Legal Lead Access & External Engagement EU

Interested? For this role we're looking for the following education, experience and skills

• Qualified lawyer with at least five years of commercial legal experience in the pharmaceutical sector in Europe.
• Experience supporting medicine launches, market access, business operations, patient experience programs and product lifecycle strategies.
• Experience advising medical and regulatory teams, including support for global medical and regulatory strategies in healthcare.
• Ability to analyse complex legal issues, exercise sound judgement and manage several demanding projects in a matrix organisation.
• Strategic and collaborative approach, with the ability to influence stakeholders and negotiate effectively.
• Clear, adaptable communication skills and the ability to build constructive partnerships across functions and geographies.
• High integrity, curiosity and awareness of the external legal environment, with the ability to turn developments into practical business guidance.

• Knowledge of digital health or data privacy is an advantage; German language skills are preferred.

We are looking for a Senior Legal Counsel (Legal Lead Access & External Engagement EU) who is collaborative, pragmatic and strategic to join our European Legal team, based in Europe within our hybrid working model. This role can be based in Brussels (Belgium), Slough (UK) or Madrid (Spain).

About the role

You will provide strategic, practical legal advice for market access, European medicines and patient-focused priorities across the product lifecycle. Acting as a trusted business partner, you will help teams make compliant, ethical and commercially sound decisions supporting launches, commercialization, access and portfolio management in epilepsy, rare diseases and immunology. You will assess risk, recommend clear options and support consistent legal approaches across Europe while contributing to selected cross-border and global initiatives.

• Provide independent, strategic legal advice across market access, commercialization and portfolio activities, clearly explaining risks, options and recommendations.
• Support medicine launches, pricing, reimbursement, access initiatives, lifecycle planning and end-of-life strategies across Europe.
• Advise on promotional materials, public communications, patient engagement, digital initiatives, medical education, scientific exchange and interactions with healthcare communities.
• Guide teams on competition law, advertising rules, anti-bribery requirements, data privacy and other relevant European legal and compliance matters.
• Draft, review and negotiate commercial and strategic agreements, and coordinate disputes, investigations, litigation and external counsel when required.
• Contribute legal insight to European rare disease leadership discussions and advise on the positioning of medicines across key therapeutic portfolios.
• Review market access business plans, identify legal and compliance considerations, and raise questions or material risks with clear recommended next steps.
• Build market access knowledge, monitor legal and enforcement developments, and contribute to training and knowledge sharing across the legal community.

At UCB, we've embraced a hybrid-first approach to work, bringing teams together in local hubs to foster collaborative curiosity. Unless expressly stated in the description or precluded by the nature of the position, roles are hybrid with 40% of your time spent in the office.