Head of Legal - EMEA

Our client, a leading life sciences organisation, is looking to appoint a commercially astute and experienced lawyer as Head of Legal, EMEA. This is a senior leadership position responsible for overseeing legal support across the EMEA region and leading a high-performing regional legal team. The role plays a critical part in enabling business growth and managing risk, working in close partnership with regional executives and global stakeholders.

As Head of Legal, EMEA, you will act as the primary legal advisor to EMEA leadership, providing clear, practical guidance on a broad range of legal, regulatory and operational matters. You will set the direction for the regional legal function, anticipate and manage risk and ensure legal support is aligned with both regional priorities and global frameworks.

• Lead and develop the EMEA Legal function, including defining priorities, allocating work, building capability within the team and planning future resourcing in line with business needs.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior EMEA leaders, offering commercially focused legal advice and supporting global leadership on matters involving regional laws, employee representative bodies, regulatory obligations and jurisdiction-specific risk.
• Drive a proactive approach to risk identification and management across EMEA, establishing effective escalation processes and delivering clear recommendations to support informed decision-making.
• Provide guidance on compliance with applicable EMEA legal and regulatory requirements, working closely with business partners to embed compliant practices.
• Work closely with Compliance and other assurance functions on internal investigations, audits and remediation initiatives, advising on sensitive issues and helping to implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Oversee legal strategy for disputes and potential disputes in the region, including early assessment, coordination with global dispute resolution teams and management of external counsel to achieve efficient, commercially appropriate outcomes.
• Advise on data protection and information governance matters, including GDPR and UK GDPR requirements and cross-border data transfers, in collaboration with privacy, information security, IT, and operational teams.
• Manage relationships with external law firms and take ownership of the EMEA legal budget, ensuring effective scoping, cost control, and alignment with global legal operations standards.
• Partner with colleagues across the global legal function on continuous improvement initiatives and cross-functional projects, including the thoughtful use of approved AI tools to enhance efficiency.
• Act as a role model for the organisation’s values and ethical standards.

To be considered for the role you should:

• Be a qualified lawyer, admitted to practise in at least one jurisdiction.
• Have extensive experience within the life sciences, healthcare, or biopharmaceutical sector.
• Have proven leadership experience, including managing and developing a team and overseeing external counsel across multiple EMEA jurisdictions, with credibility at senior executive level.
• Have a strong track record of setting priorities, delegating effectively and driving consistent, practical legal approaches across a wide range of disciplines, including commercial, compliance, employment, data protection and dispute resolution.
• Have the ability to distil complex legal and regulatory issues into clear, actionable advice that supports sound risk management and business objectives.
• Be highly organised, detail-oriented and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, matrixed environment with competing priorities.
• Be curious, adaptable and committed to ongoing professional development.
• Have a constructive, solutions-focused approach with a collaborative mindset.

This is an exceptional opportunity to join a purpose-led organisation that is recognised as a leader in its field and renowned for attracting, developing and retaining outstanding talent.