General Counsel

Vifor Pharma Group is a global pharmaceutical company listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange that researches, develops, produces, and markets its pharmaceutical products. It is the partner of choice for innovative, patient-focused solutions. The Company focuses on developing and commercializing late-stage medicines that will change treatment paradigms and improve patients' lives. Vifor Pharma's mission is to help patients worldwide with severe and chronic diseases lead better, healthier lives.

Vifor values its people and cultivates a unique culture for an agile business, bringing its values of Entrepreneurship, Respect, and Teamwork to life. Vifor leverages its three driving values and its culture as a source of competitive advantage. The Company encourages employees to make an impact in their work and to listen to the patients they serve to achieve Vifor's vision of becoming the global leader in iron deficiency, nephrology, and cardiorenal therapies.

Vifor Pharma’s US business is bi-coastal, with bi-coastal headquarters in New Jersey and Redwood City, California. The business is growing, and last year enjoyed approximately $1B in sales.

Position Overview

Reporting to the President North America with a dotted line to the Global Group General Counsel, the General Counsel will lead, manage and develop the US legal team, currently with three direct reports. The General Counsel will serve as a strategic legal advisor and essential member of the US business and global legal leadership teams. He/she will be a trusted business partner and problem-solver on a wide range of legal matters, including commercial, clinical, regulatory, medical, and HR legal issues arising from the sale, marketing/promotion, and distribution of pharmaceutical products, labor/employment, litigation, commercial business transactions, and general corporate governance matters. The General Counsel will also partner closely with the US head of healthcare compliance and the global compliance team.

Detailed Responsibilities

• Managing the Company's US legal function to ensure that business objectives are met by providing hands-on, solution-oriented advice regarding all legal matters.

• Serving as a legal advisor and strategic business partner to the President, North America and leadership team on all legal matters.

• Leading, managing, and developing a high performance US legal team.

• Participating as a key member of the global legal leadership team and working to integrate the US legal function with global legal processes.

• Serving as an active and commercially-minded partner to the US commercial, market access, and medical affairs teams.

• Collaborating with business partners to provide practical solutions to legal issues and risk management discussions.

• Supporting the US business operations and providing direction and counsel regarding compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, legislative developments, and developing external trends.

• Collaborating closely with compliance colleagues to ensure legal compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and codes, including fraud and abuse laws, FDA laws regulating the sale and marketing of pharmaceutical products, the Sunshine Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

• Overseeing contracts and contract management functions in the US.

• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a wide range of agreements as needed to support the various business functions.

• Advising and partnering with Human Resources on US employment law matters, policies, and compensation plans to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

• Overseeing and managing all corporate governance matters and serving as corporate secretary.

• Partnering with other G&A functions such as Finance and Procurement to craft new policies and processes and also assisting with enforcement of such policies and processes by integrating with legal processes.

• Supporting the Global Group General Counsel on Business Development and Licensing transactions and in managing the Company's litigation, legal claims, and disputes in the US relating to the Company’s global business.

• Managing and responding to legal claims, subpoenas, and disputes in the US specific to local US business.

• Selecting, evaluating, and managing effective, timely, and cost-efficient outside legal counsel and expert advisors as needed in the US.

• Managing the legal department budget.

• Serving as an active and commercially-minded business partner to US leadership team and continually working to identify strategic opportunities to increase growth/reduce costs and engage in intelligent risk-taking.

• Organizing the allocation of legal responsibilities among the legal staff so that each team member develops his/her expertise, strengthens his/her partnering skills, and provides best in class legal support in his/her area of responsibility.

Key Qualifications

• JD from a national law school and admission to any state bar in the United States.

• At least 15 years of legal experience.

• In-house experience in roles of increasing scope and responsibility within the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or related life science industries is required, and foundational law firm training is strongly preferred.

• Broad legal experience supporting a commercial biopharmaceutical company and demonstrated experience providing sophisticated commercial legal leadership and support is required.

• Experience with corporate transactions of all kinds.

Leadership Characteristics, Interpersonal Competencies, & Success Factors

• Strong understanding of business risk in the life science industry with an appreciation of the impact to the business of legal advice.

• Expert knowledge of applicable legal rules and regulations coupled with a pragmatic approach to assisting the wider business.

• Proven navigational skills to work successfully within a diverse, international, and complex growth environment.

• Implements plans consistent with the long-term interest of the organization while capitalizing on opportunities and managing risks.

• Intelligent, analytical, and commercially agile with the ability to work in a fast-paced, solutions-oriented environment.

• Committed to a value-driven and patient-centric culture that enables the growth of the Company.

• Collaborates with internal and external customers to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals.

• Consistently models compliant behavior with respect to regulatory, legal, and corporate policies and cultural values of Vifor.

• Builds and fosters a high-performing and highly engaged organization.

• Understands the organization’s financial processes and uses cost-benefit thinking to set priorities.

• Dynamic, open, and highly collaborative leadership style.

• Ensures employees are appropriately recruited, selected, appraised, and rewarded.

• Leads an environment that inspires people to drive results and adapt to changing situations.

• Acts as a catalyst for organizational change.

• Influences others to translate vision into action.

• Displays communication skills (verbal and/or written) that inform, inspire, and persuade.

• Entrepreneurial mindset and "hands-on" approach, willing to “roll-up sleeves” to get the job done as needed.

• Mature, resilient, energetic, and decisive personality, yet with an approachable style.

• Ability to command respect through sound professional judgment and clear decision-making.

• Trusted, commercially astute business partner with the stature and gravitas to be immediately credible and accepted at all levels of the organization.

• Highly developed influencing skills, ability to marshal "buy-in" and consensus among people at all levels.

• Self-aware and emotionally intelligent leader with a high level of personal authority, integrity, and credibility who can resolve issues diplomatically.

• Excellent communicator that presents ideas articulately and openly.

• Critical and strategic thinker and problem solver with the ability to craft creative solutions.

• Motivated self-starter with strong commercial acumen who will initiate matters rather than waiting for instructions.

• Excellent leadership skills and demonstrated executive presence.

• Ability to remain composed and focused, regardless of the circumstances.

• Strong analytical and negotiation skills.

About Us

At Vifor Pharma, we use our skills, dedication, and entrepreneurial spirit to offer innovative solutions in iron deficiency, nephrology and cardio-renal therapies, so we can help patients around the world live better, healthier lives. This is why we come to work every day.

Are you empowered to create a better world, and be part of life changing work? As a global pharmaceutical company, we offer the chance to be part of a worldwide team, where passion and commitment are met with opportunities for professional and personal development. Learn more at viforpharma.com/career.

What you can expect of us

As we work to support patients, we also take care for our employees’ professional and personal growth and well-being. We show appreciation and recognition through attractive benefits that will enhance your life, develop you, empower you to grow, and create your own career journey with us.

Including:

Open, safe and inclusive culture that fosters creativity and unleashes individual potential, whether in laboratories, manufacturing sites, in the field, or offices

Learning opportunities that enhances your skill set focused on business and personal effectiveness, leadership and management skills, and much more

Flexible workplace environment, home office opportunities, competitive vacation entitlement

Attractive financial participation schemes, adapted regionally, that provide employees with additional security for every life situation, including: Pension plans, participation schemes, and savings plans