Transactions Counsel, APEX

About Flagship Pioneering 

Flagship Pioneering invents and builds 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 in human health, sustainability, and beyond.  
 
What sets Flagship apart is our ability to unite life science innovation, company creation, and capital investment under one roof in a way that is largely without precedent. Our team of scientists, entrepreneurial leaders, and professional capital managers are each aligned around an institutionalized process that enables us to innovate and create breakthroughs that generate exceptional value for people and the 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 named four times to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. 

Position Summary 

Flagship Pioneering is seeking a highly motivated Transactions Counsel to join our growing Transactions team. Flagship undertakes dozens of complex and value-oriented transactions at any given time, including complex joint ventures and partnerships, mergers and acquisition, initial public offerings, licensing and collaborations, global fundraising as well as and business and corporate development initiatives. All the activities associated with transactions at Flagship are led by a cross-disciplinary group, referred to internally as the “APEX Group”.  APEX is an acronym for “Acquisitions, Partnership, Equity and eXecution.”  This is an outstanding opportunity for an early-career attorney with strong transaction experience who wants exposure to some of the most innovative companies and partnerships involved in ground-breaking transactions. 

Responsibilities 

The Transactions Counsel will have the following responsibilities and opportunities: 

• Partner with internal stakeholders and outside counsel on a wide range of transactions and corporate matters, including venture financings, capital markets, and M&A transactions, general corporate governance and equity issuances. 

• Provide legal counsel and support for cutting-edge high growth companies in the Flagship Enterprise. 

• Work on all aspects of financing and corporate governance matters with Flagship’s [40+] public and private companies. 

• Review, prepare, and negotiate a range of financing and governance documents that include term sheets, financing documents, board and stockholder consents. 

• Conduct legal research for senior corporate attorneys. 

• Provide guidance to Flagship’s internal finance team and portfolio company teams regarding corporate governance matters, internal policies and general best practices. 

• Assist in compliance matters as well as standardizing processes and maintaining forms for the legal group. 

• Manage teams of external counsel to drive a high volume of deals to closure. 

• Develop strong working relationships with internal stakeholders, as well as external counsel and portfolio company teams. 

Key Qualifications  

•  JD degree required and admission to practice law in Massachusetts or another state bar in the United States; outstanding academic credentials. 

•  3-5 years of relevant experience, preferably in the corporate department of a nationally recognized law firm. 

•  Strong understanding of equity financing, equity awards and stock incentive plans and corporate governance. 

• General experience both working in teams and in managing substantial components of transactions independently. 

• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tight deadlines in a frequently high-paced and high-volume environment with competing demands. 

• Comfortable working in an entrepreneurial and fast-paced environment on compressed timeframes and with constant change. 

• Extensive experience in and comfortable with independently driving deals to closure and managing others to meet mandated timelines. 

• Extensive client contact experience and the highest caliber of professionalism and client management skills. 

• Effective in understanding strategic goals, prioritizing key issues, and finding pragmatic solutions to these issues for a wide range of transactions. 

• Excellent written and sophisticated verbal communication skills. 

• Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively and cooperatively as a strong team player (a roll up the sleeves attitude is required), with the ability to develop important relationships at all levels. 

• Strong attention to detail, emotional intelligence, nimble, perseverance, unflappable, humble, adaptable, and nimble with a strong sense of urgency and commitment to execution. 

What Makes You Successful 

You are someone who: 

• Thrives in ambiguity and enjoys solving complex business problems. 

• Is equally comfortable discussing financial models, business strategy, legal agreements, and transaction structures. 

• Can move seamlessly between detailed execution and strategic thinking. 

• Builds strong relationships across diverse teams. 

• Has exceptional judgment, curiosity, and attention to detail. 

• Enjoys working in a fast-moving, innovative environment where no two transactions are alike. 

Why Join Flagship? 

At Flagship, you'll have the opportunity to work on groundbreaking transactions that help launch and scale pioneering science and technology companies. You'll gain exposure to company creation and building, venture financing, strategic partnerships, licensing, acquisitions, and innovative business models while working alongside leaders across science, investing, legal, finance, and business development. 

This role offers exceptional breadth, responsibility, and learning for someone looking to build a long-term career at the intersection of innovation, transactions, and company building. 

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