Vice President Legal

Flagship Pioneering is a bioplatform innovation company that invents and builds platform companies that change the world. We bring together the greatest scientific minds with entrepreneurial company builders and assemble the capital to allow them to take courageous leaps. Those big leaps in human health and sustainability exponentially accelerate scientific progress in areas ranging from cancer detection and treatment to nature-positive agriculture.   

 What sets Flagship apart is our ability to advance biotechnology by uniting life science innovation, company creation, and capital investment under one roof in a way that is largely without precedent. Our scientific founders, entrepreneurial leaders, and professional capital managers are each aligned around an institutionalized process that enables us to innovate and transform for the benefit of people and planet.   

Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture.  

Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies, and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. 

Position Summary

Flagship Pioneering is seeking an experienced Vice President, Legal to serve as a strategic legal business partner to the Business Development and Corporate Development teams and an integral member of the Legal Team. This role will be responsible for managing the process of structuring and negotiating complex pharmaceutical collaboration agreements and a wide range of business development transactions and will be responsible for managing outside counsel handling the transaction. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in life sciences transactions, a strong mix of law firm and in-house experience, and the ability to navigate complex, high-value deals in a fast-paced and innovative environment. As an integral member of the legal team, this role will be tightly integrated into the legal team and will also provide support on all corporate transactions across the Flagship ecosystem

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Legal Counsel

• Serve as the primary legal advisor and business partner for strategic pharmaceutical collaborations, licensing transactions, R&D partnerships and other similar transactions.
• Partner with cross-functional teams—including Business Development, Corporate Development and Finance —to structure deals that align with Flagship’s innovation strategy.
• Provide full end-to-end legal support for business development transactions, including M&A, partnerships, and strategic alliances ensuring alignment with business objectives.
• Provide support across the Flagship ecosystem as needed to support all types of corporate transactions, including complex financings, restructuring activities, etc.

• Stay ahead of industry trends, evolving regulations, and legal developments impacting pharmaceutical collaborations and biotech transactions.
• Develop and implement best practices, templates, and playbooks to streamline business development legal processes.

• Proactively engage and direct external law firm partners and advisors to manage high-stakes negotiations and complex deal structures and legal cost associated with the same.
• Train and mentor internal stakeholders and legal team members on agreement negotiation, risk management, and compliance considerations.

Qualifications & Experience

• J.D. from a top-tier law school; licensed to practice in Massachusetts.
• 12+ years of experience in life sciences transactions, with a strong combination of law firm and in-house experience.
• Deep expertise in pharmaceutical collaborations, licensing agreements, and business development transactions.
• Proven ability to lead negotiations on complex, high-value deals in the biotech or pharmaceutical industry.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to advise senior executives and drive strategic decision-making.

Why Join Flagship Pioneering?

This is a rare opportunity to play a critical role in shaping groundbreaking collaborations that drive scientific innovation. As Vice President, Legal, you will operate at the intersection of business, law, and cutting-edge biotechnology, helping to build and support transformational partnerships that advance human health.

At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies:  Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates.  The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team.   Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.

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