Legal Counsel (in-house)

ABOUT US

PolyPeptide Group AG and its consolidated subsidiaries (“PolyPeptide”) is a focused Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) for peptide- and oligonucleotide-based active pharmaceutical ingredients. By supporting its customers mainly in pharma and biotech, it contributes to the health of millions of patients across the world. PolyPeptide offers products and services from pre-clinical through to commercial stages, including generics. Its active custom projects pipeline reflects the opportunities from novel drug therapies in development to fight both widespread and rare diseases. Dating back to 1952, PolyPeptide today runs a global network of six cGMP-certified facilities in Europe, the U.S. and India. PolyPeptide Group AG’s shares (SIX: PPGN) are listed on SIX Swiss Exchange.

We are constantly growing and developing our organization. As part of this process, we provide our employees with a dynamic and stimulating workplace with great opportunities to grow. PolyPeptide offers diverse opportunities for both experts and young professionals throughout the world.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a dynamic and proactive in-house Legal Counsel to join our global Legal and Compliance team. This role is ideal for a lawyer with 5+ years of post-qualification experience in an international environment. You will support the Group’s legal operations across jurisdictions, with a primary focus on reviewing legal agreements, managing the Group’s contract management system as well as overseeing corporate governance matters across multiple jurisdictions. In addition, you will act as company secretary for the subsidiary in India, providing support on corporate matters including the preparation and coordination of board and shareholder resolutions, and ensuring compliance with local governance requirements.

Contract Management:

• Review, draft, and negotiate CDAs across the Group.
• Support review of Quality Agreements to ensure consistency with Group legal policies and templates.
• Handle business contracts, service agreements, consulting arrangements, etc.
• Oversee contract lifecycle management processes: renewal or archiving of contracts by internal stakeholders, support implementation of new contract workflows within the Group’s systems, monitor compliance with established workflows/procedures and escalate deviations.
• Ensure alignment with global contracting standards and risk policies .
• Conduct virtual training sessions on CDAs across the Group.

Corporate Governance; Legal and Compliance operations:

• Act as company secretary for the subsidiary in India (Ambernath, Mumbai area), supporting corporate governance and compliance, including board and shareholder resolutions and related filings.
• Periodically align with external counsel in relevant jurisdictions to confirm applicable annual corporate requirements for Group entities.
• Oversee fulfillment of annual corporate compliance obligations across the Group; ensure central storage and documentation of all corporate records and filings; follow up with responsible internal functions to ensure timely execution of required actions.
• Coordinate with external counsel and company secretaries for corporate compliance in the EU, US, and India, including assistance with board resolutions, shareholder meetings, and regulatory filings.
• Support the preparation and execution of the annual general meeting of the Swiss-listed parent holding company, including drafting of documents, verifying meeting minutes and related materials for accuracy and completeness.
• Manage and document the granting of DocuSign access to authorized signatories across the Group; conduct and document annual reviews of DocuSign user activity and envelope reports, and follow up with relevant functions to address any required actions.
• Monitor and report on expenses for court costs and attorney’s fees across the Group.
• Manage the structured storage and organization of corporate documents

Regulatory & Compliance Support:

• Monitor legal and regulatory developments in India relevant to the business (e.g., new corporate/environmental laws, labor regulations).
• Support implementation of global legal policies and templates.
• Support internal audits, compliance reviews, and training initiatives.
• Support ESG-related compliance initiatives across the Group in coordination with relevant departments, including assistance with due diligence processes related to human rights, labor practices (including child labor risk assessments), and ethical sourcing.

YOUR PROFILE

• Education: LL.M., specialization in corporate law.
• Education or working experience abroad a plus.
• 5+ years of post-qualification experience in corporate or commercial law with international exposure.
• In-depth experience in a reputable international law firm with multinational clients, and/or as in-house counsel in the life science or manufacturing industry. In-house experience in a pharmaceutical CDMO, a pharmaceutical company, or in a law firm with life sciences clients a plus.
• Strong contract drafting, negotiation, and analytical skills; familiarity with global contract standards. Strong attention to details.
• Strong interpersonal, stakeholder management and communication skills with the ability to collaborate cross-functionally and across different geographies. Able to interact with internal and external stakeholders on different levels.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), familiarity with contract management systems and legal research platforms.
• Acts as role model for PolyPeptide’s values of innovation, excellence and trust.
• Strong knowledge of business English verbally and in writing, other languages (German, French) a plus.

Does this sound like an exciting challenge?

Become part of a globally integrated Legal and Compliance team with exposure to international business practices, and work in a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment with opportunities for growth.

PolyPeptide offers a great work environment where our co-workers and business are allowed to grow together. We have an open and welcoming atmosphere and are proud of our workplace since we work with the purpose of making life better for patients around the world.

If you enjoy challenges and find it rewarding to influence and improve, we hope that you will find this position intriguing. If you are interested, please submit your application and your CV, as soon as possible via our career portal: Grow with us - PolyPeptide Group. We will review the applications on an ongoing basis.