Assistant General Counsel, R&D

Company: Bill and Melinda Gates foundation
Location: Cambridge
Posted on: November 19, 2023

Job Description:

The Foundation We are the largest nonprofitfighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve.We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities.As a workplace, we're committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally. The Team "Guidance, Solutions, Integrity" describes the Legal division's approach to providing responsive legal guidance supporting pursuit of the foundation's mission and implementation of the foundation's programmatic and operational strategies. The Legal division delivers comprehensive legal services by providing efficient and reliable legal guidance, managing legal risk, and supporting the development of solutions to achieve the mission of the foundation and its affiliated entities.

The Legal division partners with colleagues across the Foundation to enable its mission-driven work by maintaining an efficient, well-run global organization where employees can thrive and make their best contributions. Doing this well requires effective collaboration, strong alignment, and thoughtful planning across both operational and programmatic teams - as well as shared accountability for mitigating risk and optimizing the foundation's operational resources. Your Role The Assistant General Counsel role will be a member of the Foundation legal team primarily supporting the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (https://www.gatesmri.org/), a subsidiary of the Foundation. The individual we are seeking has experience in pharma/biotech research and development contracts and general support of drug development programs, with a working knowledge of intellectual property. This individual is collaborative and team oriented, and has excellent communication, drafting and negotiation skills, with a keen eye for detail and a strong work ethic. Experience with patent licensing is a plus. The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) is a non-profit biotech dedicated to accelerating the product development timeline for diseases that disproportionately affect the world's poorest populations, including malaria, tuberculosis, and diarrheal diseases-diseases that combined cause five deaths every minute- and a range of challenges in maternal and newborn health. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, our focus is on advancing novel drug and vaccine candidates against the aforementioned diseases from the laboratory into human studies and beyond. At the Gates MRI, we work across multiple interventions and disease areas to increase the identification, selection, and optimization of novel drug and vaccine candidates, with the intention to develop viable candidates through late-stage development and registration both in house and with partners across the global health ecosystem. We will seek to publish our learnings, so that they will be available to all research and development communities through our commitment to open access. To enable a fast-to-decision approach, the Gates MRI operates using small teams and a flat structure with the understanding that it is critical to break out of silos and adopt unconventional approaches across modalities. What You'll Do Serve as a member of the Foundation's legal team, with a focus on the work of the Gates MRI. Collaborate with legal team members to link the affiliate to the foundation, all from a "one legal team" and "one foundation" perspective. Understand and support the programmatic, operational, and business objectives of internal client groups, providing solution-oriented and strategic legal advice and creative solutions, and resolving issues using the appropriate legal framework, consistent with our values. Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of contracts to support the work of the Gates MRI including NDAs, MTAs, SRAs, manufacturing and supply chain agreements, clinical trial agreements, consulting agreements and various vendor services agreements. Contribute to complex business development transactions, including patent license, partnership, and collaboration agreements. Support due diligence, transaction negotiation and drafting, and ongoing post-closing legal support. Support alliance management efforts for key relationships. Serve as strategic legal advisor to drug development teams. Contribute to effective contracting strategy and procedures. Educate, advise, and train colleagues on legal issues, laws, policies, and standard methodologies related to R&D, product development, Global Access, IP, contracts, confidentiality, and communications. Keep current on new and emerging laws and policy developments impacting biopharma R&D. Effectively manage outside counsel and expert advisors, as needed. Provide support for other projects, as needed, and actively engage as a member of the legal team. Your Education & Experience

• J.D. or equivalent, and 8+ years post-law school experience in a large law firm and/or an in-house legal department
• At least 4 years in-house legal experience in pharma/biotech (support of clinical programs a plus)
• Working knowledge of intellectual property including patents (experience with licensing a plus)
• Working knowledge of laws, regulations, and standards relevant to the pharma/biotech industry (e.g., FDA regulations, fraud and abuse laws, federal sunshine act, GxP regulations, privacy laws, etc.)
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating pharma/biotech R&D agreements
• Knowledge of privacy, antitrust and anti-bribery laws a plus
• Scientific background or experience working with scientific or technical client-base a plus
• Demonstrated experience in client counseling and a client service focus
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with senior business leaders and other professionals and colleagues at all levels of an organization
• History of effectively serving a demanding client base in a complex and fast-paced work environment
• Ability to manage multiple competing demands and prioritize effectively
• Ability to collaborate across highly matrixed and global teams
• Passion for innovation, learning and continuous improvement
• Entrepreneurial, flexible, self-starter and highly independent
• Sense of humor, humility, perspective, equity, and generosity
• Unquestionable ethics and integrity The Foundation requires all employees based in the United States to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, subject to applicable laws. Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship. The typical salary range for this role is $164,800 to $306,500 USD. The exact offer will be determined by a variety of factors such as the candidate's individual skills, qualifications, and experience relative to the requirements of the role. Reporting & Location This position will report to the Managing Deputy Director, Legal, Gates MRI. The Foundation offers hybrid work arrangements, a mix of on-site and work-from-home, and a competitive relocation package for those looking to move to the Cambridge, MA area. Some travel will be required (particularly to Seattle within the first years of the role). Hiring Requirements As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check. Candidate Accommodations If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here. Inclusion Statement We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion - of voices, ideas, and approaches - and we support this diversity through all our employment practices. All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.

Keywords: Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, Cambridge , Assistant General Counsel, R&D, Legal , Cambridge, Massachusetts