Senior Legal Counsel

Job content

Job Purpose
The Senior Legal Counsel in the UK and Ireland will be responsible for providing legal advice, guidance, direction and assistance in connection with a wide variety of legal and compliance matters. This role primarily supports Leica Biosystems and will also provide support on an “as needed” basis for the Danaher Diagnostics Platform.

Reporting
The Senior Legal Counsel will report to the Danaher Diagnostics Platform (DX) Regional Counsel, Europe, Russia & CIS, Shehnaz Shepherd. Shehnaz is a 1998 UK qualified lawyer and resides in Switzerland.
Key Responsibilities
Draft, review, negotiate, strategize and document commercial transactions, by contract, and / or other legal arrangements, for example, supply, services, sub-contracts, procurement and cooperation transactions, with public authorities, private partners and Northern Europe Government agencies.
Build and maintain positive relationships with local leadership and other strategic partners within Leica Biosystems and the DX Platform; proactively engage and advise colleagues on the prioritisation of risks and to identify, monitor and improve key processes and internal controls.
Develop and implement appropriate approaches to dispute resolution, lawsuits, and arbitrations; provide regular, clear communication of litigation issues and opportunities to the DX Platform Regional Counsel, and Danaher Legal, as appropriate.
Constantly emphasise and demonstrate operational excellence and balanced risk taking.
Conduct legal training and education as deemed necessary or appropriate for the business.
Assist HR with employment law support.
Assist Quality and Regulatory Affairs with regulatory law support.
Select and manage outside counsel.
Closely monitor legal costs and constantly work to reduce cost for outside counsel or other consultants.
Support the Compliance Program, including: o Implement planned activities such as policy and procedure management, lead training, conduct monitoring, and direct investigations.
Promote (a) use of the Compliance Hotline, (b) awareness of the Code of Conduct, and (c) understanding of new and existing compliance issues and related policies and procedures.
Monitor and report results of compliance / ethics efforts and provide guidance to associates on compliance matters.
Act as a strategic and tactical compliance business partner for associates, leadership, and multiple functional groups.
Ensure transparent and reactive reporting to the Legal and Compliance teams.

Person Specification / Skills and Experience Required Education:
Qualified to practice law in England and Wales. Experience and Knowledge:
10 or more years of practice, preferably from an international law firm, or equivalent inhouse experience, or a combination of both, in the Life Sciences, Medical Device, Pharmaceuticals, Manufacturing or any other relevant industry.
Experience in interacting with remote internal customers and management.
Knowledge and understanding of compliance programs, including data protection laws and regulatory laws.
Project management skills, including managing and prioritizing multiple concurrent projects and regular and transparent reporting on progress.
Working in a dynamic and fast-paced business environment.
Ability to travel internationally, as needed.
Working in a multinational company headquartered outside the EU, supporting geographically dispersed teams.

Skills:
Must be an excellent lawyer, able to explain complex legal issues to business leaders; able to take business leaders’ concerns and demands into account when developing legal strategies.
Business minded. Able to quickly understand the business’ needs, work effectively with business teams, other members of the Legal group, and other internal teams to craft solutions and efficiently deliver results.
Juggle multiple, time-sensitive projects.
Excellent communication, drafting, and negotiation skills.
Demonstrate capability of to work efficiently, learn quickly, meet demanding deadlines in a fast-paced environment, prioritize workflow, and adjust to frequent change.
Adopt a practical approach to problem-solving and have the ability to effectively counsel internal clients by providing them clear, concise advice to meet their business needs.
High integrity and ethics in all dealings – internal, external and personal.
Innovative, adaptable, creative, with the appetite to challenge assumptions and working practices constructively.
A resilient individual, who can operate independently, show skills in analysis, judgment and decision making, and work for long-term, sustainable change.
Capable of building positive relationships with the business.
An excellent listener with a high degree of curiosity and appetite for learning.
Highly responsive and service-oriented with superior legal and business judgment.
When you join us, you’ll also be joining Danaher’s global organization, where 69,000 people wake up every day determined to help our customers win. As an associate, you’ll try new things, work hard, and advance your skills with guidance from dedicated leaders, all with the support of powerful Danaher Business System tools and the stability of a tested organization.

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