Vice President Legal

Nearly 37 million Americans are currently affected by Chronic Kidney Disease. 37 million.

At Akebia we take that number very seriously and every day we come to work, with the purpose of bettering the lives of each person impacted by kidney disease and the renal community that serves them.
Our tenacious, passionate employees challenge the status quo and work to develop unique therapeutics that have the potential to set new standards of care for people living with kidney disease.

This is life-changing work, and we are all in, are you?

Akebia is looking for a VP, Legal - Life Sciences to join its fast-paced and collaborative legal and compliance team. The VP, Legal - Life Sciences will report to the SVP, Legal & General Counsel and serve as the business partner for the following functions at Akebia: research and development, manufacturing and supply, business development, alliance management and procurement. As a member of Akebia's Management Team and a part of the broader Legal and Compliance team, this role will put you in a position to work closely with leaders across the company in executing the company's R&D strategy and key transactions, collaborations and licenses, mitigating risks and providing insight on contracts and other legal matters. The VP, Legal - Life Sciences will be responsible for identifying and resolving complex legal issues, clearly communicating legal and business risk, and advising on appropriate, practical strategies to manage risk and maximize business benefit to achieve business objectives. This is an exciting opportunity to work with other members of the legal and compliance team and across the organization and gain exposure to a wide variety of business and legal issues at a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company.

• Serve as the strategic business partner for and provide solution-oriented legal advice to designated business areas, such as Research & Development, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Business Development, Alliance and Procurement, including the senior leaders of those teams.
• Manage and mentor direct report(s) and other members of the legal team.
• Serve on program teams for clinical stage assets and participate in research and development and supply strategic planning.
• Responsible for drafting, negotiating, reviewing and interpreting a broad range of agreements, including commercial supply agreements, quality agreements, and collaboration and license agreements.
• Support business development efforts, including assisting with corporate diligence.
• Review research and development related decks and disclosures for investors, including securities filings.
• Liaise with internal team and collaboration partners to ensure alignment around shared business initiatives and resolve any disputes.
• Support procurement team in updating contracts process and policies.
• Stay abreast of industry law changes and inform business of the same.
• Build strong relationships across functions and work collaboratively to tackle complex issues.
• Work with and manage successful delivery of services by outside counsel as needed.
• Serve as a member of the Akebia management team.

Basic Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and admitted to practice in good standing in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• At least 10 years of large law firm experience working with life science companies and/or in-house at life science companies.
• Experience working with research and development teams and executing collaborations and other strategic transactions.
• Experience in drafting and negotiating a range of agreements, such as license agreements, clinical trial agreements, supply agreements, master service agreements and consulting agreements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with government grants a plus.
• Strong management skills.
• Business focused and solution oriented.
• Excellent problem solving and analytical skills.
• Ability to cultivate strong stakeholder relationships and communicate complex concepts in ways that are understood and actionable by cross-functional teams.
• Self-motivated and able to perform role independently, with a minimum level of supervision.
• Excellent document drafting and proofreading skills, with high attention to detail and ability to identify business, legal and compliance issues.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with an ability to work in a fast-paced, innovative and collaborative environment.

Compensation:

Targeted Base: 303,935 - 374,782

Base Compensation for this role will depend on a number of factors including a candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience, and may fall outside of the range shown. Base pay is only one component of the company's total rewards package; all regular employees are also eligible for the corporate bonus program or the incentive compensation program (if applicable), as well as equity. Additional benefits include health care, vision, dental, retirement, PTO, etc.

Are you an Akebian?

An Akebian is curious, empathetic, and values making connections to people and ideas. Akebians aren't afraid of diving in and owning a process or a problem, because we all want to deliver a great solution. Akebians believe that we are better together because we are all working toward a common purpose - to better the life of each person impacted by kidney disease. Want to learn more about what it means to be an Akebian? Visit our website:

Akebia is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all job applicants. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.