Job Description

Assistant General Counsel

Legal - Business Development and Corporate

Number of Positions: 2

GSK is a global biopharma company with a special purpose \xe2\x80\x93 to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together \xe2\x80\x93 so we can positively impact the health of billions of people and deliver stronger, more sustainable shareholder returns \xe2\x80\x93 as an organisation where people can thrive. Getting ahead means preventing disease as well as treating it, and we aim to impact the health of 2.5 billion people around the world in the next 10 years.

The Legal Business Development and Corporate (LBD&C) team provides legal support for strategic transactions for GSK\xe2\x80\x99s Pharmaceuticals and Vaccine businesses on a worldwide basis and to certain Corporate Functions for their business operations.

We support major transactions and other strategic or multi-jurisdictional collaborations led by Global Corporate Development (GCD), Pharmaceuticals Business Development (BD), and Vaccines Business Development (VBD) to help build our pipeline of new medicines and vaccines and optimise our existing portfolio. These include product and technology licensing and collaborations and other corporate or product-related transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, divestments, joint ventures, company formations, equity investments and spin-outs.

Our work with other Corporate Functions includes support for various Finance teams (such as Tax, Treasury and Investor Relations), Communications and Government Affairs and Corporate Secretariat.

Lawyers in the LBD&C team work with lawyers across the GSK Legal Department, including lawyers in GSK\xe2\x80\x99s Intellectual Property and Dispute Resolution teams and lawyers supporting GSK Commercial, Supply Chain and R&D operations.

Lawyers in the LBD&C team may be asked to provide support across all of the teams that we support and may be asked to act as a primary point of contact for certain areas and activities, to ensure the delivery of appropriate legal support.

The Assistant General Counsel role is expected to be primarily, but not exclusively, aligned to Corporate transactions and Transactions relating to innovative product and technology licensing and collaborations transactions.

This role will provide YOU the opportunity to lead key activities to progress YOUR career. These responsibilities include some of the following.

Deliver high quality legal services to enable GCD, WWBD, VBD and Corporate functions to deliver their objectives. You will manage your own transactions, provide supervision for transactions led by more junior lawyers and provide support on transactions led by other lawyers as required.

Advise on, draft, and negotiate licensing, collaborations, commercial and corporate agreements and agreements for other business transactions.

Support due diligence for transactions.

Provide legal support for ongoing management of alliances and collaborations.

Be the principal point of contact to certain client groups.

Anticipate and proactively support the prevention and management of legal risks facing the company arising under third-party transactions and alliances including actively advising client groups on transactional risks, such as intellectual property ownership, GSK compliance and other policy matters.

Build trusted relationships with key stakeholders by providing well informed, and practical legal advice.

Selecting, evaluating, and effective, timely and cost-efficient management of outside legal counsel services as needed.

Provide training to clients and Legal colleagues.

Support knowledge sharing and business process improvement activities and provide assistance to less experienced attorneys and paralegals, and contribute to their development.

Engage with other GSK functions and stakeholders (centrally and locally) to ensure appropriate communication and consideration of relevant issues.

Why You!

We are looking for professional individuals and if you have these skills, we would like to speak to you.

Minimum Qualifications:

Qualified attorney in UK (or and equivalent qualification with the ability to convert to UK qualification).

Excellent legal skills and the ability to apply the same with sound commercial acumen.

Strong leadership skills and behaviours, including strong learning agility, high integrity, excellent communication skills and sound judgment.

Excellent understanding of contract law with significant experience of drafting and advising on complex R&D licensing and other business development transactions in the life sciences / healthcare sector.

Strong knowledge of competition laws and intellectual property concepts affecting business development, commercial and corporate transactions.

Ability to engage proactively, influence and interact effectively with Legal colleagues, commercial clients, and senior management, demonstrating the GSK Values and Expectations and business-partner capabilities.

Ability to work effectively within a matrix structure, collaborating with and supporting GSK Legal colleagues and across different business groups and international markets.

A self-starter with the ability to work independently and in a team and to manage numerous matters and competing priorities effectively.

Fluent in English with excellent communication skills.

Willingness to undertake domestic and international travel as required.

Preferred experience:

Relevant in-house experience in a multinational pharmaceutical or healthcare business.

Experience of advising on, drafting and negotiating corporate or commercial business development transactions, such as acquisitions, divestments, joint ventures, co-promotion and/or co-marketing agreements.

Interested in Joining the Team?

Please apply via our online portal providing your CV and Cover Letter.
(Please take a personal copy of the , as this will not be available online post closure of the advert)

Closing Date: 23rd August 2023

Location: The role will initially be based at GSK House, Brentford, moving to Central London during H1 2024. Hybrid working applies to this role, with GSKs UK expectation of minimum 2-3 days per week being office based.

We create a place where people can grow, be their best, be safe, and feel welcome, valued and included. We offer a competitive salary, an annual bonus based on company performance, healthcare and wellbeing programmes, pension plan membership, and shares and savings programme.

We embrace modern work practises; our Performance with Choice programme offers a hybrid working model, empowering you to find the optimal balance between remote and in-office work.

Discover more about our company wide benefits and life at GSK on our webpage

GSK is a global biopharma company with a special purpose \xe2\x80\x93 to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together \xe2\x80\x93 so we can positively impact the health of billions of people and deliver stronger, more sustainable shareholder returns \xe2\x80\x93 as an organisation where people can thrive. Getting ahead means preventing disease as well as treating it, and we aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of 2030.

Our success absolutely depends on our people. While getting ahead of disease together is about our ambition for patients and shareholders, it\xe2\x80\x99s also about making GSK a place where people can thrive. We want GSK to be a workplace where everyone can feel a sense of belonging and thrive as set out in our Equal and Inclusive Treatment of Employees policy. We\xe2\x80\x99re committed to being more proactive at all levels so that our workforce reflects the communities we work and hire in, and our GSK leadership reflects our GSK workforce.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we are open to all talent. In the US, we also adhere to Affirmative Action principles. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to neurodiversity, race/ethnicity, colour, national origin, religion, gender, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, disability, genetic information, military service, covered/protected veteran status or any other federal, state or local protected class*(*US only).

We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.

Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us on or 0808 234 4391. Please note should your enquiry not relate to adjustments, we will not be able to support you through these channels

As you apply, we will ask you to share some personal information which is entirely voluntary. We want to have an opportunity to consider a diverse pool of qualified candidates and this information will assist us in meeting that objective and in understanding how well we are doing against our inclusion and diversity ambitions. We would really appreciate it if you could take a few moments to complete it. Rest assured, Hiring Managers do not have access to this information and we will treat your information confidentially.

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Please note that if you are a US Licensed Healthcare Professional or Healthcare Professional as defined by the laws of the state issuing your license, GSK may be required to capture and report expenses GSK incurs, on your behalf, in the event you are afforded an interview for employment. This capture of applicable transfers of value is necessary to ensure GSK\xe2\x80\x99s compliance to all federal and state US Transparency requirements. For more information, please visit GSK\xe2\x80\x99s Transparency Reporting site.

We\xe2\x80\x99re moving towards a more sustainable future with our new headquarters. With better public transport links and proximity to world-class science and technology institutions, we\xe2\x80\x99re excited for our move to the vicinity of Earnshaw Street, London WC1A (\xe2\x80\x9cthe New HQ\xe2\x80\x9d) by end H1 2024.

GlaxoSmithKline