Legal Counsel – Commercial Transactions (all genders)

Overview

We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded lawyer to join Wu Xi App Tec’s European legal team as Legal Counsel – Commercial Transactions (all genders).

In this role, you will serve as a trusted advisor to business and operational leaders across Europe, supporting strategic customer relationships, supplier engagements and complex commercial transactions in the life sciences sector.

You will have significant ownership, direct exposure to senior management, and the opportunity to shape legal services as delivered within a fast-growing international business.

Please note that the role requires qualification as a fully qualified lawyer (Volljurist/in) in Germany, including completion of both German state examinations.

The position is based in Munich, Germany, with the possibility to work partly from home (hybrid working model).

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic legal advisor to commercial, operational, finance, and business leadership.
• Provide pragmatic, risk-balanced legal advice that supports business objectives while appropriately managing legal and compliance risks.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, including customer, vendor, procurement, consultant, confidentiality, and collaboration agreements.
• Develop, maintain and continuously improve contract templates, clause libraries, playbooks and negotiation guidance.
• Partner with stakeholders to ensure accurate contract governance and record management.
• Monitor, analyze and report on contracting metrics, including cycle times, negotiation trends, and risk indicators.
• Use data and technology to identify opportunities for increased efficiency, consistency, and scalability, including contracting solutions and process automation.
• Monitor developments in key legal and regulatory areas impacting the business (e. g., AI, data security and privacy, cross-border data transfers, life sciences regulations).
• Proactively update templates, guidance, and internal processes to address emerging risks.
• Deliver practical training and guidance to business stakeholders on contracting best practices and self-service tools (as needed).

Qualifications

Required

• Fully qualified lawyer in Germany or another EU/EEA jurisdiction.
• Minimum 4 years' post-qualification experience in a leading law firm and/or multinational in-house legal department.
• Experience within life sciences, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, healthcare, technology, or other regulated industries.
• Significant experience drafting, negotiating and advising on commercial contracts in an international business environment, with expertise in confidentiality, quality responsibilities, intellectual property ownership, change management, limitation of liability, indemnification, warranties, business continuity and dispute resolution provisions.
• Professional fluency in English.
• Strong business judgment and the ability to deliver practical, solution-oriented advice.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and communication skills.

Preferred

• Fluent in German.
• Familiarity with data privacy, international contracting, and regulatory issues affecting global organizations.
• Experience working with contract lifecycle management tools and digital contracting platforms.
• Interest in legal technology, automation and AI-enabled legal solutions.

What Will Make You Successful

• A highly responsive communicator who proactively keeps stakeholders informed and leverages multiple communication channels to build trust, remove roadblocks and maintain momentum on commercial transactions.
• Commercially minded and business oriented.
• Comfortable handling sophisticated transactions independently.
• Confident engaging with senior stakeholders and external counterparties.
• Curious, proactive, and eager to improve how legal services are delivered.
• Organized and capable of managing competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Analytical yet pragmatic, with the ability to balance legal risk and commercial objectives.
• Interested in leveraging technology and data to create scalable legal solutions.

Why Join Wu Xi App Tec?

As a member of our European legal team, you will

• Play a meaningful role in helping one of the world\'s leading life sciences and research organizations accelerate the development and delivery of new therapies.
• Join a highly collaborative legal team with significant visibility and impact within the organization.
• Work directly with commercial and operational leaders across Europe.
• Negotiate complex domestic and cross-border commercial arrangements.
• Help shape contracting standards, legal operations and AI-enabled legal solutions.
• Support innovative pharmaceutical and biotech clients developing next-generation therapies.
• Expand beyond commercial contracting into broader legal advisory work, legal operations, and compliance initiatives.

An Equal Opportunity Employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability

This job description does not state or imply that the above are the only duties and responsibilities assigned to this position.

Employees holding this position will be required to perform any other job-related duties as requested by Management.

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