Head of Legal & Business Compliance

Gilead

Zug, Switzerland

Job Description

The Head of Legal & Business Compliance is an integral role within the Gilead Sciences Switzerland Leadership Team and leads the Legal and Business Compliance function. They are a critical contributor to the to the ongoing success of Gilead CH business. The role will require the individual to work with the business in Zug, Switzerland.

The Legal & Business Compliance function in the CH business comprises the Legal Director who is supported by a Business Compliance Specialist shared with Austria and Nordics (located in Austria and reporting to the Head of Legal Austria).

The role reports to the Head ACE Midsize Markets Region. In addition to the being part of the CH affiliate leadership team, the Legal Director, Switzerland is a member of the ACE Midsize Markets (MM) Legal Leadership Team which includes the Heads of Legal & Business Compliance within the ACE MM Region.

Summary

The Head of Legal & Business Compliance is responsible for legal and compliance at the CH Affiliate as well as playing a broader leadership role within the local Affiliate. The key element is to advise the CH business on a variety of legal and compliance topics acting as a business partner, facilitating the development of legal and compliant solutions.

These topics include: pricing and reimbursement; distribution of product, access to medicine initiatives, privacy, determining internal policy regarding interactions with healthcare professionals, reviewing/approving meetings and events and other activities undertaken by the CH Affiliate.

It is essential for the Head of Legal & Business Compliance to be proactive and solutions orientated and is someone who will be a strong partner to all in the CH Affiliate. The individual will need to engage with their internal clients, work efficiently, collaboratively and pragmatically within the Legal & Business Compliance team and the business, be able to set appropriate priorities and deliver results within established timelines.

Specific Role

The Head of Legal & Business Compliance:

Leads and manages the Legal & Business Compliance Function in Switzerland to achieve team and function priorities;
Is an impactful and influencing member of the local cross-functional CH Leadership team;
Acts as strong and true business partner to the General Manager, the local senior management team and internal clients (Commercial, Medical, Market Access, Finance, Regulatory, HR, Distribution, etc.) having in depth understanding of the company products and the market environment and corresponding business processes to identify any opportunity to drive business forward and raise the knowledge of the business in terms of potential legal risks;
Supports the General Manager, the local senior management team as well as different departments and functions in the Swiss affiliate in all legal and business compliance related areas including but not limited to contract law, pharmaceutical law, law on advertising in the health care sector, unfair competition and antitrust law, business and corporate law, intellectual property law, labor law, data protection law, social insurance and reimbursement law, market access as well as in the areas of corporate governance and compliance;
Develops pragmatic solutions to solve complex problems;
Works collaboratively with other members of legal departments as well as internal client business partners;
Sets appropriate priorities with client business partners and delivers results within the established timelines;
Contributes to multidisciplinary and international projects, leads legal oriented projects (both within country, within the ACE MM and ACE regions and at a global level), and takes responsibility for legal aspects of projects;
Is an active member of the ACE MM Legal Leadership Team.

Knowledge, Experience & Skills

The ideal candidate is a highly motivated pro-active self-starter with a pragmatic can-do attitude and a high dedication and natural interest to legal topics in life-science industry. Specific experience in the following areas is very advantageous: pharmaceutical law, law on advertising in the health care sector, reimbursement of medicines, contract law, competition law, business and corporate law, intellectual property law, data protection laws and employment law.

Typical Education & Experience:

Fully qualified lawyer (Swiss qualification beneficial, but not a prerequisite);
In-depth understanding of business objectives and how those translate into Legal’s priorities to deliver practical advice and guidance to the business;
Fully admitted to practice applicable laws in the country or jurisdictions of responsibility (or strong willingness to acquire required knowledge);
Preferably 10+ years of industry or law firm experience;
Experience in pharmaceuticals/biotech industry required;
Must be fluent in English and in German;
Experience in drafting, negotiating and implementing a wide range of commercial agreements including those related to distributor and logistics management, access to medicines initiatives, collaborations, coalitions service provision, and other significant strategic agreements;
Exercising judgement and determining and taking appropriate action where precedent may not exist;
Able to engage with and manage workstreams with external counsel;
Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills, an inquisitive mind, and the ability to work effectively in a global, matrixed organisation with multiple functions, together with a positive attitude and strong work ethic;
Ability to quickly establish credibility with diverse audiences. Consistently retains a sense of the ‘bigger picture’.

Personal competencies/behaviours

The ideal candidate will be solutions- and results-orientated. S/he will display personal and professional maturity and have a strong work ethic and personal integrity.

Collaborative and culturally experienced team player that leads by example;
Proactive approach to workstreams and can do and problem-solving attitude to facilitate the undertaking of projects;
Demonstrated ability to network, engage and partner with other functions, both within a country and within broader regional/Global structures, and establish positive relationships;
Strong business judgment with proven ability to identify and address customer needs;
Strong organizational and project management skills;
Proven analytical skills and sound judgment and practical approach to problem-solving;
Consistently demonstrate and adhere to Gilead’s Core Values and Leadership Commitments.