At Univercells, we are on a mission to make health equally accessible to all. We work every day to reinvent biomanufacturing processes and develop or integrate the next innovative technologies. Through the combination of process development and engineering expertise, we create synergies to deliver game-changing production capacities to achieve our mission: Biologics available and affordable to all!

Univercells SA brings together a group of Belgian and foreign biotech affiliates working together under a common mission (the “Group”). Each division of affiliates operates a different part of the healthcare value chain, through a distinct business model:

• Univercells Technologies: Designs and produces cutting-edge manufacturing technologies for cell-based manufacturing, with an installed base in 70 countries.

• Exothera: A Contract Manufacturing and Development Organization (CDMO) for biologicals, mainly vaccines and viral vectors, with GMP production facilities in Belgium and offering process development and optimization services.

• Unizima: Delivers international project management of technology transfer, alongside operational support services (quality, supply chain, digital) and bioproduction training programs, as well as care centers and diagnostics surveillance centers.

• Quantoom Biosciences: Develops open, integrated and affordable manufacturing platforms (RNA as flagship) to enable the production of vaccines & therapeutics that scale from development to mass production.

Scope of the job

We are looking for a full-time Commercial and IP (Senior) Legal Counsel to join our central Legal team at Univercells SA, the Group’s parent company based in Brussels, Belgium. The Group Legal team provides legal advice to both Univercells SA as parent company and the Group affiliates in Belgium and abroad.

Are you passionate about business law, with a focus on Intellectual Property and Commercial Transactions? Do you have a sound experience in the Life Sciences sector, preferably in Biotech or Pharma? Are you a technically strong and solution-oriented lawyer? Do you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment with a team of highly motivated colleagues?

You might be the new colleague we are looking for!

Based in Brussels, Belgium and reporting to the General Counsel you will join a collaborative team full of passionate change-makers. This job is the perfect opportunity to advise a group of various rapidly growing entities in the biotech sector in Belgium and abroad, contribute to our mission and be impactful.

Main Responsibilities

As Commercial & IP (Senior) Legal Counsel, your key responsibilities will be to:

• Provide transactional advise and support for strategic commercial and IP deals

• Formulate global IP strategies, including patent prosecution, monetization, and transactions

• Advise and support cross-functional teams to identify trade secrets and ensure appropriate protection measures are put in place throughout the IP lifecycle

• Perform freedom to operate counselling, IP due diligence and IP risk management (as the case may be with support from external counsel)

• Develop and provide intellectual property training to business teams and internal stakeholders

• Manage and help in further developing and sustaining the Group’s IP portfolio.

• Analyze and provide advise on envisaged business deals or business models (focusing on commercial legal aspects, IP as well as other business law aspects)

• Advise on, negotiate and draft business agreements for and with Univercells’ or Univercells Affiliates’ partners (including NDA, Material Transfer Agreements, CDMO Service agreements, (clinical) R&D agreements, tech transfer agreements, licensing agreements, etc).

• Give accurate and timely counsel to executives and business stakeholders in a variety of legal topics (commercial transactions, partnerships, international ventures, M&A, etc.)

In addition, as one of the (Senior) Legal Counsels within the Univercells Legal team you will also need to:

• Effectively and efficiently work together with external counsel (e.g. in the event of disputes or litigation)

• Work independently as part of cross-functional teams with a service- and solution-oriented focus.

• Communicate and negotiate with external parties (regulators, external counsel, public authority etc.), creating relations of trust

• Draft, solidify and negotiate legal agreements and documents to safeguard and enforce Univercells’ legal rights and interests

• Support with the preparation of internal governance policies and processes and support with monitoring compliance thereof;

• Deal with complex matters with multiple stakeholders and forces

• Provide clarification on legal language or specifications to everyone in the organization

• Conduct your work with integrity and responsibility

• Coach and train more junior team members to ensure effective knowledge management and continuous learning and improvement.

Key Requirements/qualifications

• Legal professional with a Master of Laws degree (preferably a Belgian degree with a Major in Economic, Business or Company Law and/or IP law)

• Scientific degree or a working understanding of molecular biology, biochemistry, immunology, cellular biology, protein chemistry or the like is a strong asset.

• 6 - 10 years of experience in an international law firm or as an in-house counsel in an international environment with expertise in:

• negotiating and drafting complex business and IP agreements.

• advising and supporting with all facets of intellectual property (in particular patent law), including freedom to operate, filing, prosecution, enforcement and transactions.

• Demonstrated experience in the biotech, pharma or life sciences’ sector.

• Excellent in English (both verbal and in writing) and working proficiency in French + any additional language is a +.

• High degree of professional ethics and integrity.

• Sound judgement and ability to analyze and synthesize situations and information, and build pragmatic solutions. Solid business acumen and strategic mindset. Technically strong and solution-oriented lawyer.