Senior Counsel

About the Company

At FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation, we’re redefining innovation across industries—from healthcare and photography to semiconductors and data storage. With roots in photosensitive materials and a legacy of groundbreaking technology, we now lead 23 diverse affiliate businesses across the Americas. Our global CDMO business, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, operates in North Carolina, Texas, the United Kingdom, and Denmark. We’re looking for mission-driven talent to help create, market, and support a vast portfolio of products in a flexible work environment where innovation thrives. Our Americas HQ is in Valhalla, New York, offering a charming town with excellent schools, beautiful parks, and easy access to New York City. Fujifilm is globally headquartered in Tokyo with over 70,000 employees across healthcare, electronics, business innovation, and imaging segments, united by our Group Purpose of “giving our world more smiles.”

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate complex business-critical commercial contracts (e.g., MSAs, SOWs, supply, development/manufacturing/services, quality agreements, NDAs) to align with business objectives and risk appetite.
• Advise on and report to senior management regarding legal and regulatory risks impacting CDMO/Life Sciences operations (e.g., GMP, pharmacovigilance interfaces, data privacy, competition), escalating appropriately, proposing risk-mitigation strategies, and developing contractual language to minimize risk.
• Act as principal advisor and thought leader: create formal networks with key internal and external decision-makers; represent the Legal function in executive forums; may serve as external spokesperson on legal topics germane to the CDMO/Life Sciences sector.
• Work with internal teams to respond to horizon scanning and develop long-term legal strategies and frameworks that influence strategic goals and future products/services; guide the development of new ideas and positions.
• Partner with Commercial and Program teams on strategic, high-value collaborations and bids; drive issue resolution to enable timely deal closure and sustainable, customer-focused outcomes.
• Manage a high-volume, complex caseload autonomously, prioritizing based on enterprise value and risk in the context of strategic goals; communicate progress and positions clearly to stakeholders at all levels.
• Provide guidance on non-contentious intellectual property (e.g., licensing frameworks, background/foreground IP, know-how, freedom-to-operate issues) and shape IP allocation standards for platform deals to facilitate long-term strategies.
• Design, instigate, and deliver legal training and playbooks; educate and lead stakeholders to elevate commercial acumen and compliance culture across multiple functions and regions.
• Optimize legal processes, templates, and contract lifecycle management (CLM)/data insights; lead continuous improvement initiatives that enhance cycle time, quality, and consistency.
• Engage and manage outside counsel (e.g., specialized regulatory, disputes, employment, real estate), ensuring value, quality, and timely delivery against budgets and guidelines to meet internal goals.
• Support dispute avoidance and resolution and provide input on corporate matters and transactions as needed, protecting the company’s legal rights and reputation.
• Contribute to policy, compliance program rollout, and cross-group alignment (with UK, Denmark, US, and global FUJIFILM Legal/Compliance), ensuring consistency of standards and precedents/risk position.

Requirements

• College degree and Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school.
• Admitted to at least one state bar in good standing; North Carolina admission preferred.
• 8-12 years of relevant experience in a corporate law firm and/or in-house legal department, specifically in the CDMO, Life Science/Pharma, or healthcare field.
• Professionally recognized as having extensive knowledge of commercial law, contracting theory/practice, and legal design; principal-level advisor capable of resolving critical issues with limited information and high judgment.
• Excellent negotiation and executive communication skills; adept at influencing senior leaders and shaping cross-functional decisions.
• Strong analytical, pragmatic, and customer-focused problem-solving abilities; balances near-term outcomes with long-term strategic objectives.
• Demonstrated collaboration in matrixed/global environments.
• Familiarity with compliance topics relevant to life sciences (e.g., data privacy/GDPR, competition, anti-bribery).
• Familiarity with international contracting and multi-jurisdictional risk assessments.
• Proficiency with modern legal technology (document management, e-signature; facility with CLM and collaboration platforms).

Desired Skills

• Academic honors preferred.
• Management skills, business acumen, follow-up, negotiation, leadership, ability to multi-task, collaboration, analytical ability, autonomy, and budget consciousness.

Pay

$170,000 to $210,000 depending on experience.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Life insurance.
• 401k retirement plan.
• Paid time off.