Senior Corporate Counsel, M&A and Partnering

Senior Corporate Counsel, M&A and Partnering

Location: Morristown, NJ

Opella is the self-care challenger with the purest and third-largest portfolio in the Over-The-Counter (OTC) & Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements (VMS) market globally. 

Our mission is to bring health in people’s hands by making self-care as simple as it should be. For half a billion consumers worldwide – and counting.

At the core of this mission is our 100 loved brands, our 11,000-strong global team, our 13 best-in-class manufacturing sites and 4 specialized science and innovation development centers. Headquartered in France, Opella is the proud maker of many of the world’s most loved brands, including Allegra, Buscopan, Doliprane, Dulcolax, Enterogermina, Essentiale and Mucosolvan.

As a globally certified B Corp company, we are active players in the journey towards healthier people and planet. Find out more about our mission at www.opella.com.

About the Job

The Global Opella Legal, Ethics & Corporate Security Team is a group of motivated, energetic, collaborative, and experienced lawyers and experts, with a shared goal of delivering value by identifying opportunities and balancing risks. Within this global organization, you will be a key member of our Legal Global Transactions team, reporting to the Opella Head of Legal Global Transactions.

Main Responsibilities:

• Support, assist and advise the Opella teams in charge of acquisitions and/or divestitures projects, as well as External Innovation (BD&L) and Alliance Management teams, in order to contribute to and execute on the global strategy of Opella with respect to M&A and Partnering.
• Evaluating, structuring, negotiating, drafting and providing advice on complex legal transactions from inception to execution such (i) as product, business or company divestitures or acquisitions (including minority equity interests) and (ii) licensing and/or partnership transactions (“Strategic Transactions”), both locally and internationally.
• Assisting and Advising the Global Alliance Management team, by analyzing and interpreting our strategic licensing and/or partnership agreements to clarify Opella’s rights and obligations and enforce them, through governance committees or through renegotiation.
• Acting as lead lawyer on the Strategic Transaction projects, ensuring smooth and efficient coordination with other legal functions (trademarks, patents, M&S, country lawyers, etc.) and coordinating and overseeing the work of outside counsels.

About You:

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in the M&A department of a major law firm and can demonstrate diverse and complex M&A/BD&L transactional experience; in-house experience and/or pharma/life sciences or cosmetic industry experience a plus
• Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school
• US license to practice law must be active and in good standing 
• Excellent communication (written and oral) and interpersonal skills
• Ability to draft and negotiate a wide variety of sophisticated contracts; the
• Ability to work independently and effectively with limited supervision; the ability to exercise independent and sound judgment (to identify red flag issues and escalate them as required); and ability to advise and cogently explain and discuss complex matters with internal clients.
• Thorough understanding of legal principles applicable to many areas of practice, including a number of the following: intellectual property, supply, manufacture and distribution agreements, business transactions and corporate laws.
• Must have a team player attitude and will have excellent transversal collaboration skills (with legal colleagues, business stakeholders and cross-functional teams).
• Maintain the highest ethical standards and respect confidentiality of company matters.
• High level of professionalism, be reliable, responsive, and accountable to deliver results.
• Proficient with Word, PowerPoint and other corporate standard software. 

Why us?

At Opella, you will enjoy doing challenging, purposeful work, empowered to develop consumer brands with passion and creativity. This is your chance to grow new skills and be part of a bold, collaborative, and inclusive culture where people can thrive and be at their best every day.

We Are Challengers.

We are dedicated to making self-care as simple as it should be. That starts with our culture. We are challengers by nature, and this is how we do things:

All In Together: We keep each other honest and have each other's backs.

Courageous: We break boundaries and take thou