Assistant General Counsel - Legal Business Development

About the Department 

The Global Legal, Intellectual Property & Security (GLIPS) department at Novo Nordisk is a dynamic part of the organization, dedicated to providing comprehensive legal support to Novo Nordisk. As part of GLIPS, the Legal Business Development team, located both in Denmark and the Cambridge, Massachusetts supports Global Business Development across all therapeutic and technology areas. The Legal Business Development team contributes to innovation within one of the world's largest life sciences ecosystems, aiming to bring transformative treatments to patients. The team undertakes transactions with entities across the value chain, including biotech companies, start-ups, venture capitalists, and academic institutions to support the development of innovation through various external collaboration models, helping to accelerate ideas from the lab and clinic, ultimately improving outcomes for patients.

The Position

The Assistant General Counsel provides expert legal advice and support primarily to the global R&D Business Development objectives at Novo Nordisk. This role focuses on structuring, drafting, negotiating, and advising on various types of external innovation agreements, including research and development collaborations and partnerships, license agreements, M&A agreements, various other transactional intellectual property matters, and equity-related agreements.

This position engages with a diverse range of stakeholders across Novo Nordisk and GLIPS, and is expected to work closely with Business Development, Global R&D teams located in the U.S. and Denmark, as well as other Novo Nordisk lawyers in Lexington, Massachusetts, Plainsboro, New Jersey, and headquarters in Denmark. And as a part of business development transactions, the Assistant General Counsel is also deeply involved with advising and spearheading cross-functional transactional and integration support with colleagues across the entire Novo Nordisk value chain, including finance, regulatory, product supply, and information security.

Relationships

This position is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and will work with R&D Business Development team located in Cambridge. This position reports to the Vice President – Legal Business Development & Trademarks located in Denmark.

The position is a key member of the highly collaborative and high-performing Legal Business Development & Trademarks team which provides legal support to Novo Nordisk’s global Business Development teams, Global Research, Digital Health, Trademarks, including leading support for IP licensing transactions, M&A and other global strategic collaborations.  The team is primarily located in Novo Nordisk’s headquarters in Denmark, as part of Global Legal & Patents.

Essential Functions

• Leads drafting, negotiating, structuring, and advising on complex life science transactions, including global licensing transactions, strategic collaborations and acquisitions
• Acts as a key business partner with R&D Business Development and Global R&D teams
• Advises on and manages critical legal issues, and works closely with other Novo Nordisk functions such as Patents, R&D operations, finance and tax, among others
• Manages outside counsel

Physical Requirements

0-10% overnight travel is required.

Qualifications

• J.D. Law degree from recognized university and state bar admission required, and ability to obtain a Massachusetts in-house counsel license
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant transactional experience from a major law firm or in-house legal department
• Relevant experience providing legal advice to life sciences/pharmaceutical industry required
• Experience in drafting and negotiating complex life sciences/pharmaceutical industry agreements required
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact effectively with all levels within the organization
• Has personal drive, “can-do” approach and results-oriented attitude, which enables you to establish strong professional relations internally and externally
• International mind-set and enjoy being part of a global work environment
• Strong work ethics and business judgment and ability to assess risk and think strategically
• Ability to work under pressure, manage numerous and changing priorities effectively and solid attention to detail
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team environment

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.

At Novo Nordisk we recognize that it is no longer good enough to aspire to be the best company in the world. We need to aspire to be the best company for the world and we know that this is only possible with talented employees with diverse perspectives, backgrounds and cultures. We are therefore committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates the diversity of our employees, the patients we serve and communities we operate in. Together, we’re life changing.

Novo Nordisk is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations.

If you are interested in applying to Novo Nordisk and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply, please call us at 1-855-411-5290. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.