Senior Counsel, Legal

Flagship Pioneering is a bioplatform innovation company that invents and builds platform companies that change the world. We bring together the greatest scientific minds with entrepreneurial company builders and assemble the capital to allow them to take courageous leaps. Those big leaps in human health and sustainability exponentially accelerate scientific progress in areas ranging from cancer detection and treatment to nature-positive agriculture.   

 What sets Flagship apart is our ability to advance biotechnology by uniting life science innovation, company creation, and capital investment under one roof in a way that is largely without precedent. Our scientific founders, entrepreneurial leaders, and professional capital managers are each aligned around an institutionalized process that enables us to innovate and transform for the benefit of people and planet.   

Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture.  

Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies, and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. 

Position Summary

Flagship Pioneering is seeking an experienced Senior Counsel to join a growing Legal Transactions team that serves as the strategic legal business partner to the Business Development, Corporate Development and Pioneering Medicines teams and an integral member of the Legal Team. This role will report to the Vice President, Legal Transactions and will be responsible for managing the process of structuring and negotiating complex pharmaceutical licensing and collaboration agreements and a wide range of other significant transactions across the Flagship ecosystem, as well as managing outside counsel for such matters. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in life sciences transactions, a strong foundation of top-tier law firm experience, and the ability to navigate complex, high-value deals in a fast-paced and innovative environment. This role will be tightly integrated into the larger Legal Team with opportunities for broader collaboration and development.  

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as lead counsel providing full end-to-end support on strategic transactions across the Flagship ecosystem, including pharmaceutical collaborations, licensing transactions, R&D partnerships, M&A and other significant transactions.
• Partner with cross-functional teams—including Business Development, Corporate Development, Pioneering Medicines and Finance —to structure deals that align with Flagship’s innovation strategy and Flagship’s and its portfolio companies’ business objectives.
• Provide support across the Flagship ecosystem as needed to support additional types of corporate transactions, including complex financings, restructuring activities, etc.

• Stay ahead of industry trends, evolving regulations, and legal developments impacting pharmaceutical collaborations and biotech transactions.
• Contribute to developing and implementing best practices, templates, and playbooks to streamline relevant legal processes.

• Proactively engage and direct external law firm partners and advisors to manage high-stakes negotiations and complex deal structures and legal cost associated with the same.
• Counsel internal stakeholders on legal interpretations, risk management and compliance considerations.

Qualifications & Experience

• J.D. from a top-tier law school; licensed to practice in the United States.
• 8+ years of experience in complex life sciences transactions, including top-tier law firm experience; previous in-house experience is preferred but not required.  
• Deep expertise in pharmaceutical collaborations, licensing agreements, and other significant transactions; expertise in M&A is a plus.
• Proven ability to lead negotiations on complex, high-value deals in the biotech or pharmaceutical industry.
• Excellent executive presence, communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to advise senior executives and drive strategic decision-making.

Why Join Flagship Pioneering?

This is a rare opportunity to play a critical role in shaping groundbreaking collaborations that drive scientific innovation. As Senior Counsel, Legal, you will operate at the intersection of business, law, and cutting-edge biotechnology, helping to build and support transformational partnerships that advance human health.

At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies:  Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates.  The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team.   Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.

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The salary range for this role is $204,000 - $346,000. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Flagship Pioneering currently offers healthcare coverage, annual incentive program, retirement benefits and a broad range of other benefits. Compensation and benefits information is based on Flagship Pioneering's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.