Senior Legal Counsel TA Oncology, International

Novartis seeks a Senior Legal Counsel for the International TA Oncology team in Basel. This role provides strategic legal leadership for the Breast Cancer portfolio, supporting global innovation and commercial activities.

This position acts as the primary legal partner for the Breast Cancer Therapeutic Area and its worldwide portfolio. The incumbent collaborates with senior leadership to facilitate bold innovation, guide high-impact strategic decisions, and assist in bringing transformative medicines to patients globally.

Responsibilities

• Deliver strategic legal counsel to commercial, medical, value and access, and development teams.
• Identify, evaluate, and mitigate legal, regulatory, and compliance risks associated with key business operations.
• Lead the drafting, negotiation, and management of complex research, development, and commercial agreements.
• Support business development initiatives, alliance management, and the integration of strategic assets and partnerships.
• Review promotional, medical, congress, and external communication materials to ensure compliant execution.
• Drive innovation by enabling novel business approaches and supporting successful product launch strategies.
• Build organizational capability through legal training, cross-functional collaboration, and knowledge sharing.
• Collaborate closely with regional and country legal colleagues to ensure coordinated and consistent legal support across the Breast Cancer portfolio.

Requirements

• Law degree and bar admission with strong legal expertise in a commercial environment.
• Significant post-qualification legal experience.
• Strong understanding of pharmaceutical legal frameworks, compliance requirements, and risk management principles.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and provide pragmatic advice in complex global organizations.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills across diverse cross-functional teams.
• Fluency in English.

Nice to have

• In-house legal experience within a global pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or healthcare organization.
• Experience supporting international business operations.

What the company offers

• Competitive benefits in kind including insurance plans, retirement plans, wellbeing resources and global recognition programs.
• Flexible and hybrid working options, where possible.
• Minimum 14 weeks paid parental leave.
• Eligibility for a performance-based bonus depending on certain performance parameters.
• Long-term equity awards granted at group level may also be part of your package.

About the company

Novartis is committed to reimagining medicine together. The company is dedicated to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities it serves.

• Commitment to reimagining medicine together.
• Building an outstanding, inclusive work environment.
• Diverse teams representative of patients and communities.