Head of Legal, Japan

Working with Us
Challenging. Meaningful. Life-changing. Those aren’t words that are usually associated with a job. But working at Bristol Myers Squibb is anything but usual. Here, uniquely interesting work happens every day, in every department. From optimizing a production line to the latest breakthroughs in cell therapy, this is work that transforms the lives of patients, and the careers of those who do it. You’ll get the chance to grow and thrive through opportunities uncommon in scale and scope, alongside high-achieving teams rich in diversity. Take your career farther than you thought possible.

Bristol Myers Squibb recognizes the importance of balance and flexibility in our work environment. We offer a wide variety of competitive benefits, services and programs that provide our employees with the resources to pursue their goals, both at work and in their personal lives. Read more: careers.bms.com/working-with-us.

Position Summary:

The Executive Director, Legal for BMS Japan will have leadership responsibility for legal matters for BMS Japan. The person in the role will play a key role on the BMS Japan Leadership Team and will also participate on the International Legal Leadership Team. The incumbent must build and develop a high talent team and ensure that the legal and compliance members work together effectively supporting the Japan business successfully. The position is supported by a team of 3 lawyers and an administrative assistant/paralegal. The incumbent should model the business core values: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Passion, Accountability and Inclusion. The incumbent should also work very effectively with matrix partners both in Japan as well as in the Worldwide organization in New Jersey.

Key Responsibilities and Major Duties:

Leadership:

• Serve on the BMS Japan Leadership Team with the General Manager, BMS Japan, as well as peers from functional areas such as Medical, Commercial Business Units, Finance, Human Resources, Compliance and other R&D Functions. Awareness of tone throughout the organization and, working with the leadership team, ensuring a steadfast commitment to quality, integrity, compliance and uncompromising ethics.

• Lead the legal support for BMS Japan, liaising effectively with worldwide lawyers supporting global functions within BMS, including ensuring appropriate support of global or regional projects.

• Collaborate effectively with Law Department to problem solve and support the organization across diverse areas, including IP, privacy, corporate transactions, corporate secretary, global product supply, human resources, and litigation.

• Deliver pro-active, practical, solution-oriented advice that drives informed decision-making in support of BMS Japan commercialization strategy and execution. Substantive areas of focus include the FCPA and other anti-bribery laws, local privacy laws, contracts, regulatory laws, competition laws, and policy issues.

• Serve as a member of the BMS Japan Compliance Committee to support the Compliance and Ethics lead for Japan.

• Advise on procedural documents and provide education/training on relevant topics. Advise on monitoring and serve as Counsel on investigations, in close cooperation with the BMS global Compliance and Ethics Organization. 

• Representative or coordination of participation on various external legal and compliance bodies.

• Support appropriate corporate governance.

Ensures Team Supports Business Activities and Appropriate Decision-Making through:

• Clear, expert and pragmatic legal advice that supports informed business decisions.

• Proactive identification and mitigation of potential legal risks.

• Championing simplification and clarification of policies, procedures and guidance affecting business activities.

• Participation in periodic internal audits of and, as appropriate, execution of audit follow-up actions.

​People Development: 

• Manage high-performing direct reports, with a strong focus on developing their skills and capabilities and broadening their experiences. 

Requirements:

• Education: A law degree from a respected university. Licensed to practice Law in Japan.

• Knowledge: Knowledge of Japan pharmaceutical industry practices, applicable industry codes and relevant laws is required. Meaningful prior experience with contracts and corporate compliance programs. 

• Experience: At least ten years of experience in the pharmaceutical or related industry is required. Successful experience in cross-functional interactions is required.

• Skills: Superior personal integrity and ethics, including an exceptional sense of discretion. Demonstrated ability to build high-performing teams and develop individual talent. Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain strong relationships across the business and within the Law Department. Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects under deadline pressure. Flexibility to work on a broad range of matters. Ability to communicate complex issues clearly, verbally and in writing.

If you come across a role that intrigues you but doesn’t perfectly line up with your resume, we encourage you to apply anyway. You could be one step away from work that will transform your life and career.

Uniquely Interesting Work, Life-changing Careers
With a single vision as inspiring as “Transforming patients’ lives through science™ ”, every BMS employee plays an integral role in work that goes far beyond ordinary. Each of us is empowered to apply our individual talents and unique perspectives in an inclusive culture, promoting diversity in clinical trials, while our shared values of passion, innovation, urgency, accountability, inclusion and integrity bring out the highest potential of each of our colleagues.

On-site Protocol

BMS has a diverse occupancy structure that determines where an employee is required to conduct their work. This structure includes site-essential, site-by-design, field-based and remote-by-design jobs. The occupancy type that you are assigned is determined by the nature and responsibilities of your role:

Site-essential roles require 100% of shifts onsite at your assigned facility. Site-by-design roles may be eligible for a hybrid work model with at least 50% onsite at your assigned facility. For these roles, onsite presence is considered an essential job function and is critical to collaboration, innovation, productivity, and a positive Company culture. For field-based and remote-by-design roles the ability to physically travel to visit customers, patients or business partners and to attend meetings on behalf of BMS as directed is an essential job function.

BMS is dedicated to ensuring that people with disabilities can excel through a transparent recruitment process, reasonable workplace accommodations/adjustments and ongoing support in their roles. Applicants can request a reasonable workplace accommodation/adjustment prior to accepting a job offer. If you require reasonable accommodations/adjustments in completing this application, or in any part of the recruitment process, direct your inquiries to [email protected]. Visit careers.bms.com/eeo-accessibility to access our complete Equal Employment Opportunity statement.

BMS cares about your well-being and the well-being of our staff, customers, patients, and communities. As a result, the Company strongly recommends that all employees be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 and keep up to date with Covid-19 boosters.

BMS will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, pursuant to applicable laws in your area.

If you live in or expect to work from Los Angeles County if hired for this position, please visit this page for important additional information: https://careers.bms.com/california-residents/

Any data processed in connection with role applications will be treated in accordance with applicable data privacy policies and regulations.