Senior Commercial Counsel

Department: Legal and Company Secretary

Location: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom

About the role

We are seeking to appoint a Senior Commercial Counsel.   This represents a unique opportunity for an experienced, bright and ambitious individual to influence and shape how our busy and productive commercial teams partner with the Legal function and, in particular, to help our agile Business Development team prepare and negotiate novel agreements with our external partners that develop and expand the reach of Abcam’s life science reagents into diagnostic kits and beyond. 

You will be motivated to be part of a dynamic and highly regarded team looking to build a best-in-class legal function that offers pragmatic and solutions-led support to the business.   Our General Counsel and Company Secretary leads an agile and focussed team of six lawyers based in both Cambridge, UK and Boston, US. 

This role will report to our Associate General Counsel who leads on IP, Data Protection and Licensing, and is based at Abcam’s head office in Cambridge, UK.  This team also comprises an experienced Senior Contracts Manager and a Legal Counsel (currently being appointed). 

Roles & responsibilities

•  To shape and influence how the legal function reviews and processes agreements across Abcam, drawing on best practice to design policies, suggest efficiencies and optimise ways of working at scale

• Drafting, negotiating, and reviewing high value and complex agreements, including co-development agreements, collaboration agreements, MSAs, various inter-company agreements/licenses etc.

•  To enhance and further develop a suite of contracting templates to drive further efficiencies across the business

• Advising on a wide range of general commercial issues, both BAU and project based, including advertising, promotion, marketing, procurement, e-commerce, competition, regulatory matters and dispute resolution

•  Develop and provide training for the business with respect to legal issues, policies and procedures • Provide support on M&A and compliance matters

About you

Our ideal candidate will be a qualified solicitor with extensive PQE and a track record of advising on complex licensing and other IP commercialisation deals, particularly in the life sciences sector. You should also have a strong academic background, top tier private practice training, excellent drafting skills (including the ability to free draft) and have gained solid in-house experience developing innovative and efficient end-to-end contracting processes.

Ideally, you will also have worked in-house in a life sciences organisation.  A degree or higher in a natural sciences discipline would also be a great advantage.

Given the potential impact this role will have across the business you will be someone who has demonstrated that they can work with and influence global cross functional teams, senior stakeholders and clients.  You must demonstrate a high degree of work ethic, integrity and professional transparency.  You must also be highly organised, analytical and able to manage and prioritise multiple assignments.

If this sounds like you and you’d like to be a part of a fast paced, growing business with the vision to become the most influential company and best-loved brand in life sciences please apply now!

Pay and Benefits

In addition to competitive salaries, we offer an attractive and flexible benefits package (including our award-winning share scheme, 18 weeks full paid maternity leave and 6 weeks full paid paternity leave), a culture focused on well-being and opportunities for growth and development, and a highly flexible working environment.

What’s more, as a WORK180 Endorsed Employer, we are recognized globally as an organization that’s diverse, inclusive and supports women in the workplace.  

 About Us 

An idea conceived in a University of Cambridge laboratory in 1998, Abcam plc (www.abcamplc.com) began life as an innovative and entrepreneurial start-up, spearheaded by like-minded individuals who shared a common purpose of providing the scientific community with quality antibody reagents, as well as trustworthy and up-to-date information about their uses and limitations. Abcam has now grown to become a leading supplier of protein research tools to life scientists, whilst always maintaining the core collaborative values assumed at its inception.  

Abcam now supports life science researchers in their quest to understand the cause of disease and ultimately offer improvements to diagnoses and treatments. To achieve this outcome, the company both develops and manufactures its own products in specialist facilities across the globe, and sources from over 400 partners, offering scientists the newest, most innovative and highest quality research tools available globally, regardless of source. With a customer base of research scientists who require high performance products with detailed technical specifications, 64% of global researchers use Abcam products. 

Inclusion & Diversity

Abcam is an Equal Opportunity Employer and makes all employment decisions without regard to age, national origin, race, ethnicity, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.