General Counsel

The General Counsel and Corporate Secretary will collaborate with senior management, the board of directors, and across all functions within our organization to provide broad legal support in the execution and ongoing management of agreements/contracts, securities matters (including SEC reporting and compliance), litigation, intellectual property, FDA and other regulatory agencies, human resources, and general corporate matters. This position will report to the Chief Executive Officer and is based in Emeryville, CA.

Responsibilities:

Functions as internal legal counsel regarding all general day-to-day corporate legal matters; manages legal matters handled by external counsel;

Works collaboratively across a broad range of functions developing and maintaining effective working relationships between corporate counsel, intellectual property, finance, human resources, corporate development, and all company functions to facilitate a team-based approach to meeting Adamas’ short and long term objectives;

Supports commercial activities and FDA/other regulatory body compliance;

Provide legal support regarding business development transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, licensing and collaborations. This includes support of due diligence, transaction negotiation and drafting, and ongoing post-closing legal support, as needed;

Represents and/or provides oversight for Adamas’ interests in all legal matters with external suppliers, partners, etc.;

Fosters an environment in which people want to do their best. Effectively hires and develops talented staff. Establishes clear expectations, sets priorities, focuses resources, manages and delegates appropriately and effectively;

Creates a collaborative environment with the executive leadership team and with the board of directors to enhance cross company unity and productivity;

Develops and manages departmental budgets;

Ensures legal compliance including, but not limited to, ’34 Act reporting; supporting finance in all SEC reporting requirements, such as, 10-K, 10-Q, Proxy, regular SEC ownership filings

Supports the commercial organization and investor relations/public relations teams by providing legal oversight in all external communications;

Partners with human resources as it pertain to compliance and employee relations matters;

Acts as Corporate Secretary for all Board of Directors and committee meetings as well as providing thorough and thoughtful feedback to the Board.

Qualifications:

Juris Doctorate required;

12 years of experience, of which some must be in-house, with 5 years of experience operating at the general counsel level

Experience managing litigation with patent/product litigation preferred;

Experience in securities and corporate transactions. Proven track record in managing all legal aspects of financing transactions, corporate governance, FDA, and SEC compliance;

Significant experience in managing business development process from opportunity assessment through post-closing support;

Demonstrated ability to effectively manage staff and high performing teams;

Knows the competition and can add high value in key business discussions or corporate-wide policies and programs;

Understands and models the appropriate balance between gathering data to make decisions and making timely decisions based on limited data;

Ability to shift strategy or approach in response to the demands of the organization. Can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty;

Possess a good blend of strategic and operational experience with the ability to see the big picture and dive into details;

Can negotiate skillfully in touch situations with both internal and external groups. Can be both direct and forceful, as well as, diplomatic;

Communicates results, outcomes and information appropriately with regard to business needs and potential impact in a timely fashion and can effectively present ideas and get buy-on;

Excellent listener; seeks broad input and feedback in consensus across the organization;

Leads change initiatives and makes suggestions for increasing the effectiveness of the organization;

Experience working in complex business relationships and related transactions, where critical thinking, problem solving, strategy, tactics, and coordination are required;

Specialty pharma or pharmaceutical industry experience strongly preferred;

Keen attention to detail; providing high quality work;

Hands-on approach and style; strong work ethic;

Team-orientated, pragmatic, and solutions oriented;

Successful experience in small fast-paced entrepreneurial environments;

Possess unquestioned integrity and strong business ethics. Always leads by example and demonstrates a firm commitment to Adamas’ culture and values.