Job Description
The Assistant General Counsel acts as the de facto general counsel for a geographic region encompassing several countries. This role supports expansion into new therapy areas, and working with distributor partners; and advises on advertisement laws, supply chain, market access laws and negotiations, pricing and reimbursement, and related PR, government affairs especially for medicines for rare diseases. The role generally oversees a small team of attorneys or other legal staff.
Key Responsibilities:
- Advises business leaders on strategies and tactics in a way that advances the company's business while addressing legal risks and protecting the company's integrity and reputation
- Provides practical and timely advice on issues related to marketing claims, engagement with patient advocacy organizations, safety issues, regulatory strategy, publications, access, supply chain issues and life cycle management.
- Participates in various projects and initiatives (e.g., workplace committees, offsite planning, strategic planning).
- Drafts and negotiates a wide market access and relating to provision of drug under access programs, and general business contracts for interactions with a variety of stakeholders.
- As a people manager within the organization, has financial accountabilities and human resource responsibilities for assigned staff.
Key Requirements:
- JD or LLM or law degree from a respected university
- Strong experience in a large law firm, biopharmaceutical company, or government agency practicing law, or the equivalent combination of education and experience
- Highly collaborative, with excellent judgment and interpersonal skills
- Expert ability to constructively counsel and influence clients to take appropriate actions and make complex decisions
- Capacity to simultaneously handle a variety of complex legal matters with minimal guidance
- Demonstrable experience taking ownership of issues and providing timely, actionable advice
- Exceptional written, verbal and presentation skills
- Ability to lead and inspire a team to align and perform to a high standard and support them in the achieving of their objectives
- Qualification to practice as a lawyer in one of the countries in which Vertex has a presence (ex-US)
- Language skills: English and German fluent, additional language skills will be a plus.
At Vertex, we embrace continuous learning and encourage employees to stay informed on advances in AI, technology, automation, and industry trends. We seek talent who bring an external perspective, demonstrate curiosity and sound judgment, and thoughtfully adopt new capabilities that improve decision-making, drive innovation, increase efficiency, and help deliver better outcomes for patients.
Flex Designation:
Hybrid-Eligible Or On-Site EligibleFlex Eligibility Status:
In this Hybrid-Eligible role, you can choose to be designated as:
1. Hybrid: work remotely up to two days per week; or select
2. On-Site: work five days per week on-site with ad hoc flexibility.
Note: The Flex status for this position is subject to Vertex’s Policy on Flex @ Vertex Program and may be changed at any time.
#LI-Hybrid
Company Information
Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation.
Vertex is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, or any characteristic protected under applicable law. Vertex is an E-Verify Employer in the United States. Vertex will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.
Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should make a request to the recruiter or hiring manager, or contact Talent Acquisition at [email protected]
Skills Required
- JD, LLM, or equivalent law degree from a respected university
- Strong legal experience in a large law firm, biopharmaceutical company, government agency, or equivalent combination of education and experience
- Qualification to practice as a lawyer in a country where Vertex has a presence outside the United States
- Fluent English and German language skills
- Excellent judgment and interpersonal skills
- Ability to counsel and influence clients on complex decisions
- Ability to handle multiple complex legal matters with minimal guidance
- Experience taking ownership of issues and providing timely, actionable advice
- Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills
- Ability to lead and inspire a legal team
- Additional language skills
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Vertex Pharmaceuticals and has not been reviewed or approved by Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
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Parental & Family Support — Policies provide 12 weeks of 100% paid bonding leave for all U.S. parents with additional fully paid time for birth parents. Family-forming supports include adoption and surrogacy assistance, fertility options like IVF and egg cryopreservation, breast‑milk shipping, subsidized childcare, backup care, and a DCFSA match.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off includes roughly four weeks of vacation, 13 holidays, sick time, and two companywide shutdowns (summer and year‑end). Some roles also include flexible or unlimited time off and paid volunteer time.
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Retirement Support — Programs include a 401(k) plan with employer contributions and an employee stock purchase plan. Filings describe employer contributions occurring in company stock, supporting long‑term ownership.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Insights
What We Do
Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious and life-threatening diseases. We discovered and developed the first medicines to treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF), a rare, life-threatening genetic disease. In addition to clinical development programs in CF, Vertex has more than a dozen ongoing research programs focused on the underlying mechanisms of other serious diseases. Founded in 1989 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, our corporate headquarters is now located in Boston’s Innovation District, and our international headquarters is in London, United Kingdom. We currently employ approximately 3,500 people in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia and Latin America with nearly two-thirds of our staff dedicated to research and development. Vertex is consistently recognized as one of the industry’s top places to work by Science Magazine, The Boston Globe, Boston Business Journal and the San Diego Business Journal. Our research and medicines have also received esteemed recognitions, including the Robert J. Beall Therapeutics Development Award, the French Prix Galien and the British Pharmacological Society awards.
