The Senior Director, Corporate Counsel will primarily serve as legal counsel to the Company’s market access function, providing legal strategy, advice, and contracting support for market access initiatives related to Company products. The role will work closely with market access, commercial, sales, and other business teams on market access strategy, payer and pharmacy benefit manager (“PBM”) arrangements, payer and PBM contracts, specialty pharmacy and provider agreements, pharmaceutical distribution channels, contract operations, government pricing, reimbursement, and related regulatory and compliance issues.

This role is responsible for providing legal counsel, developing legal strategy, and negotiating terms for government-supported agreements. The Senior Director will work collaboratively with internal and external senior stakeholders to provide cohesive legal direction in support of Company goals.

Lastly, the Senior Director, Corporate Counsel may also provide legal support to other business functions and on additional matters as needed.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts related to market access, including payer, specialty pharmacy and provider contract discount agreements, distribution agreements, and licensing deals.
• Support litigation and dispute resolution related to market access and reimbursement issues.
• Identifying potential legal risks associated with patient services and payer, specialty pharmacy and provider contracts and developing strategies to mitigate them
• Draft, review and negotiate various agreements to support manufacture, supply, commercialization and marketing/sale of pharmaceutical products, including manufacturing and supply agreements, wholesaler/distribution agreements, master services agreements and related statements of work, and agreements with market access and managed care entities
• Provide substantive legal advice and strategy on all laws and regulations pertaining to the development, manufacture and commercialization of pharmaceutical products, with particular emphasis on market access and payer agreements, patient support services, product liability, and how such laws relate to and impact complex corporate transactions and commercial arrangements with third parties
• Provide legal support, develop legal strategy, and negotiate relevant terms related to government-supported agreements with Department of Defense, (e.g., United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC) projects), and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) agreements and consortia (e.g., RRPV, PBS, BIOMAP)
• Prepare and implement compliance matrices and flow-down terms templates for government-supported agreements
• Draft, review and negotiate contracts to implement government-supported agreements, ensuring terms are compliant with governing agreements
• Advise on potential legal issues related to customer contracting, pricing and price reporting, including FD&CA and anti-kickback
• Provide legal support for business development activities, including performance of due diligence focusing on regulatory, promotional activities, social media and patient support services, and review and negotiation of related terms of business development transaction agreements
• Identify, allocate and/or mitigate legal risk in all matters affecting Shionogi, with particular emphasis on risks related to government contracts and agreements with market access and managed care entities
• Review and interpret existing contracts to advise business partners on contract requirements in an effort to ensure timely performance by Shionogi and counterparties
• Other duties as assigned

Minimum Job Requirements

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school.
• Active license and good standing to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.

• Minimum of 10 years of substantive pharmaceutical and/or health care legal experience, preferably within:
• An in-house legal department, and/or
• A law firm with significant practice relating to market access
• Prior experience in interpreting and analyzing relevant pharmaceutical regulations and providing strategic advice to medical, commercial and business teams.
• Experience in handling investigation(s) and litigation(s) directly or with outside counsel.
• Demonstrated experience handling complex legal issues and analysis.
• Strong business judgment and ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives.

Preferred

• Experience working with certain divisions of the US government funding drug research, development and manufacturing.

Competencies

• Excellent analytical skills.
• Clear, concise communication with both legal and non-legal stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage competing priorities under tight deadlines.
• Pragmatic, solution-oriented approach to legal problem-solving.
• High degree of professionalism, discretion, and integrity.
• Ability to work effectively with business partners and in-house attorneys in the U.S. and Japan to ensure alignment on legal and compliance risks.
• Strong business judgment and ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives.
• Strong negotiation skills and ability to assess contractual implications and appropriately allocate risk.
• Ability to independently manage assigned legal matters and recognize when consultation, escalation, or approval is needed.

Other Requirements

• This position exercises independent legal judgment and leads assigned legal matters within established Company policies and delegated authority. The role advises business leaders on legal risk and available options, aligns with relevant legal and compliance colleagues, and escalates material risks or matters requiring approval to the appropriate legal leader.
• Ability and willingness to participate in calls and video meetings with colleagues in Japan and Europe, which may occur early in the morning or later in the evening considering the time differences.
• Ability and willingness to travel approximately 5% of the year both domestically and internationally
• Must permanently reside a commutable distance to our US Corporate Headquarters in Florham Park, NJ. Office presence required at least 50% of the time per week.

Additional Information

The base salary range for this full-time position is $265,000 - $300,000. Individual pay is determined by several factors, which include but are not limited to: job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. The range does not include the comprehensive benefits, bonus, long-term incentive, applicable allowances, or any additional compensation that may be associated with this role. 

Shionogi Inc. is an equal opportunity employer supporting individuals with disabilities and veterans. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment opportunities based on valid job requirements without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), marital status, national origin, age, ancestry, citizenship, disability, genetic information, status as a disabled veteran, a recently separated veteran, Active Duty Wartime or Campaign Badge Veterans, and Armed Forces Service Medal Veterans, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. It is the policy of Shionogi Inc. to undertake affirmative action for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in compliance with all federal, state, and local requirements to recruit a diverse pool of protected veteran and individuals with disabilities applicants and to ensure that our employment practices are, in fact, non-discriminatory.

If you are qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access this website to apply for a vacancy as a result of your disability. You can request accommodations by calling 973-307-3550 or by sending an email to ShionogiHR@shionogi.com.