Head of Legal and Compliance; Corporate Counsel

Avalere Health is seeking a highly experienced and skilled legal professional to join our team as a Head of Legal and Compliance. As the principal in-house legal advisor, you will provide strategic leadership and guidance on all legal and compliance matters.

• Legal Strategy: Develop and implement the legal strategy at Avalere Health, collaborating closely with business leaders to understand and inform their objectives and activities from a legal perspective.
• Legal Advice: Oversee the provision of legal advice to all areas of Avalere Health, identifying and managing legal and contractual risks, and balancing risk identification and mitigation with commercial and operational awareness.
• Leadership: Lead and manage the legal and compliance teams, providing guidance, mentorship, and professional development opportunities, and ensuring that team members are effectively supporting Avalere Health's legal and compliance needs and objectives.
• Compliance: Provide oversight of the Compliance team and program, ensuring that policies, procedures, and controls are in place to mitigate compliance risks, and monitoring regulatory developments and industry best practices to enhance the effectiveness of the compliance program.
• Contracts and Negotiation: Prepare, review, and negotiate a diverse array of commercial contracts, ensuring alignment with company objectives and risk mitigation strategies, and collaborating closely with internal stakeholders to ensure contract terms are accurately reflected and meet business needs while safeguarding Avalere Health's interests.
• Corporate Governance and Compliance: Provide guidance on corporate governance matters, including the interpretation and application of corporate policies, bylaws, and regulatory requirements, and overseeing the preparation of board and committee materials, resolutions, and filings to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations governing corporate entities.
• Legal Research and Analysis: Conduct comprehensive legal research and analysis on a wide range of issues, including regulatory developments, case law, and industry trends, to inform decision-making and strategy development, and synthesizing complex legal concepts into actionable insights and recommendations for senior management and cross-functional teams.
• Litigation Management: Manage and oversee litigation matters, including disputes, claims, and regulatory proceedings, from inception to resolution, and collaborating with external counsel to develop case strategies, review pleadings and other legal documents, and represent Avalere Health's interests in negotiations.
• Policy Development and Implementation: Assist in the development, review, approval, and implementation of company policies, procedures, and guidelines to ensure legal compliance and promote best practices across the organization, and partnering with key stakeholders to assess the impact of new regulations or changes in the external landscape on existing policies and practices.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Build relationships with leaders of other partner functions, collaborating closely to address legal issues and provide timely, practical advice and solutions, and serving as a trusted advisor to internal clients, offering guidance on and hands-on involvement in a broad range of legal matters.
• Training and Education: Develop and deliver training sessions, workshops, and educational materials for employees at all levels of the organization to raise awareness of legal risks and compliance requirements, and providing ongoing support and guidance to business units on legal matters.
• Compliance Culture: Promote a culture of legal compliance, integrity, and ethical behavior through ongoing education and awareness initiatives, and identifying, assessing, and mitigating legal risks and actual and potential exposures across the organization.
• Risk Management and Mitigation: Identify, assess, and mitigate legal risks and actual and potential exposures across the organization, working collaboratively with internal stakeholders to implement proactive measures and controls, and assisting in the development and maintenance of risk management frameworks and processes to monitor and manage legal risks effectively.
• Regulatory Compliance: Monitor changes in laws, regulations, and industry standards relevant to Avalere Health's operations, and ensuring timely updates to policies, procedures, and training programs to maintain compliance, and coordinating with internal stakeholders and external advisors to interpret regulatory requirements and assess their impact on business operations.
• External Relationships: Cultivate and maintain relationships with external legal counsel, regulatory authorities, industry associations, and other relevant stakeholders to stay informed of emerging legal and regulatory trends and developments.
• Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement initiatives within the Legal and Compliance functions, identifying opportunities to streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and optimize resource allocation, and participating in cross-functional projects and initiatives to support business growth and operational excellence.
• Policy Development: Develop, review, and update company policies and procedures to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, and working closely with stakeholders to communicate policies effectively throughout the organization.
• Investigations and Remediation: Conduct and oversee internal investigations into compliance violations or allegations of misconduct, working closely with human resources and other relevant departments, and recommending corrective actions or disciplinary measures as appropriate.

We are seeking an experienced and skilled legal professional with a strong background in corporate law, contract law, regulatory compliance, and commercial/business operations. The ideal candidate will have:

• English qualified solicitor/barrister, with 10+ years of PQE
• Previous team leadership experience highly desirable
• Experience within the Pharmaceutical Industry and knowledge of its regulations highly desirable
• Demonstrated experience in providing high-quality legal advice to senior stakeholders: excellent technical, analytical, drafting, and negotiating skills
• An ability to assess and quantify commercial risk and simultaneously offering innovative solutions to legal, regulatory, strategic, and operational challenges
• An ability to collaborate and influence senior stakeholders, including the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee
• Attention to detail
• Ability to work under pressure with limited supervision in a multi-disciplinary environment
• Ability to maintain high levels of focused drive and energy, giving above what is required to get the job done within the timeframe
• Professional and ethical
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• May be required to travel on an ad-hoc basis to various Avalere Health locations, including international travel
• Must be prepared to work flexibly (including, when required, out of hours and weekends) to meet the demands of the role
• Ability to work remotely, but desirable to be present in Avalere Health's London and/or Manchester office 2-3 days per week.