Senior Legal Counsel

Launched in 2017, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is an international coalition of governments, academic, philanthropic, private, public, and intergovernmental institutions whose vision is to create a world in which epidemics and pandemics are no longer a threat to humanity. Our mission is to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats so they can be accessible to all people in need. CEPI played a central role in the global response to COVID-19, creating the world’s largest portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines and co‑leading COVAX which supported the delivery of over 2bn vaccine doses globally. CEPI has contributed to a number of scientific breakthroughs in vaccine development against other infectious diseases, including the first ever licensed Chikungunya vaccine and the first Nipah and Lassa virus vaccines into Phase 1 trials.

COVID-19 is not the first pandemic of the 21st century, and unless we act now, we can be sure that it will not be the last. Unlike some of the other big threats that humanity faces, we have the tools to systematically reduce and even eliminate the risk of future pandemics. It is vital that we capitalise on the rare alignment of political will, practical experience, and technical and scientific progress emerging from the pandemic to prevent such devastation happening again. CEPI’s five‑year plan for 2022‑2026 – known as CEPI 2.0 – aims to dramatically reduce or even eliminate the future risk of pandemics and epidemics. Central to the plan is CEPI’s goal to accelerate the time taken to develop safe, effective, globally accessible vaccines against new threats to just 100 days. Achieving this ‘100 Days Mission’, which has been embraced by the G7 and G20, would give the world a fighting chance of containing a future outbreak before it can spread to become a global pandemic, potentially averting millions of deaths and trillions of dollars in economic damage.

CEPI is a not‑for‑profit association under Norwegian Law and has offices in Oslo (HQ), London, and Washington DC. In CEPI we strive for diverse thinking, and we want a diverse pool of candidates for all our vacancies. We work for an inclusive working environment where each employee can contribute and grow. More details about CEPI and our mission can be found on our website: www.cepi.net

About the role

CEPI is recruiting up to two maternity cover positions: a Senior Legal Counsel and/or a Legal Counsel, for a fixed term of 12 months with the possibility of extending a further 6 months. The roles are expected to commence in April/May (ideally). Interviews will take place on a rolling basis. Interested candidates are advised to submit their applications at the earliest opportunity.

Purpose of Roles

The CEPI Legal Division serves as an enabler and facilitator of CEPI’s mission by providing a legal lens through which CEPI’s vision for equitable access to vaccines and select biologicals against emerging infectious diseases for people at risk can be realized. The CEPI Legal Division has a strategic role in contributing to increased business value across CEPI and can be “the glue” that binds the various divisional, departmental and geographical inputs and deliverables together. The Division works closely with internal and external stakeholders to bring value to CEPI by leveraging innovative legal solutions and strategic diplomacy to build strong relationships and drive legal preparedness for a more resilient and equitable pandemic preparedness landscape.

Responsibilities

• Directly reports to the Head of Legal, Business Transactions and Access.
• Member of a team of lawyers who work closely with Research & Development (R&D), Manufacturing and Supply Chain (M&SC), Access and Business Development, and Preparedness and response (P&R) to serve as lead lawyer for selected CEPI projects in formation and implementation phases including some or all of the following:
• CEPI’s grants and other investments in product candidates (potentially through lifecycle from pre‑clinical through to marketing approval) and platform technologies.
• CEPI’s work to enable sustainable networks including laboratory networks and manufacturing networks for its vaccine candidates and platform technologies.
• CEPI’s work to enable clinical trial networks and pharmacovigilance support are available for its vaccine candidates and platform technologies.

The candidates will be a legal business partner who will provide legal advice in forming and managing collaborations with various actors in the vaccine and/or biologics R&D and M&SC value chain, including advice on legal aspects of late‑stage development and pathways to market/commercialisation of products. The candidates will also be responsible for translating commercial terms into contractual commitments with CEPI’s partners with a focus on drafting and negotiating access and commercialisation terms in CEPI funding agreements. The candidates will advise on the application of CEPI’s policies and procedures as required. Create and maintain legal and agreement templates including their automation as needed, advise on legal and risk issues, drawing on and managing outside counsel and internal subject matter experts as required. Engages externally with senior stakeholders, legal, commercial and operations teams as required. And engages externally with industry, sector or functional bodies as a representative of CEPI as required. Be a role model of CEPI TRAITS (Teamwork, Respect, Achievement, Integrity, Transparency). Be an active member of the legal team and cooperate and support the division in tasks and activities and other ad‑hoc responsibilities as may be required by business needs from time to time.

Education, Experience and Competence

• Experienced legal counsel with legal technical skills, contracts experience and demonstrable track record of drafting and negotiation of agreements within a cross‑functional team.
• Sound knowledge of contract law, commercial law, legal and regulatory frameworks applicable to the life science health industry and CEPI’s partner ecosystem.
• Good working knowledge of other relevant legal areas for CEPI, e.g., IP, antitrust, trade sanctions.
• Experience of working with business development colleagues (supporting subject matter experts) is highly desirable.
• A good understanding of R&D, M&SC or commercialisation elements of the pharma/vaccine sector experience or experience of access to medicines is strongly preferred but experience in life sciences industry more broadly and/or advising clients who are engaged in scientific/highly technical fields will also be considered.
• Experience of working in international environments and ideally experience of being part of cross‑functional, multi‑jurisdictional teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are absolute must and candidates may be asked to complete a short‑written exercise as part of the interview process.
• Additional languages such as Norwegian, Arabic, Hindi, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and others are an added advantage.
• Strong focus on engagement and driving to outcomes: Strong & confident communicator able to successfully engage and influence at all levels of the organisation.
• Knowledge sharing and continuous learning: actively contributes to a culture of knowledge sharing and continuous learning by exchanging legal/transaction insights and best practices, staying up to date with relevant legal developments, and continuously building expertise to support CEPI’s evolving needs.
• Starter – Finisher: seeing activities through to successful completion in a collaborative manner. Takes ownership of their work and delivers solutions even when there may be ambiguity.
• Resilient, self‑motivated, and quick to learn, with the ability to hit the ground running and work autonomously, while proactively seeking support or sparring when appropriate.
• The ability to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines and manage time effectively in a fast‑paced working environment.
• Curiosity and enthusiasm for new situations, ideas and approaches. Can challenge and disagree diplomatically then commit to path forward.

Travel and Location Requirements

This role is based in the UK, US or Norway. The role may require working across time zones where CEPI offices are located - London (UK), Oslo (Norway) or Washington DC (USA) - and infrequent travel to these locations or other countries on a needs basis.

What we can offer you

The opportunity to work together with leading experts on solutions for global challenges. Experience in the international effort on developing vaccines against emerging infectious diseases and accelerating vaccine development response to outbreaks. A diverse and inclusive working environment.

How to apply

For more information on how to apply, please visit: https://cepisites.secure.force.com/careers Should you have any issues submitting your application or have questions please contact jobs@cepi.net Background verification will be conducted to verify information provided in the CV and available documentation. Deadline for receiving applications is 2nd March 2026 at 23:59 CET.