Contracts Counsel at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Asheville, North Carolina

Job Description:

Work Schedule

Standard (Mon-Fri)



Environmental Conditions

Office



Job Description



The LPG Legal Counsel will be a key Legal contact and member of the Laboratory Products Group (LPG) Legal team. This role supports the Laboratory Products Division (LPD) and Lab Chemicals Division (LCD) principally in the United States and regions within Europe on a wide range of legal matters, with a focus on business/commercial, compliance, quality, procurement, regulatory, employment, and dispute resolution. The LPG Legal Counsel will work with LPG Lead Counsel, and other LPD and LCD lawyers and legal support staff, as well as Thermo Fisher lawyers and outside specialists to provide high quality and comprehensive legal advice and support to the LPD and LCD legal entities, sites and businesses. The LPG Legal Counsel will also work closely with business functional colleagues, including but not limited to Global Trade Compliance, Quality, Procurement, EHS, and Regulatory, to facilitate business transactions and manage legal compliance matters and requests.



What Will You Do?

• Support the LPG Group Lead Counsel and other LPG Legal team members to provide guidance to business leaders and global team members on a range of legal, operational and business issues that impact the LPD and LCD businesses and sites.


• Draft and negotiate agreements of varying complexity with pharmaceutical, chemical, academic, research, industrial, and manufacturing companies to enable LPD and LCD businesses to sell products and perform services, purchase raw materials and services, license technologies (in and out) and manage quality requirements. Resolve commercial and other Legal disputes related to same.


• Obtain a general working knowledge of applicable United States and other regions' regulations and compliance rules impacting environmental, compliance, safety, trade, and related liability associated with the sale, transportation, and disposal of LPD products and LCD chemicals in region.


• Work with Legal and business teams to support a compliance program for LPD and LCD consistent with Thermo Fisher policies and procedures and applicable country-specific laws, rules and culture. Support regulatory, trade, and chemicals compliance efforts by LPD and LCD sites. Coordinate compliance with United States and other applicable regulations with internal and external subject matter experts and outside counsel and consult on resolution of agency enforcement actions.


• Partner with compliance colleagues to ensure effective prevention, detection and remediation of violations of law, regulations and internal policies, and periodic reporting on risk assessments regarding LPD/LCD site compliance. Support internal LPD/LCD investigations of any allegations of misconduct or reported compliance concerns.


• Help drive use of Third-Party Manager (third party distributor tool) within LPD/LCD and help resolve open trade compliance items.


• Respond to inquiries and advise LPD/LCD employees on laws and internal policies to help ensure business planning and activities are done in accordance with applicable requirements.


• Deliver Legal training programs relevant to business matters and contractual obligations for LPD and LCD sites.


• Promote PPI (process improvement) initiatives and adopt a process improvement culture within the LPD/LCD businesses.


• Partner with LPD/LCD business teams on a variety of commercial matters (e.g. sales, customer documentation support, product labelling requirements) and quality matters (e.g. customer notifications, quality agreements, regulatory audits). Facilitate review and resolution of customer concerns and complaints.


• Help implement strategic Legal purchasing, quality, commercial, regulatory initiatives at applicable LPD/LCD sites.


• Support litigation, IP, M&A, company secretarial, regulatory, employment matters impacting LPD/LCD businesses.


• Effectively build relationships with external counsel for LPD/LCD businesses.

• Requires an intellectually strong, United States licensed attorney with a J.D. degree and admission to a state bar. A degree in chemistry and/or life sciences with solid knowledge of contracts law is preferred.


• 4+ years commercial contracts Legal experience, preferably including in-house experience, representing chemicals, life sciences and other relevant regulated-sector companies in either a multinational company Legal department or relevant department of full-service law firm. Robust Legal acumen and business sense with strong influencing skills.


• Ability to develop practical processes/approaches, and to drive strategy to action and solutions to completion.


• Excellent communication and negotiation skills, robust and enthusiastic self-starter, excellent team player.


• Ability to perform duties independently with minimal instruction given on new projects or assignments.


• Ability to solve problems of diverse scope and moderate to high complexity. Multiple tasks must often be performed contemporaneously, involving commitments of moderate resources, and requiring understanding of issues surrounding contracts, technology and corporate structure.


• A willingness and competence to pay attention to details in contracts and regulations is essential.


• Recognize when to seek guidance from the Group/Divisional Counsel, General Counsel, and other company personnel or external consultants.