Legal Director, Partnerships & Licensing

Zealand Pharma; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Zealand Pharma A/S, with a U.S. presence in Cambridge, MA, seeks a Legal Director to lead partnerships and licensing on the U.S. east coast, reporting to Denmark.

The role supports R&D, medical and business development while ensuring regulatory compliance and strategic risk management. You will draft and negotiate complex agreements, manage strategic collaborations, and evaluate opportunities including IP, licensing and M&A.

Qualifications

• Law or commercial law degree; admission to practice preferred.
• Minimum 10 years in a legal role in biotech or pharma.
• Strong understanding of biotech regulations and R&D challenges.
• Experience with IP, licensing and M&A negotiations.
• Excellent communication and English-language contracts.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert legal guidance across business development, medical, AI and R&D.
• Draft, review and negotiate complex agreements including partnerships and licensing.
• Facilitate and manage strategic partnerships with external collaborators.
• Identify and assess new business opportunities, including partnerships and M&A.
• Support legal projects including ESG initiatives, templates, and compliance.

Skills

Legal expertise

Contract negotiations

IP & licensing

English proficiency

Biotech knowledge

Education

Law degree

Job description

Your new position

We are looking for a Legal Director based on the U.S. east coast to join our Legal Partnerships and Licensing team, headquartered in Denmark. The role guides research and development initiatives and drives business development efforts, supporting company growth and compliance with industry and market regulations. As a trusted advisor, the Legal Director works closely with Medical, R&D and Business Development teams to shape the legal approach to cutting-edge science and to enable innovation. The role reports to the Senior Director of Partnerships & Licensing in Denmark and offers the flexibility to work from home or from the Boston office, with some travel to the headquarters in Denmark.

We offer exciting responsibilities:

• Provide expert legal guidance across the organization, with a focus on business development, medical, AI and R&D
• Draft, review and negotiate complex agreements, including partnerships, alliances, licensing, collaborations, AI partnerships and M&A
• Facilitate and manage strategic partnerships with external collaborators to advance innovation
• Identify and assess new business opportunities, including strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, contributing to the company's growth agenda
• Participate in and support legal projects involving template updates, ESG initiatives, guidance notes and compliance initiatives

Your profile

You bring a blend of legal expertise and strategic insight, and you are energized by shaping complex negotiations and collaborating across functions to enable innovation. You thrive in a dynamic, changing biotech environment, with a strong sense of ownership and proactiveness. You likely bring many of the following:

• Law or commercial law degree; admission to practice law in a relevant jurisdiction is preferred
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in a legal role, in private practice or in-house, within the biotech or pharmaceutical industry
• Solid understanding of biotech industry regulations and of research and clinical development challenges
• Experience with complex contract negotiations, including IP, licensing and M&A
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Professional proficiency in English and the ability to work with English-language contracts

Your new team

You will join the Legal Partnerships and Licensing team at our headquarters in Denmark, working with colleagues across Legal and with the Medical, R&D and Business Development teams.

Let's bond and be bold

We have a unique culture, characterized by excellent teamwork and strong engagement across the organization. And we want you to help us strengthen this culture.

Making bonds is at the core of everything we do. From discovering and developing the best new peptide drugs for patients, to engaging with our partners or connecting with each other. We bond through curiosity and playfulness as a team, allowing ourselves to challenge common thinking and drive future innovation. Join us and let's bond and be bold.

We are committed to an inclusive recruitment process and welcome applications from all job applicants.

Salary Range: $180,000 - $250,000/Yr

About Zealand Pharma A/S

Zealand Pharma A/S (Nasdaq: ZEAL) is a biotechnology company focused on advancing medicines for obesity and metabolic health. Combining more than 25 years of peptide R&D expertise with a proprietary data platform that leverages advanced data-driven and AI/ML approaches, Zealand Pharma aims to lead a new era in obesity and metabolic health. To date, more than ten Zealand Pharma-invented drug candidates have entered clinical development, of which two products have reached the market and three candidates are in late-stage development. The Company has collaborations with global pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners for research, development, and commercialization. Founded in 1998, Zealand Pharma is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a U.S. presence in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Learn more at www.zealandpharma.com.