- Job title: R&D and IP Senior Counsel Lawyer
- Location: Neuilly sur Seine (France)
- Contract : permanent full time
Opella is the self-care challenger with the purest and third-largest portfolio in the Over-The-Counter (OTC) & Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements (VMS) market globally.
Our mission: to bring health in people’s hands by making self-care as simple as it should be for over half a billion consumers worldwide.
At the core of this mission is our 100+ loved brands, our 11,000-strong global team, our 13 best-in-class manufacturing sites and four specialized science and innovation development centers.
Headquartered in France, Opella is the proud maker of many of the world’s most loved brands, including Allegra, Buscopan, Doliprane, Dulcolax, Enterogermina, Essentiale and Mucosolvan. B Corp certified in multiple markets, we are active players in the journey towards healthier people and planet.
Find out more about our mission to bring health in your hands at www.opella.com.
About the job:
The Global Opella Legal, Ethics & Corporate Security Team is a group of motivated, energetic, collaborative, and experienced lawyers and experts, with a shared goal of delivering value by identifying opportunities and balancing risks. Within this global organization, you will be a key member of our Legal Global Transactions team, reporting to the Opella Head of Legal Global Transactions. This role acts as the primary Legal Business Partner of Opella’s Science Teams, supporting them when it comes to Innovation. As such, you will play a key role in securing R&D transactions and protecting appropriately our Innovations in support of Opella product growth.
The Global Opella Legal, Ethics & Corporate Security Team is a group of motivated, energetic, collaborative, and experienced lawyers and experts, with a shared goal of delivering value by identifying opportunities and balancing risks. Within this global organization, you will be a key member of our Legal Global Transactions team, reporting to the Opella Head of Legal Global Transactions. This role acts as the primary Legal Business Partner of Opella’s Science Teams, supporting them when it comes to Innovation. As such, you will play a key role in securing R&D transactions and protecting appropriately our Innovations in support of Opella product growth.
If you are curious, science- and technology- oriented, read on to learn more about why you should join us!
Main responsibilities:
R&D and Collaboration Transactions:
- Collaborate with and advise the R&D teams of Science Hub on the structuring, negotiating, and drafting of a wide range of complex R&D and collaboration transactions, such as development agreements with CDMOs, joint development agreements, collaboration agreements, consortium agreements or other partnership agreements, as well as licensing agreements, as per the agreed matrix,
- Collaborate with and advise the local/regional lawyers on the drafting and negotiation of strong and enforceable IP clauses,
- Provide or update existing templates of IP clauses or of any R&D agreements,
- Train the R&D teams to the Contracting Policy
Patent, Copyright and Trade Secret (Know-How):
- Jointly with the support of outside counsel, and in collaboration with the Science Hub Team:
- Elaborate and implement the Patent, Copyright, and Trade Secret (Know-How) strategy of Opella to leverage IP as a competitive advantage for Opella products, including by building and maintaining a fit-for-purpose patent portfolio, to protect and defend Opella products;
- Preparation, filing and prosecution of priority and worldwide patent applications and defense of patent rights,
- Evaluation of internal/external inventions to determine their patentability.
- Conduct and provide legal clearance searches in innovation projects, searches and opinions on validity, non-infringement and patent avoidance of third-party patents.
- Review scientific publications and clinical trial protocols
- Conduct patent due diligence in M&A, Licensing and R&D deals
- Manage autonomously the budget of the outside law firm in charge of patent portfolio management
Stakeholders:
- Interacting closely and regularly with various internal stakeholders such as Science (R&D and Regulatory teams), Growth (brands) and Finance (incl. Procurement and Tax);
- Ensuring smooth and efficient coordination with other legal teams when consulted as an IP expert;
- Managing the outside law firm in charge of portfolio management, applying strong cash management discipline;
About the Candidate:
Experience: 10 to 15-year experience in private practice or in-house as (i) a qualified patent attorney or certified “Conseil en Propriété Intellectuelle” with strong R&D and licensing agreements negotiation and drafting skills or (ii) transactional lawyer with strong IP (patent) skills, in consumer healthcare industry or VMS or cosmetics- Soft and technical skills: Strong communication, empathic and influencing skills; intellectually curious, open-minded, adaptable, comfortable with ambiguity and risk and excited by dynamic change, high level of professional ethics and integrity. Demonstrated ability to create legal defensive or proactive strategies, competent negotiator, thoughtful risk taker with sound judgement and ability to analyse situations and information, well-honed organizational and analytical skills, comfortable dealing with fluid regulatory landscape. Stakeholder management and leadership qualities.
- Education: qualified as a CPI or “ingénieur brevet”
- Languages: Excellent written, oral communication and presentation skills in English. French as a nice to have.
Why us?
With us, you will enjoy doing challenging, purposeful work, empowered to develop consumer brands with passion and creativity.
This is your chance to grow new skills and be part of a bold, collaborative and inclusive culture where people can thrive and be at their best every day.
Join us on our mission. Health. In your hands.
www.opella.com/en/careers
This is your chance to grow new skills and be part of a bold, collaborative and inclusive culture where people can thrive and be at their best every day.
Join us on our mission. Health. In your hands.
www.opella.com/en/careers
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