Director, Legal

Job Description

We partner with the business to ensure we maintain our companys values and high ethical standards comply with the law protect our people and enhance our reputation. We strive to foster an environment that is inspiring supportive and diverse.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Director Legal & Compliance Taiwan Malaysia Singapore and Hong Kong (collectively the Cluster Markets) shall have the primary responsibility of providing legal and compliance advice whilst protecting the legal interests and compliance standards of all our company businesses (e.g. Human Health and Animal Health) divisions and functions in the Cluster Markets in support of the Regional Managing Counsel Asia Pacific. The position is open to candidates based in any of the Cluster Markets with a preference for Taiwan or Malaysia.

The successful candidate will manage an Associate Director Legal and Compliance and handle legal and compliance matters arising from our company businesses in the Cluster Markets or as designated by and under the supervision of the Regional Managing Counsel Asia Pacific. As a member of the Asia Pacific Legal and Compliance team the successful candidate will work closely with the Market Leadership Team the Human Health Business Practice Officers (BPOs) in the Cluster Markets as well as other members of the Asia Pacific Legal and Compliance team colleagues from the Offices of the General Counsel external counsel and relevant headquarters and subsidiary staff and functional groups as needed.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Primary scope of work includes but is not limited to the following:

• Supporting the legal and compliance needs of all key stakeholders in the relevant areas of law which may include but is not limited to privacy anti-corruption/anti-bribery fair competition and trade practice legislations. Separately the successful candidate shall also have a good grasp of our companys policies compliance standards and local industry particular he/she shall:

• Commercial and Contractual Matters

  • Advise on day-to-day commercial transactions and business undertakings

  • Advise on business development marketing and business initiatives patient programs and disease awareness campaigns/initiatives review and draft/negotiate related agreements

  • Advise on commercial/corporate and employment issues and negotiate with external parties on behalf of our company where needed or appropriate

  • Advise on innovative solutions with a particular interest in digital technology and data analytics

• Regulatory Requirements

  • Monitor changes and developments in the legal and regulatory environment within which our company businesses operate advise local management and develop appropriate strategies

  • Provide advice and legal support as needed and in collaboration with regulatory affairs on application and maintenance of all authorizations permits and licenses needed for local operations including importation listing/reimbursement and marketing of products conducting clinical trials handling adverse experience incidents and implementing product recalls where needed

  • Support our company in interactions with regulatory and other relevant government agencies on legal and compliance issues and development of appropriate strategies for resolution of issues

• Promotional Review

  • Provide and/or oversee internal legal review as part of our companys medical-legal process for promotional materials according to local laws and our company policies and standards

  • Collaborate with the medical teams and business colleagues in initiating and/or responding to regulatory/competitor challenges on promotional practices

• Business Standards & Compliance

  • Develop monitor and implement compliance and risk management strategies and processes and work with divisional compliance and local BPOs and management.

  • Where appropriate conduct legal & compliance training; monitor and resolve legal & compliance issues work with local management to formulate and implement appropriate local business standards and procedures consistent with local laws US laws (including the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)) industry standards (including local pharmaceutical industry Codes of Conduct and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (IFPMA) Code of Marketing Practices) and corporate policies.

• Disputes/Litigation

  • Support the initiation defense negotiation settlement and management of litigation disputes and actions arising from business operations of our company including contractual IP adverse reaction claims compliance and regulatory challenges in collaboration/consultation with regional legal team and other legal colleagues from headquarters or other divisions as appropriate

• Intellectual Property

  • Support our companys headquarters IP attorneys to coordinate with local external counsel as needed on local trademark and patent filings and collect and disseminate intellectual property information for local management

  • Provide advice on local strategies and counteractions in relation to local IP infringement and enforcement actions in collaboration with our companys global IP attorneys

• Human Resources

  • Advise on sensitive HR/Labor law-related issues arising

  • Participate in internal investigations remediation team and provide legal and compliance perspective as appropriate

• Others

  • Conduct internal investigations where necessary in collaboration with Global Investigations Human Resources and Global Security Group and coordinate with Corporate Audit local management and Finance/HR groups in taking practical and appropriate remediation actions as needed

  • Additional responsibilities and projects may be assigned by the Regional Managing Counsel Asia Pacific on an ad hoc basis

  • Participate as part of the Market Leadership Teams in meetings of the Compliance Committees Local Review Boards Grants Committees and other compliance or market-level committees in the Cluster Markets

  • Collaborating and instructing external counsel where needed and to provide inputs and oversight of the work done by external counsel

  • Guiding motivating and directing his/her team toward achieving the International Legal & Compliance functions goals. This includes setting a clear vision communicating effectively delegating tasks fostering collaboration and providing support for team member development

  • Supervising and managing the legal budget for the Cluster Markets in accordance with approved guidance from regional/international Legal & Compliance management

WHAT YOU MUST HAVE

Required Qualifications/Experience

• A degree in law or the equivalent

• Admitted to practice law in at least one of the jurisdictions in the Cluster Markets

• 10 or more years of post-admission experience

Skillsets

• Strong language proficiency in English required and written and oral language proficiency in Chinese/Mandarin preferred

• Ability to manage the Cluster Markets largely independent of management supervision

• Ability to quickly distil and effectively communicate corporate (HQ) cascaded compliance guidance positions and policies to the local market.

• Ability to identify and balance legal/compliance risks with business opportunities and provide sound counsel to local market leadership on such risks

• Ability to communicate confidently and effectively across the Cluster Markets organizations and leadership teams

• Ability to guide motivate and inspire team members within and beyond the Cluster Markets towards a common goal in line with the enterprises goals and mission

• Ability to appropriately challenge the status quo whilst understanding the fundamental legal & compliance principles and our companys standards at the enterprise level

• Ability to provide practical and commercially focused solutions whilst consistently applying a high standard of integrity professionalism legal knowledge and business ethics in line with the companys policies values and standards

• Ability to understand and balance local market needs with enterprise level principles and direction

• Analyzing situations weighing options and making sound judgment and choices under pressure

• Proactive and responsive

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

Knowledge & Experience

The following experience is required:

• In-house legal and compliance experience in a multinational organization; and/or

• In-house legal and compliance experience in a pharmaceutical company or other highly regulated industries (e.g. biochemicals medical devices industry); and/or

• Commercial practice experience in a top tier law firm

• The following experience is highly preferred:

• Familiarity with the US FCPA

• Working knowledge in one or several of the Cluster Markets jurisdiction on the local pharmaceutical and labour related laws regulations anti-bribery laws and the industry codes of conduct

Who we are

We are known as Merck & Co. Inc. Rahway New Jersey USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century we have been inventing for life bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the worlds most challenging diseases. Today our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

What we look for

Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy creativity digital mastery or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Our team is constantly evolving so if you are among the intellectually curious join usand start making your impact today.

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
Merck & Co. Inc. Rahway NJ USA also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC Rahway NJ USA does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place introductions are position specific. Please no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status:

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFOREthe listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.