Chief Legal Officer

Position Summary

The Chief Legal Officer (CLO) serves as a strategic advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, Executive Leadership Team, and Board of Directors, providing enterprise-wide leadership across legal, compliance, intellectual property, government affairs, regulatory legal affairs, and corporate governance. As a key member of the executive leadership team, the CLO is responsible for anticipating and mitigating legal, regulatory, and business risks while enabling the execution of Illumina's growth strategy and protecting the company's reputation, assets, and interests.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Enterprise Legal Leadership
  Serve as the principal legal and government affairs advisor to the CEO, Executive Leadership Team, and Board of Directors on strategic, operational, regulatory, governance, and risk matters.
  Lead the development and execution of Illumina's global legal and government affairs strategy in support of enterprise objectives and long-term business priorities.
  Provide proactive guidance on legal and business implications of strategic initiatives, organizational changes, commercial activities, and emerging risks.
  Ensure legal support is aligned with business objectives while maintaining compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and corporate policies.
  Oversee the delivery of legal services through internal teams and external counsel with an emphasis on effectiveness, efficiency, and fiscal stewardship.

• Corporate Governance and Board Leadership
  Serve as Corporate Secretary to the Board of Directors.
  Advise the Board and executive leadership on corporate governance, securities laws, fiduciary responsibilities, and public company requirements.
  Lead governance processes supporting Board and committee operations, including meeting preparation, records management, director onboarding, and governance best practices.
  Oversee preparation of proxy statements, shareholder communications, SEC-related governance matters, and compliance with applicable securities regulations.
  Provide executive legal oversight of public company disclosure governance, partnering with the Chief Financial Officer and other relevant executive leaders to ensure effective disclosure controls, insider trading policies, Regulation FD compliance, SEC reporting governance, shareholder engagement, and related Board and committee processes.

• Compliance and Ethics Oversight
  Provide executive oversight for Illumina's global compliance program and compliance governance structures.
  Lead efforts to strengthen and sustain a culture of ethics, integrity, and accountability throughout the organization.
  Partner with the Chief Compliance Officer and cross-functional leadership to monitor program effectiveness and implement enhancements as needed.
  Ensure appropriate governance, controls, reporting mechanisms, and risk mitigation processes are established and maintained globally.
  Provide executive legal oversight of federal contractor compliance obligations, partnering with the Chief People Officer and other relevant members of the Executive Leadership Team on cross-functional execution related to OFCCP, affirmative action, equal employment opportunity, pay equity, hiring and selection practices, recordkeeping, audit readiness, and related compliance governance.
  Oversee legal governance for ethics, investigations, whistleblower matters, hotline reporting, conflicts of interest, anti-retaliation, and remediation processes.

• Regulatory Affairs Leadership
  Oversee global Regulatory Legal Affairs activities supporting product approvals and market access across international markets.
  Ensure legal, regulatory, and business considerations are effectively integrated into product development, commercialization, and market expansion strategies.
  Partner with business leaders, Regulatory, and Quality functions to navigate evolving global regulatory environments and emerging policy developments.

• Government Affairs and Public Policy
  Provide executive oversight of Government Affairs, including engagement with policymakers, regulators, industry associations, and competition authorities.
  Support company priorities related to public policy, genomics adoption, market access, reimbursement, national security, and geopolitical matters.
  Build and maintain relationships that advance Illumina's strategic interests globally.
  Advises leadership regarding legislative and regulatory developments that may impact business operations or growth strategies.

• Transactions and Corporate Development
  Oversee legal support for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, and other significant corporate transactions.
  Provide executive oversight of legal support for complex commercial agreements, ensuring appropriate risk mitigation while enabling business objectives and strategic growth.
  Ensure appropriate legal diligence, transaction governance, integration planning, and risk management for strategic transactions.
  Develop scalable contracting frameworks, policies, and standards to support business growth and operational excellence.
  Advise on government contracting risk, including contractual representations and certifications, flow-down obligations, federal acquisition requirements, and related compliance controls where applicable.

• Intellectual Property Strategy
  Provide executive leadership for Illumina's global intellectual property portfolio, including patents, trade secrets, licensing, and technology protection.
  Guide intellectual property strategy to support innovation, commercialization, and competitive differentiation.
  Advise on antitrust, competition, and intellectual property matters affecting business operations and strategic initiatives.
  Monitor competitive activities and oversee enforcement and defense of intellectual property rights.

• Litigation and Risk Management
  Lead the company's approach to litigation, investigations, disputes, and regulatory proceedings.
  Advise executive leadership regarding litigation risks, exposure assessments, settlement strategies, and defense approaches.
  Oversee legal strategies related to intellectual property disputes, antitrust matters, employment issues, government investigations, and other complex legal proceedings.
  Provide oversight of legal risk associated with employment and labor compliance, fair hiring and selection processes, federal contractor audits, government inquiries, internal investigations, and remediation activities, partnering with the Chief People Officer and other relevant members of the Executive Leadership Team on workforce, operational, and remediation-related matters.
  Develop enterprise legal risk management frameworks and ensure alignment with corporate objectives and risk tolerance.

• Executive Leadership and Organizational Development
  Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing global legal, compliance, regulatory legal, and government affairs organization.
  Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and business-oriented culture focused on partnership, accountability, and continuous improvement.
  Build organizational capabilities, succession plans, and leadership depth across the function.
  Ensure effective talent management, performance development, and resource allocation aligned with enterprise priorities.

Qualifications & Experience

• Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent law degree from an accredited institution.
• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible legal leadership experience, including significant in-house leadership experience within a publicly traded global organization.
• Prior experience serving as General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, Deputy General Counsel, or equivalent senior legal executive preferred.
• Significant experience supporting global healthcare, life sciences, biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics, or similarly regulated industries.
• Demonstrated expertise across corporate governance, securities law, commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, intellectual property, compliance, employment law, regulatory affairs, and government affairs.
• Proven success advising C-level executives and boards with credibility and sound judgment.