Deputy Legal Manager

Role & responsibilities

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Deputy Manager Legal to join our corporate legal team. Reporting directly to the Head of Legal, you will be responsible for drafting, negotiating, and managing complex commercial contracts, ensuring regulatory compliance across emerging markets, and mitigating legal risks across the global supply chain.

The ideal candidate will bring 5 to 8 years of post-qualification legal experience, with a strong background in pharmaceutical commercial transactions, contract manufacturing, out licensing and international supply structures. Prior in-house experience in the pharmaceutical or life sciences sector is strongly preferred.

1. Commercial Contracts & Agreements

• Out-Licensing & Distribution: Draft, review, and negotiate complex Out-Licensing, distribution, and supply agreements with international partners across multiple jurisdictions.
• Standardize, template, and negotiate long-term supply agreements, contract manufacturing (CMO) agreements, quality agreements, and technology transfer agreements.
• Procurement: Oversee legal workflows for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) procurement, raw material sourcing, packaging supply, and vendor management.
• Handle non-disclosure agreements (NDAs/CDAs), material transfer agreements (MTAs), and pharmacovigilance/safety data exchange agreements (SDEAs).
• Ancillary Documentation: Draft letters of authorization (LOAs), powers of attorney, addenda, amendments, and term sheets aligned to underlying commercial agreements.

2. Compliance & Regulatory Affairs

• Emerging Markets: Provide robust legal guidance on regulatory compliance, across emerging markets (LATAM, APAC, CEE, Africa, GCC).
• Anti-Corruption & Trade: Ensure business operations align with anti-bribery laws (FCPA, UK Bribery Act, India PCA) and international trade/sanctions laws (OFAC, EU sanctions, UN sanctions).
• Data Privacy: Monitor and implement data privacy compliance (GDPR, India DPDP Act, and local equivalents) concerning patient data, clinical trials, and cross-border data transfers.
• Internal Policies: Support the development and rollout of corporate compliance policies, codes of conduct, and training modules.

4. Advisory & Risk Management

• Strategic Counsel: Act as a trusted legal advisor to internal stakeholders, including Procurement, Business Development, Supply Chain, Regulatory Affairs, and Finance teams.
• Risk Mitigation: Proactively identify legal and commercial risks in operations and propose practical, business-oriented solutions.
• Stakeholder Education: Translate complex legal concepts into clear, actionable business advice for non-legal stakeholders.

Preferred candidate profile

• 5 to 8 years of post-qualification experience (PQE), with a minimum of 3 years strictly within the pharmaceutical or life sciences sector (in-house experience preferred).
• Demonstrable experience handling cross-border transactions across multiple jurisdictions.

Technical Competencies

• Deep understanding of pharmaceutical commercial structures, including API sourcing, technology transfers, contract manufacturing, and distribution networks.
• Strong familiarity with global regulatory frameworks (US FDA, EMA, and emerging market health authorities).
• Excellent legal drafting skills with a sharp eye for commercial risks, indemnities, liability limitations, and IP protections.
• Working knowledge of sanctions-sensitive transaction structuring and anti-corruption frameworks.

Soft Skills

• Negotiation: Proven ability to lead contract negotiations directly with international counter-parties and close deals independently.
• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to translate complex legal terms into actionable business advice.
• Adaptability: Ability to manage multiple high-priority projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Commercial Acumen: Strong business orientation with the ability to balance legal risk with commercial pragmatism.