Legal Counsel - Pharma/Life Sciences (12-month contract)
CV-LibraryWelwyn Garden City, HertfordshiretemporaryPosted: 17 July 2026
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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 (url removed)
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 (url removed)