Legal Counsel

Legal Counsel – Commercial Transactions (m/f/d)

Location: Germany

Work Model: Hybrid

We are seeking an experienced and commercially focused lawyer to join an international life sciences organisation as Legal Counsel for Commercial Transactions. In this role, you will act as a trusted legal advisor to business and operational teams across Europe, supporting strategic customer relationships, supplier engagements, and complex commercial transactions within a highly regulated industry.

This position offers significant ownership, direct interaction with senior stakeholders, and the opportunity to help shape how legal services are delivered within a growing global organisation.

Please note that this role requires qualification as a fully qualified lawyer in Germany, including completion of both German state examinations. The position is based in Munich Germany with the option for hybrid working.

Responsibilities

• Act as a strategic legal partner to commercial, operational, finance, and business leadership teams.
• Provide practical, risk-balanced legal advice aligned with business objectives.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage a broad range of commercial agreements, including customer agreements, supplier contracts, procurement agreements, consultancy agreements, confidentiality agreements, and collaboration agreements.
• Develop and maintain contract templates, clause libraries, negotiation guidance, and legal playbooks.
• Support effective contract governance, documentation, and record management processes.
• Analyse contracting activities, including negotiation trends, contract cycle times, and key risk indicators.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency through technology, process optimisation, and contract automation.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments affecting the business, including data privacy, cybersecurity, AI, cross-border data transfers, and industry-specific regulations.
• Update internal processes, templates, and guidance materials to address emerging legal risks.
• Provide training and support to internal stakeholders on contracting processes and best practices.

Required:

• Fully qualified lawyer in Germany or another EU/EEA jurisdiction.
• Minimum 4 years’ post-qualification experience gained within a leading law firm and/or multinational in-house legal environment.
• Experience working within life sciences, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, healthcare, technology, or another regulated sector.
• Strong experience drafting, negotiating, and advising on international commercial agreements.
• Expertise across key contractual areas including confidentiality, intellectual property, quality obligations, liability, indemnities, warranties, change management, business continuity, and dispute resolution.
• Professional fluency in English.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to provide practical and solution-oriented advice.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and stakeholder communication skills.

Preferred:

• Experience with international contracting, data privacy, and regulatory matters.
• Familiarity with contract lifecycle management systems and digital contracting tools.
• Interest in legal technology, automation, and AI-enabled legal solutions.