Legal
Corporate Counsel
Office Location: Pasadena, CA or San Diego, CA
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARWR) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that develops medicines that treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. Using a broad portfolio of RNA chemistries and efficient modes of delivery, Arrowhead therapies trigger the RNA interference mechanism to induce rapid, deep, and durable knockdown of target genes. RNA interference, or RNAi, is a mechanism present in living cells that inhibits the expression of a specific gene, thereby affecting the production of a specific protein. Arrowhead’s RNAi-based therapeutics leverage this natural pathway of gene silencing.
Arrowhead is focused on developing innovative drugs for diseases with a genetic basis, typically characterized by the overproduction of one or more proteins that are involved with disease. The depth and versatility of our RNAi technologies enables us to potentially address conditions in virtually any therapeutic area and pursue disease targets that are not otherwise addressable by small molecules and biologics. Arrowhead is leading the field in bringing the promise of RNAi to address diseases outside of the liver, and our clinical pipeline includes disease targets in the liver and lung with a promising pipeline of preclinical candidates.
Arrowhead’s corporate headquarters is in Pasadena, CA with research and development teams in Madison, WI and San Diego, CA. Our employees are nimble, science-driven innovators who are collaborating to bring new therapies to patients in need.
The Position
Arrowhead is seeking a corporate counsel to join its legal team at its Pasadena, CA headquarters or in San Diego, CA. Reporting to the Assistant General Counsel, the corporate counsel will provide counsel on general corporate matters related to a broad variety of the company’s functions and negotiate complex agreements. The ideal candidate will have significant experience negotiating contracts where intellectual property is a key consideration, experience in a corporate transactional practice (such as technology transactions or another similar practice), and an interest in gaining experience in a growing biopharmaceutical company. Familiarity with negotiating agreements in the commercial pharmaceutical space (including negotiating market access agreements with payors) and experience negotiating agreements with respect to clinical trials is preferred, but not required.
This role is based in Pasadena or San Diego, California, with an expectation to be in office 5 days a week.
Responsibilities
- Provide legal services to support the corporate, commercial, and clinical functions
- Negotiate agreements on Arrowhead’s behalf, particularly in the commercial space
- Develop and manage Arrowhead’s contract clause library, contract templates and negotiation playbooks
- Evaluate information, and provide research, counsel, and guidance on complex legal, business and factual issues for which sound legal judgment, experience, and independent reasoning is required, balancing big-picture business needs with anticipated legal risk
- Counsel management, as appropriate, with oversight of more senior counsel
- Assist with employment, HR-related matters, and other general legal matters, as appropriate
- Assist with legal workstreams (including due diligence) with respect to licensing agreements and other corporate transactions
- Accomplish and resolve matters through formal organizational channels and through informal networks
- Be an internal resource capable of practically applying technical expertise to real business problems and/or opportunities
- Continue to develop in-depth knowledge and functional expertise in select professional disciplines
- Address the business’ needs by involving the right people at the right time, understanding the company’s ultimate objectives, being responsive and developing creative solutions
- Surface problems and issues before projects become derailed
Requirements:
- Juris Doctorate required with 4 to 6 years of experience in a recognized law firm with a sophisticated corporate practice or in-house in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology or similar field
- Candidate must be licensed to practice law and in good standing
- Excellent contract drafting and negotiation skills, with an understanding of how to negotiate complex intellectual property concepts
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Strong analytical ability, critical and strategic thinking skills and attention to detail and project management skills to ensure appropriate execution
Preferred:
- Pharmaceutical or biotech experience
- Familiarity with negotiating commercial pharmaceutical agreements (e.g., market access agreements with payors, distribution agreements, etc.) and/or negotiating clinical trial agreements
Arrowhead provides competitive salaries and an excellent benefit package.
All applicants must have authorization to work in the US for a company.