Transactional Senior Counsel/ Senior Counsel Specialist, Assistant General Counsel - Legal Pharma Partnering

Position Scope and Key Responsibilities:

We are seeking a strategic, experienced transactional attorney with a passion for and expertise in structuring, drafting, and negotiating complex licensing and strategic transactions to actively provide legal support to the global Pharma Partnering group and other groups within Genentech. This position reports directly to a Director in the Legal Pharma Partnering Group in the Genentech Legal Department and will be located in our South San Francisco campus.

To be successful in this role, you must have the ability to anticipate and assess legal and business risks associated with complex transactions and also possess a strong aptitude for learning new  science and technologies. You should be able to clearly and concisely communicate well-reasoned recommendations to senior executives and business stakeholders. In addition, you should be comfortable with calibrating and advising on acceptable levels of risk commensurate with broader business objectives. You will be expected to structure, draft and negotiate complex licensing and strategic transactions, as well as develop and recommend innovative solutions to complex legal and business issues.

You must be able to work closely and independently with stakeholders in business development, research, development, manufacturing, regulatory, finance, tax and commercial teams. You should feel comfortable leading cross-functional teams and managing competing objectives and demands from a variety of stakeholders. Finally, you must possess strong leadership, communication and interpersonal skills, and have an interest in coaching and developing others.

Responsibilities:

Business Legal Support

• Structuring, drafting and negotiating in-licensing and out-licensing of patents and know-how, and other strategic transactions, including research collaborations focused on a particular target, digital therapeutic, gene therapy, drug discovery, technology, platform, or other new modality.
• Partnering with cross-functional representatives of various departments on transactions, in particular working closely with patent attorneys and agents on diligence, FTO and upstream licensing considerations.
• Advising on complex business and legal issues in support of collaborations with outside  partners; working closely with Alliance Management to support the business objectives of a collaboration, interpret contractual provisions and negotiate and support amendments to or termination of a collaboration.
• Developing and maintaining strong working knowledge of licensing provisions, drug discovery and development, and manufacturing (large and small molecules).
• Contributing to cross-functional or departmental projects and teams.

Project Management

• Helping to ensure the consistency of legal advice related to transactions, including antitrust, privacy, and other matters relevant to transactions.
• Managing outside counsel providing advice and deliverables to the Legal Pharma Partnering group.

Qualifications & Experience:

• JD with appropriate state license OR registered in-house counsel for relevant state;
• 8 or more years of relevant practice experience in the practice of licensing or corporate  transactions with at least 3 years of experience in a law firm;
• Substantial experience drafting and negotiating life sciences licensing and collaboration agreements;
• Demonstrated experience in resolving challenging legal issues and ability to deliver sound, clear, practical legal advice in a business setting;
• Good judgment and interpersonal skills, as well as the organizational savvy and diplomatic sensitivities to effectively collaborate with others;
• Outstanding communication skills, both verbal and written;
• Superior client relations skills;
• Ability to multi-task with ease; and
• Ability to work both in a team and independently.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Biology/chemistry undergraduate/graduate degree;
• 3+ years of in-house experience licensing in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology or other life sciences industry;  or 3+ years of law firm experience licensing for clients in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology or other life sciences industry.