Legal Counsel, UK & Ireland in City of Westminster

At our heart we are committed colleagues. We offer interested people numerous opportunities and strongly believe in, and promote, diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a company we offer roles based on merit, welcoming candidates of any gender, age, religious belief, sexual orientation, race, color, ethnic or social origin, or disability.

Our team is growing and for this we need bright minds with creativity and flexibility – what talent do you have?

The Legal Counsel, UK & Ireland is a senior legal adviser responsible for providing strategic, commercial and operational legal support across the UK & Ireland business. Working closely with and reporting to the Head of Legal UK & Ireland, the role partners with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders to support business objectives, enable informed decision-making and manage legal, regulatory and compliance risk in a pragmatic and commercially focused manner. The role provides dedicated senior-level legal capability across a broad range of business activities. It operates with a high degree of autonomy and independently manages significant legal matters, while ensuring alignment with business priorities, applicable law, industry codes and internal governance requirements.

How you will contribute:

• Act as a trusted and accountable legal adviser to UK & Ireland leadership and key stakeholders, providing clear, practical and commercially focused advice.
• Lead legal advice for designated UK & Ireland commercial activities and independently manage complex, high-impact legal matters from issue identification through resolution.
• Exercise independent judgement on significant commercial and regulatory matters, taking ownership of legal recommendations and ensuring appropriate escalation of issues presenting material risk to the Head of Legal UK & Ireland.
• Support strategic initiatives, business planning and cross-functional projects, identifying legal and regulatory risks and developing proportionate mitigation strategies.
• Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including supplier, procurement, service, consultancy, distribution, collaboration and other operational arrangements.
• Advise on pricing, discount and rebate proposals and agreements, procurement and tender activity, market access arrangements and other commercially significant initiatives.
• Support local contracting needs and develop, maintain and improve contract templates, playbooks, guidance materials and self-service legal resources to promote consistency and efficiency.
• Advise on applicable law, regulatory law, competition law, the ABPI and IPHA Codes, governance requirements and internal policies affecting business activities.
• Monitor relevant legal and regulatory developments, conduct legal research and translate developments into practical guidance, training and updates for the business.
• Provide legal support for digital, data-enabled and innovation initiatives, including the assessment of contractual, regulatory and governance considerations.
• Support the management of disputes, claims, investigations and regulatory enquiries, and manage external counsel where specialist advice is required.
• Drive continuous improvement in legal service delivery, contracting processes and stakeholder engagement, using sound judgement to prioritise work and elevate material issues to the Head of Legal UK & Ireland.

Skills and qualifications:

• Qualified Solicitor in England and Wales, Ireland or another relevant jurisdiction, with strong and transferable UK & Ireland commercial legal experience.
• Typically at least 8 years of relevant post‑qualification experience in commercial, corporate, healthcare or life‑sciences legal practice, with demonstrated capability to operate at senior level.
• Substantial post‑qualification legal experience gained in a reputable law firm, an in‑house legal role, or a combination of both.
• Strong commercial contracting and negotiation experience, with the ability to independently manage complex and business‑critical matters.
• Experience providing senior‑level legal support in a complex, highly regulated environment; pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare or life‑sciences experience is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to advise senior stakeholders, influence decision‑making and balance legal risk with commercial objectives.
• Strong knowledge of commercial law, competition law, governance and compliance principles relevant to the UK & Ireland business environment.
• Excellent drafting, analytical, communication and presentation skills, with sound judgement and a pragmatic, solutions‑oriented approach.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, operate effectively with limited supervision and recognise when escalation is required.
• Builds trusted, collaborative relationships and works effectively with colleagues across the UK, Ireland and the wider international organisation.

At Takeda, we earn the trust of society and our customers through our values of Takeda-ism: Integrity, Fairness, Honesty, Perseverance. We incorporate these values in everything we do. They represent who we are and how we act. They help us make decisions that we can be proud of today and in the future. We enable our employees to develop their full potential. As a global top employer, we offer exciting career paths, promote innovation, and strive for top performance in everything we do. Takeda fosters an inclusive, collaborative, and international work environment where our teams are united by their relentless commitment to our goal of improving people's health and creating a better future for the world.

Takeda is committed to foster diversity, equality, and inclusion. Hiring decisions are based entirely on qualifications and are made regardless of gender, ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, or disability.