Senior Legal Counsel - Pharma

Senior Legal Counsel – Business Development & Strategic Transactions

Location: Hybrid, Central London

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled and commercially minded Senior Legal Counsel to support our Business Development team, with a primary focus on licensing and strategic transactions. This role will play a critical part in shaping and executing complex partnerships that drive scientific innovation and business growth.

You will lead legal support for high-value, strategic deals, working cross-functionally with business, scientific, and legal stakeholders to deliver impactful outcomes. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment and brings both legal excellence and pragmatic problem-solving abilities.

Key Responsibilities

Transactional Leadership

• Draft, review, and negotiate complex agreements, including:
• Licensing agreements
• Collaboration and partnership agreements
• Other strategic commercial arrangements
• Lead negotiations and manage deal execution from inception to closure.

Strategic Legal Partnering

• Provide proactive legal advice to Business Development, R&D, and other key stakeholders.
• Build strong, trusted relationships across legal, scientific, and commercial teams.
• Balance commercial objectives with legal, regulatory, and operational risks.
• Partner cross-functionally to develop and implement an industry collaboration strategy.
• Support high-quality scientific collaborations while safeguarding and maximizing intellectual property (IP) value.
• Advise on structuring partnerships to optimise long-term business and innovation outcomes.
• Identify and implement creative solutions to complex business challenges.Navigate competing priorities while managing legal and operational risks effectively.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws and internal policies.

Execution & Delivery

• Operate with agility in a fast-moving environment.
• “Roll up your sleeves” to support team priorities and meet critical deadlines.
• Drive efficiency and continuous improvement in legal processes and deal execution.

Experience

• Significant experience (typically 6–10+ years) in licensing transactions.
• Life sciences / biotech / pharma (this is a requirement).
• Proven track record of independently leading complex negotiations.
• Deep understanding of intellectual property, commercial contracts, and regulatory considerations.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to work on high-impact, cutting-edge transactions.
• Collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Exposure to senior leadership and strategic decision-making.