About Astellas:
At Astellas we are a progressive health partner, delivering value and outcomes where needed.
We pursue innovative science, focussing initially on the areas of greatest potential and then developing solutions where patient need is high, often in rare or under-served disease areas and in life-threatening or life-limiting diseases and conditions.
We work directly with patients, doctors and health care professionals on the front line to ensure patient and clinical needs are guiding our development activities at every stage.
Our global vision for Patient Centricity is to support the development of innovative health solutions through a deep understanding of the patient experience. At Astellas, Patient Centricity isn’t a buzzword - it’s a guiding principle for action. We believe all staff have a role to play in creating a patient-centric culture and integrating an awareness of the patient into our everyday working practices, regardless of our role, team or division.
We work closely with regulatory authorities and payers to find new ways to ensure access to new therapies. We deliver the latest insights and real-world evidence to inform the best decisions for patients and their care-givers, to ensure the medicines we develop continue to provide meaningful outcomes.
Beyond medicines, we support our stakeholder communities to drive initiatives that improve awareness, education, access and ultimately standards of care.
The Opportunity:
As the Contracting Lead, you will serve as a key contracts advisor, responsible for decision-making related to the Global Contracting Organization’s (GCO) contracting workflow for assigned categories of third-party supplier services. These may include Research, Preclinical, CTM, Manufacturing (MFG), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Clinical, Commercial, Marketing, Professional Services, and Other Indirect categories, with a primary focus on Information Systems (IS) and Data contracting.
You will act as the key client-facing representative of GCO, responsible for prioritizing, strategizing, and negotiating all third-party supplier contracts globally. This will span a broad range of stakeholders across the Astellas enterprise, including commercial functions, DDR, Research Affiliates, Development, Medical Affairs, and Shared Services.
This is a strategic position, accountable for balancing global development and commercial opportunities with associated legal and compliance risks in a complex and rapidly evolving regulatory environment. The role is also responsible for proactively identifying and mitigating risks that could impact the Company’s ability to achieve its objectives as outlined in the Corporate Strategic Plan (CSP).
Hybrid Working:
At Astellas we recognise the importance of balancing your work and home life, so we offer a hybrid working solution allowing time to connect with colleagues in person at the office alongside the flexibility to work from home; optimising the most productive work environment for you to succeed and deliver.
Key Responsibilities:
- Serving as a strategic legal partner to global business clients to engage third-party suppliers within a specific category of services to help drive innovation and to further business objectives in a risk-balanced manner. This includes providing timely, proactive, strategic, best-in-class advice and support, taking into account the global objectives of the organization, the CSP, and the unique and varying global, regional and local legal and regulatory requirements, as well as coordinating with other key stakeholders as appropriate.
- Overseeing and owning responsibility for independently making negotiation decisions and judgment calls for all third-party supplier contracting across an assigned category(ies) and prioritizing based on business demand in a risk-balanced manner. This includes serving as the subject matter expert on the assigned category(ies), with awareness of common contracting and business risks, Astellas preferred positions, and fallback provisions, and understanding of the business needs.
- Leading, managing, and overseeing the strategic drafting, negotiation, and execution of a broad range of third-party supplier agreements and other types of agreements within the scope of GCO, including master services agreements and work orders, services agreements, software as service agreements, cloud hosting agreements, software license agreements, facilities agreements, data sharing/use/license agreements, research services agreements, investigator-sponsored research agreements, collaborative agreements, hotel agreements, letter agreements and letters of intent, and amendments, change orders, and termination notices.
- Regularly communicating with Procurement Sourcing Category Managers to understand Procurement’s category management strategy, anticipated contracting challenges, and to ensure an effective memorialization of commercial terms communicated from Procurement.
- Providing feedback using independent judgment in response to escalations from contract reviewers regarding contracts in the assigned category(ies) and capturing knowledge from frequent questions to continuously improve templates and playbooks.
- Serving as the key point of escalation for business clients on contracting matters with third party suppliers and as a key representative for the GCO in the wider business, building strong relationships with key stakeholders. Providing updates to business clients on changes in legal and regulatory developments affecting the pharmaceutical industry, coordinating with other leaders in the Legal function as may be appropriate.
Essential Knowledge & Experience:
- Demonstrated ability to quickly grasp legal issues, apply strong analytical thinking and decision-making skills, exercise sound judgment, and provide practical, constructive legal advice.
- Legal background (attorney or licensed paralegal) or proven experience in contract management and negotiation.
- Demonstrated experience in a law firm, legal department, or contracting team, with a preference for experience in the pharmaceutical industry.
- Strong negotiation and communication skills—both written and verbal—with the ability to clearly explain legal matters and build trust through effective interpersonal skills.
Education:
- Bachelor’s Degree or higher is required (preferably in law), or equivalent.
Additional Information:
- This is a permanent, full-time position.
- This position is based in Poland.
- This position follows our hybrid working model. The role requires a blend of home and a minimum of 1 day per quarter in our Poland office. Flexibility may be required in line with business needs. Candidates must be located within a commutable distance of the office.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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