By clicking the “Apply” button, I understand that my employment application process with Takeda will commence and that the information I provide in my application will be processed in line with Takeda’s Privacy Notice and Terms of Use. I further attest that all information I submit in my employment application is true to the best of my knowledge.
Job DescriptionAbout the Role
To support our Legal Team in Berlin, we are currently looking for an experienced Lead Counsel (f/m/d) in the field of pharmaceutical law.
As a senior member of our German Legal Team you will utilize your extensive experience and expertise to provide strategic and high-quality legal support to Takeda in Germany. In this role, you will serve as a trusted legal advisor to the business and corporate functions, handling a broad range of legal matters independently, from routine day-to-day support to complex and high-impact matters, while contributing to legal strategy, governance, and risk management across the German organization.
This is a Director-level senior individual contributor role reporting to the Head Counsel, Germany. The role has no direct reports but requires strong leadership through influence, deep subject matter expertise, and the ability to lead complex cross-functional matters.
How you will contribute:
- Provide high-quality, pragmatic legal advice and support to the German commercial organization, product/disease area groups and corporate functions as a senior legal business partner, particularly in the following areas:
- pharmaceutical and regulatory law,
- digital initiatives, incl. medical devices law,
- competition (incl. Healthcare Advertising Law) and antitrust law,
- general civil and commercial law,
- litigation,
- intellectual property,
- reimbursement issues.
- Serve as a lead legal advisor on complex, high-risk, and business-critical matters in Germany, balancing legal risk with business objectives.
- Draft, review, negotiate and advise on a broad range of contracts, including commercial contracts for the supply of goods and services, other project agreements, IIR and/or non-interventional study agreements etc.
- Develop, update and maintain certain legal templates and guidance materials to drive consistency, efficiency, and compliant business practices.
- Design and deliver Legal training to internal stakeholders and create respective supporting materials where required.
- Analyze legal, regulatory and commercial risk and provide support to compliance colleagues.
- Manage litigation matters (through external counsel) as required, including strategic oversight and coordination with internal stakeholders.
- Support on local corporate matters if required.
- Ensure legal processes and develop corresponding SOPs where required.
- Support the adoption and effective use of digital, legal tech, and AI-enabled tools within the Legal function to enhance efficiency, consistency, and service delivery.
- Support regional legal projects where required, in close coordination with legal colleagues across the region and global functions.
- Act as a senior legal team member and trusted point of contact within the department, providing guidance, knowledge sharing and informal mentoring to more junior team members and supporting their development where appropriate, without formal line management responsibility.
- Support the Head of Legal Germany in ensuring continuity of legal leadership, including independently representing the Legal function in selected forums, as appropriate.
- Build strong relationships with senior business stakeholders and contribute to the development and execution of legal and business strategy in Germany.
Expected skills
Education
- Fully qualified lawyer (“Volljurist”) in Germany with above-average state examination results.
Experience
- Strong knowledge of German commercial and pharmaceutical law, gained at a highly regarded law firm and through in-house experience.
- 2+ years experience at a highly regarded law firm (after qualification) is required.
- Significant post-qualification legal experience, ideally 8+ years in relevant roles.
- Strong experience representing clients in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry in Germany.
- Proven ability to handle complex legal matters independently and advise senior stakeholders.
- Experience in a dynamic, international, and matrix environment.
- Knowledge of medical devices law is an advantage.
- Experience in leading cross-functional projects, disputes, or strategic initiatives without necessarily having formal line management responsibility is preferred.
Key Skills
- Clean and effective communication, conveying complex legal issues in a concise, practical and business-oriented way.
- Business fluency in German and English (spoken and written).
- Excellent judgment, assessing legal and commercial risks pragmatically and translating them into actionable business advice.
- Strong stakeholder management and influence, effectively engaging senior leaders and collaborating across a matrix organization
- High degree of autonomy, independently managing complex matters with accountability for outcomes.
- Trusted team player, building strong, credible relationships across functions and levels
- Strategic and hands-on approach, combining long-term thinking with practical execution.
- High integrity and professionalism, ensuring sound decision-making, including in sensitive situations.
- Breadth and flexibility, operating across diverse legal topics in a dynamic environment.
- Digital and innovation mindset, leveraging legal tech and AI tools in a pragmatic, compliant, and business-oriented manner.
- Solution-driven and pragmatic, focused on enabling business outcomes while managing risk.
Base Salary Range:
€124,800.00 - €171,600.00The estimated salary range reflects an anticipated range for this position. The actual base salary offered may depend on a variety of factors, including the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, specific and unique skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.
For information about our benefits, please click here.
Worker TypeEmployeeWorker Sub-TypeRegularTime TypeFull timeSkills Required
- Fully qualified German lawyer (Volljurist) with above-average state examination results
- At least 2 years of post-qualification experience at a highly regarded law firm
- Significant post-qualification legal experience, ideally 8 or more years in relevant roles
- Strong knowledge of German commercial and pharmaceutical law
- Strong experience representing pharmaceutical or biotech industry clients in Germany
- Proven ability to independently handle complex legal matters and advise senior stakeholders
- Experience working in a dynamic, international, and matrix environment
- Business fluency in German and English, spoken and written
- Knowledge of medical devices law
- Experience leading cross-functional projects, disputes, or strategic initiatives without formal line management responsibility
- Strong stakeholder management, communication, judgment, autonomy, and legal-commercial risk assessment skills
Takeda Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Takeda and has not been reviewed or approved by Takeda.
-
Retirement Support — Employer-funded retirement is described as notably strong, combining a dollar-for-dollar 401(k) match with an additional company contribution that scales with age and service. Access to an employee stock purchase plan further supports long-term wealth building.
-
Parental & Family Support — Paid bonding leave for all parents, substantial adoption/surrogacy reimbursement, and robust caregiver resources (backup care and Maven family-forming support) are emphasized as core strengths. These offerings create a comprehensive safety net for a range of family situations.
-
Healthcare Strength — Multiple medical plan options (nationwide PPO/HSA and regional HMOs), employer HSA funding, and integrated mental-health and well-being programs signal depth in coverage. Preventive care is covered in-network, and plan choices by state expand access.
Takeda Insights
What We Do
For over 240 years, Takeda’s propensity to evolve has driven the next generation of innovation, and as a future-focused organization, we’re continuing to drive forward with endurance in our steadfast pursuit to achieve the best outcomes for our patients in a rapidly changing world. We have been preparing for this period of value creation by investing in data, digital and technology, and we’re proud of our employees and their commitment to turning groundbreaking ideas into life-changing impacts. Since our founding in Japan, integrity and putting patients first have been at the heart of our identity, and we will emerge ready for our future as one of the most trusted and science-driven digital biopharmaceutical companies. Join a team where your innovation impacts lives. Together, we’ll realize improved outcomes by improving data quality, enhancing launch execution and improving the patient journey. You’ll play a critical role in accelerating data collection and increasing accuracy across all parts of the business. Patients across the globe will benefit from access to treatments afforded by greater opportunities and efficiency in our research and development.
Why Work With Us
We connect to our history and Japanese heritage through everything we do to bring our purpose, values, vision, and imperatives to life. We are committed to bringing better health and a brighter future to patients. Being a part of Takeda means having the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than yourself.
Gallery
