Associate Director – Legal & Compliance
South East England | Hybrid Working
Walker Cole International is supporting a leading pharmaceutical organisation in the recruitment of an Associate Director – Legal & Compliance. This is a high-impact, senior in-house role within a fast-paced UK pharma environment, offering broad exposure across commercial, regulatory, and governance matters.
The Role
As a key member of a lean UK legal function, you will act as a trusted senior legal adviser to the business, delivering pragmatic, risk-based legal support while enabling commercial growth. You’ll operate closely with leadership teams and global stakeholders, providing hands-on legal leadership across a broad remit.
Key Responsibilities
* Act as senior legal counsel to UK business units, delivering commercially focused, pragmatic advice
* Lead drafting, review, and negotiation of complex commercial agreements, including supply, services, consultancy/HCP, PV, and strategic collaboration agreements
* Provide expert guidance on UK pharmaceutical regulation, including ABPI Code, PMCPA matters, and GxP frameworks
* Oversee legal risk management, governance, and policy implementation
* Advise on data protection and privacy matters, including GDPR, DPIAs, and data breach management
* Partner closely with Compliance, Medical, Commercial, and Regulatory teams
* Lead legal training initiatives across contracts, compliance, and data protection
* Manage external counsel and ensure efficient use of legal spend
* Contribute to legal process improvement within a high-growth, dynamic environment
Experience Required
* Qualified lawyer (England & Wales or equivalent)
* Typically 8–12 years’ PQE
* Strong experience within pharmaceuticals or life sciences (essential)
* In-depth knowledge of UK healthcare and medicines regulation
* Proven experience advising on complex commercial contracts
* Comfortable operating at senior stakeholder level in a fast-moving business
* Strong commercial judgement with a pragmatic, solutions-led approach