Vice President of Legal, Transactions & Corporate Legal

The Vice President 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.

WHAT - Main Responsibilities & Technical Competencies

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, under the supervision of SVP Legal Transactions, Corporate Legal & Litigation.

• 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, and Strategic Alliance corporate legal matters.

• Represent Ipsen in high-stakes negotiations on M&A, BD&L and Strategic Alliances, safeguarding the company’s interests and reputation.

• Support the SVP Legal Transactions, Corporate Legal & Litigation on litigation matters

• Drive transformation initiatives within the Legal function, fostering a culture of innovation, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.

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, including:

  • Confidentiality, consulting, collaboration R&D agreement, 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 to identify and address legal risks and strategic opportunities.

• Provide post-deal, counsel on contract interpretation, compliance, and implementation, ensuring alignment with business objectives and regulatory frameworks together with ethe Legal Asset Brand Team and US Commercial Legal.

• Lead the proactive management of existing Strategic Alliances, ensuring adherence to contractual commitments and long-term value creation.

Governance, Compliance & Risk Management

• Oversee the development and implementation of global governance frameworks, ensuring best-in-class compliance and ethical standards.

• Partner closely with Business Ethics & Compliance to reinforce an ethical culture and ensure consistent execution of compliance initiatives.

• Act and lead major investigations, crisis management, and regulatory responses.

• Resolve, settle, and escalate contractual disputes in collaboration with internal stakeholders and external counsel, as needed.

Cross-Functional & Global Collaboration

• Maintain close coordination with the Legal Asset Brand Team to ensure alignment and efficiency across global legal operations.

• Collaborate with the IP Legal Team on BD&L projects to protect and optimize intellectual property rights.

• Work effectively with corporate Finance, M&A Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain, Insurance & Risk Management, Quality, and Regulatory functions to provide integrated legal support.

• Forge and maintain strategic partnerships with key external stakeholders, including regulators, industry associations, and global business partners.

Leadership & Team Management

• Build, inspire, and lead a high-performing legal team, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and accountability.

• Manage, coach, and develop the internal stakeholders providing direction, feedback, and professional growth opportunities.

• Supervise Legal Interns to support their development and ensure the effective contribution of early-career legal talent.

• Develop together with SVP Legal Transaction and Litigation, the succession planning and talent development strategies to ensure a robust Legal Transaction team

• Manage and ability to challenge external counsel relationships to ensure quality, efficiency, and cost control.

• Lead and contribute to Legal Department initiatives focused on operational excellence, knowledge sharing, and continuous process improvement.

HOW - Knowledge & Experience

Education / Certifications (essential):

• Law degree (LLB, LLM) from a law school in a civil law jurisdiction (France or other European countries) or common law jurisdiction

• For civil law lawyers, an LLM from a common law jurisdiction is a +

• Admitted to NY and French Bar

• +10 years of legal experience in the domain in drafting, reviewing, negotiating and completing various types of transactional documents, with a particular emphasis on BD&L and M&A in the life sciences industry in multiple geographies and jurisdictions

• Previous in-house experience is required or equivalent experience in private practice/in a law firm advising such life sciences companies

• Thorough understanding of legal principle application to licensing, research, development, commercial, supply, manufacturing, distribution, corporate, procurement, regulatory

Language(s) (essential):

• Fluency in English, both oral (negotiations with external partners) and strong writing skills

• French or other languages are a +