Commercial Counsel, Life Sciences

We are looking for an experienced Commercial Counsel, Life Sciences to support business operations in California. This role partners closely with commercial and cross-functional teams to provide practical legal guidance across contracting, promotional review, and day-to-day business matters in a regulated healthcare environment. The ideal candidate brings strong judgment, contract expertise, and the ability to balance legal risk with business objectives while working effectively with internal stakeholders and external partners.

Responsibilities:

• Prepare, negotiate, and assess a broad mix of commercial agreements, including arrangements tied to sourcing, customer sales, licensing, marketing initiatives, co-promotion efforts, and research partnerships.
• Provide legal review of advertising, campaign materials, and other promotional content to help ensure alignment with company standards, applicable regulations, and truth-in-advertising expectations.
• Counsel internal business partners on legal questions affecting commercial operations, delivering practical and timely advice that supports activities involving healthcare audiences.
• Address disputes and other legal concerns through effective negotiation, including support for pre-litigation resolutions and settlement discussions when needed.
• Create and refine contract templates, guidance materials, and training resources to improve consistency and efficiency across contracting workflows.
• Build a strong understanding of the company's products, business priorities, and supported client groups in order to deliver relevant and commercially informed legal advice.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments impacting sales, marketing, reimbursement, privacy, anti-corruption, and healthcare compliance, and identify issues requiring proactive guidance.
• Serve as a legal representative in discussions with vendors, customers, and other external parties, helping advance business objectives while protecting company interests.
• Manage outside counsel engagements by setting scope, directing work, overseeing budgets, and ensuring projects are completed effectively.
• Collaborate regularly with teams across Legal, Compliance, Finance, Education, Supply Chain, Research and Development, Regulatory, Quality, Clinical, Marketing, Sales, and Information Technology; limited travel of approximately 10-15% may be required.
• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school with a strong academic record.
• Active admission and good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• At least 3 years of experience practicing as a commercial attorney in a leading law firm, an in-house legal department, or a combination of both.
• Demonstrated experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a wide range of commercial contracts.
• Working knowledge of legal issues affecting life sciences or other highly regulated healthcare-related industries.
• Ability to advise business teams clearly and pragmatically on contract, marketing, and compliance-related matters.
• Strong negotiation, issue-spotting, and problem-solving skills with sound judgment and attention to detail.
• Experience collaborating across multiple business functions and managing external counsel or outside legal resources is preferred.