Head of Legal, Latin America and Canada

Job Description Summary

#LI-Hybrid
Location: East Hanover, New Jersey, United States

The Novartis International Legal team is seeking a new Head of Legal for Latin America and Canada (LACAN). This individual will be responsible for providing legal leadership for the entire LACAN Region comprising of 5 directly reporting countries (Canada, Columbia, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina) together with 1 cluster (ACC Cluster Panama) and 1 head of business development partnership.
The incumbent will: (a) be an active member of both the LACAN Leadership Team and the International Legal Leadership Team and any related executive committees; (2) act as the primary Legal business partner and advisor to the regional LACAN team; (3) provide strategic direction and leadership for all significant legal matters within the Region; (4) maintain an engaged team of lawyers in the LACAN Region that exemplifies the Novartis S&L function “FITT Commitment”; (5) proactively identify, assess and mitigate legal and broader enterprise risk across the LACAN Region; and (6) create and maintain collaborative platforms to create impact for the patients and business in the LACAN Region.

 

Job Description

Key responsibilities:

• Act as a business partner for the LACAN Region Leadership Teams, providing strategic direction and leadership for all legal matters, and collaborating effectively with other LACAN leaders to ensure legal priorities are addressed and to assist on all non-legal matters where possible.
• Oversee legal support in the LACAN Region: ensure proper legal support and documentation is provided by the country lawyers in LACAN relating to launches, BD&L, market access, employee relations, intellectual property, litigation, corporate compliance, tax & insurance compliance, and contract management; keep the Region Leaders informed of relevant legal developments; ensure LACAN Region’s corporate compliance, including adherence to tax, governance and insurance regulations, with collaboration to ERC and other functions.
• Identify and assess legal and enterprise risks in the LACAN Region and formulate/implement plans to mitigate risks identified.  Support the business by identification of opportunities based on the Legal framework within the LACAN Region.  Actively shape the external legal environment through well-thought external engagement strategies and advocacy on Pharma related legal topics.
• Limit litigation risk exposure in the LACAN Region, including risk derived from clinical issues and employee relations, working closely with the relevant functions.  Drive successful outcomes to significant litigations, providing senior level guidance/support to local lawyers and assisting with internal communications, project management and liaison with teams in Basel and US.   Review the key deals in the LACAN Region, e.g. M&A, BD&L, etc., and coach/train the local lawyers on best practices.  
• Manage the Legal Heads of the LACAN Region countries; handling employee selection, retention and development; ensure quality and efficiency of the work being performed by the respective legal teams, and training on key areas of legal risk and enabling opportunities, all in keeping with the S&L “FITT” Framework.
• Assess the LACAN Region’s legal needs and develop resource plans, role profiles, outside counsel budgets etc.  Strengthen outside counsel panels and train legal team on key areas.
• Monitor legal budgets across the LACAN Region, including internal headcount and outside counsel legal spend, driving efficient use of outside counsel.
• Drive collaboration across the LACAN Region (from sharing local expertise to talent development), including also interaction with other S&L functions like Operations, R&D, Corporate Legal, etc.
• Act as the primary Legal business partner/advisor for any country/country group in the LACAN Region without local Novartis internal counsel, providing advice and instructing external counsel - cover temporary absences and any longer-term gaps in recruitment.
• Engage as a key thought and people leader in S&L and International Legal, and as key participant in the International Legal Team.
• Continually engage operationally with the Head International Legal and functionally with the President LACAN, to ensure that all legal opportunities, risks, and other matters are well communicated and timely handled with appropriate manager input.

Essential requirements:

Education: Law school graduate & Bar member required.

Languages: Fluency in English is essential, Spanish speaking strongly preferred.

Experience:

• Minimum 12 years post Bar experience required, ideally gained within a healthcare / pharmaceutical environment, or alternatively, with FMCGs, a high