Associate Director, Legal, Commercial (P&EM and Rare)

Overview

The Associate Director, Legal, Commercial (Partner and Emerging Markets and RARE) serves as a key legal advisor to the Global Rare Business Unit (GRBU) and Partner and Emerging Markets (P&EM) teams with a primary focus on supporting the company’s portfolio of rare disease products across a wide spectrum of markets outside the US, contributing to expand business opportunities and empower growth, while safeguarding the company’s reputation and interests.

Working in a fast-paced, matrixed environment, you will work closely with the Executive Legal Director, Commercial P&EM and RARE to navigate the complex legal and regulatory environments that characterize diverse and evolving markets, to support activities such as customer engagement, advertising and promotion, disease awareness, compassionate and humanitarian access, patient support programs, and product distribution for both late-stage clinical programs and marketed products.

This role requires deep expertise in pharmaceutical law, commercial contracting, regulatory compliance and risk management and the ability to partner effectively with colleagues across the Commercial Legal Team and the broader Legal Expertise Area, as well as with internal and external stakeholders in different geographies including Commercial, Medical Affairs, Regulatory and Ethics & Compliance, Alnylam Distributor Partners around the globe, as well as outside counsel.

The role is hybrid, location is flexible with a preference for proximity to an Alnylam office in Europe, and reports to the Executive Legal Director, Commercial based in Amsterdam (The Netherlands).

Responsibilities

• Serve as the legal advisor for Partner and Emerging Markets, offering counsel on commercial, regulatory, corporate, and healthcare compliance matters
• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of agreements, including distribution, supply, licensing, consulting, and commercial contracts relevant to the pharmaceutical industry
• Provide proactive legal advice on procurement, manufacturing, and market access strategies, ensuring alignment with company objectives and regulatory requirements
• Advise on the legal aspects of promotional activities, including review of marketing and educational materials, to ensure compliance with local and international laws and industry codes
• Monitor, interpret, and advise on evolving laws, regulations, and industry trends impacting pharmaceutical operations in emerging markets, including anti-bribery, anti-corruption, data privacy, and transparency requirements
• Support internal investigations, compliance audits, and interactions with regulatory authorities and external stakeholders as needed
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams-such as Commercial, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Regulatory, Compliance, and Finance-to deliver integrated legal solutions
• Develop, implement, and deliver training programs and legal guidance to business partners on relevant legal and compliance topics
• Manage relationships with external legal service providers and coordinate legal support for local affiliates and distributor partners
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of contract templates, playbooks, and legal policies to drive efficiency and consistency in legal operations

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor or equivalent law degree required
• Minimum 5 - 7 years’ of legal experience, with significant time spent in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or healthcare sector or from a law firm working on healthcare-related matters, preferably in a multinational environment
• Strong knowledge of pharmaceutical regulatory frameworks, commercial contracting, and healthcare compliance laws applicable in emerging and distributor markets
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex legal and compliance issues and provide practical, business-oriented legal solutions
• Excellent negotiation, drafting, and communication skills, with fluency in English; additional languages are a plus
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment with a wide variety of company colleagues as well as with external parties on a broad range of matters
• Ability to make and communicate thoughtful, integrated and timely decisions and take corresponding actions
• Manage outside counsel as specialized advice is required for projects or activities
• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, to work independently and manage discrete areas of responsibility, and to flourish in a fast-paced and high energy environment
• Strong organizational skills in order to maintain a high level of productivity, innovation and priority-settling in order to meet commitments on-time and handle a high volume of work 
• Proven ability to work with a high level of integrity, transparency, accuracy and attention to detail

About Alnylam: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ALNY) has led the translation of RNA interference (RNAi) into a whole new class of innovative medicines with the potential to transform the lives of people afflicted with rare and more prevalent diseases. Based on Nobel Prize-winning science, RNAi therapeutics represent a powerful, clinically validated approach to treating diseases at their genetic source by “interfering” with mRNA that cause or contribute to disease. Since our founding in 2002, Alnylam has led the RNAi Revolution and continues to turn scientific possibility into reality.

Our culture: Our people-first culture is guided by our core values: fiercely innovative, open culture, purposeful urgency, passion for excellence, and commitment to people, and these values influence how we work and the business decisions we make. Thanks to feedback from our employees over the years, we’ve been fortunate to be named a top employer around the world. Alnylam is extremely proud to have been recognized as one of Science Magazine’s Top Biopharma Employers, one of America's Most Responsible Companies for 2024 by Newsweek, a Fast Company Best Workplace for Innovators, and a Great Place to Work in Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and UK – among others.

At Alnylam, we commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equal employment opportunity. We are dedicated to building an environment where employees can feel that they belong, can bring their authentic selves to work, and achieve to their full potential. By empowering employees to embrace their unique differences at work, our business grows stronger with advanced and original thinking, allowing us to bring groundbreaking medicines to patients.