Head of Legal Transactions

Join to apply for the Head of Legal Transactions role at Ipsen The Head of Legal, Transactions & Corporate Legal will be a core member and strategic trusted legal advisor, providing expert guidance across the company’s global partnering, external innovation, and strategic alliance initiatives. As a senior member of the Legal organization, this role will deliver high‑impact legal leadership in support of transformative business transactions and collaborations (M&A, BD&L, Strategic Alliances), and corporate legal matters. The role requires deep expertise in transactional structuring, corporate governance, and the regulatory frameworks governing the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. The head will provide thought leadership on deal strategy and execution, lead by example, and collaborate closely with R&D, Business Development, Corporate Finance, and Compliance to enable business growth while safeguarding the company’s legal and ethical standards. Responsibilities Strategic Legal Advisor Serve as the legal lead to Ipsen’s legal strategy for global partnering transactions, M&A, and strategic alliances, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives and mindful risk taking. Provide direct, high‑impact legal counsel to the EVP CBO on BD&L transactions in particular early‑stage deals. Provide direct, high‑impact legal counsel to the Strategic Alliance corporate legal matters. Represent Ipsen in high‑stakes negotiations on M&A, BD&L and Strategic Alliances. Support the SVP Legal Transactions, Corporate Legal & Litigation on litigation matters. Drive transformation initiatives within the Legal function. Transactional Legal Lead Lead and oversee the drafting, negotiation, and execution of complex commercial and corporate agreements related to M&A, Business Development & Licensing (BD&L), and Strategic Alliances. Ensure agreements such as confidentiality, consulting, collaboration R&D agreements, option agreements, licensing agreements, asset and share purchase agreements, shareholder, investor and joint venture agreements. Be the focal point of contact for Global Partnering Early‑Stage team, evaluating potential contractual arrangements. Provide post‑deal counsel on contract interpretation, compliance, and implementation. Lead proactive management of existing Strategic Alliances. Governance, Compliance & Risk Management Oversee the development and implementation of global governance frameworks. Partner closely with Business Ethics & Compliance. Act and lead major investigations, crisis management, and regulatory responses. Resolve, settle, and escalate contractual disputes. Cross‑Functional & Global Collaboration Maintain close coordination with the Legal Asset Brand Team. Collaborate with the IP Legal Team on BD&L projects. Work with corporate Finance, M&A Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain, Insurance & Risk Management, Quality, and Regulatory functions. Forge and maintain strategic partnerships with key external stakeholders. Leadership & Team Management Build, inspire, and lead a high‑performing legal team. Manage, coach, and develop internal stakeholders. Supervise Legal Interns. Develop succession planning and talent development strategies. Manage external counsel relationships. Lead and contribute to Legal Department initiatives focused on operational excellence. Qualifications Law degree (LLB, LLM) from a civil law jurisdiction (France or other European countries) or a common law jurisdiction. For civil law lawyers, an LLM from a common law jurisdiction is a plus. Admitted to the NY and French Bar. +10 years of legal experience in drafting, reviewing, negotiating and completing various types of transactional documents, with emphasis on BD&L and M&A in the life sciences industry across multiple geographies. Previous in‑house experience or equivalent private practice advising life sciences companies. Thorough understanding of legal principle application to licensing, research, development, commercial, supply, manufacturing, distribution, corporate, procurement, and regulatory matters. Fluency in English, both oral and strong writing skills. French or other languages are a plus. #J-18808-Ljbffr