognized US jurisdiction and registered with the MA Board of Bar Overseers as Massachusetts In-House Counsel if not admitted in MA
• 4-7+ years of relevant legal experience, including experience in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, or life sciences industry, with demonstrated experience drafting and negotiating a broad range of agreements across business functions and preferred experience with R&D, clinical development, or research-related contracting.
• Strong interpersonal & presentation skills, along with the ability to communicate and build relationships with others at all levels of the organization
• Ability to clearly, and concisely, explain complex legal principles and positions to business audiences
• Ability to independently manage, prioritize, and follow through on a high volume of contracting matters, set appropriate priorities with internal clients, balance competing deadlines, and deliver results efficiently
• Willingness and proven ability to support a broad range of business functions while developing deeper expertise in R&D, clinical development, privacy, healthcare compliance, and technology contracting topics.
• Tenure at a top-tier law firm practicing in the life sciences, pharmaceutical, biotech, digital health, and/or healthcare practice areas, a plus

Travel and Location

• Boston-based role
• Hybrid role with expectation to be in the Seaport office 2-3 days per week
• Minimal travel as required

Servier’s Commitment

Servier is committed to modelling diversity, equity, and inclusion within the industry. We are dedicated to fostering an environment that maintains equitable treatment for all and we welcome applicants who are passionate, committed, and innovative individuals. We encourage candidates to apply to our open roles as we are always willing to consider experiences and skills beyond what is listed in the job description.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

Salary Range

The salary range for this role is $189,000-224,000. An employee’s pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. Employees in this position are also eligible for Short-Term and Long-Term incentive programs. Servier also offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package that includes benefits such as medical, dental, vision, flexible time off (Servier provides unlimited sick time and flex time, and does not accrue time off), 401(k), life and disability insurance, recognition programs among other great benefits (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements).