Legal Counsel - Pharma/Life Sciences (12-month contract)

Your new company A global pharmaceutical and life sciences organisation is seeking an experienced Legal Counsel to join its UK & Ireland legal team on a 12-month contract. Operating at the forefront of healthcare innovation, the business develops and delivers medicines, diagnostics, and solutions that improve patient outcomes worldwide. This role offers the opportunity to work closely with senior stakeholders across commercial, compliance, data privacy, and R&D functions, supporting a highly regulated and mission-driven organisation. This role is based in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, with 3 days in the office. Your new role Reporting to the General Counsel, you will provide broad legal support across the UK and Ireland business, partnering with stakeholders to deliver pragmatic, commercially focused legal advice while effectively managing legal and regulatory risk. You will be handling: • Advising on commercial, pharmaceutical, competition, marketing, and anti-bribery matters • Supporting data protection activities, including data subject requests and privacy incidents • Reviewing, drafting, and negotiating a range of commercial agreements • Providing legal support to clinical research and R&D teams, including clinical trial agreements • Identifying and mitigating legal and regulatory risks across business operations • Supporting governance, compliance, and ethical business initiatives • Maintaining legal documentation, templates, and operational processes Working as part of a collaborative in-house legal team, you will play a key role in enabling business objectives while safeguarding the organisation's reputation and compliance obligations. What you'll need to succeed To be successful in this role, you'll be a qualified solicitor or barrister in England & Wales with proven experience providing commercial legal support within the pharmaceutical or wider life sciences sector. You will also possess: • Strong knowledge of UK commercial pharmaceutical law and healthcare compliance frameworks • Practical experience advising on UK GDPR and data protection matters • Experience reviewing and negotiating a broad range of commercial contracts • The ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives and deliver pragmatic solutions • Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with experience partnering across multiple business functions • Experience supporting clinical trials, research activities, medical devices, or digital health matters would be advantageous. What you'll get in return • Up to £580 per day PAYE, dependent on experience, plus 33 days' paid holiday • The opportunity to work for a globally recognised healthcare organisation • Exposure to a broad range of commercial, regulatory, privacy, and R&D matters • The chance to contribute to innovative healthcare and life sciences initiatives that positively impact patient outcomes worldwide What you need to do now If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now. If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career. Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at hays.co.uk