Legal Counsel - Affiliate

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The Position

Summary of the position

As the Senior Legal Counsel for the Legal entities across Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai Sites, you will serve as the primary legal partner for Roche’s growing Global Capability Center (GCC) as it scales to 1,000+ employees. You will provide strategic legal and business support to the Site Leadership team, including key organizational units, across Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai sites, such as Roche Services and Solutions (RSS), Roche Information Solutions (RIS), Roche Diagnostics Solutions (RDS), Roche Digital Technology (RDT) and future teams that start operations. As the first legal hire at this site, you are expected to have a “hands on” approach to your work, as outside counsel support will be limited. You will be responsible for architecting the site’s legal framework, managing corporate and commercial agreements, and navigating the interface between local operational requirements and global standards. You will liaise with counsel at Roche’s local Indian affiliate supporting its pharmaceutical and diagnostics businesses, as necessary. This role requires a pragmatic, collaborative approach to risk management, government engagement, and stakeholder networking, ensuring the Indian site’s ecosystem expansion is legally sound and operationally compliant.

Main tasks of the position

• Strategic Legal Partner: Act as a key member of the Site Leadership Team, providing counsel on corporate and operational matters, including crisis management and site strategy.

• Commercial & Operational Support: Lead the review, vetting, and drafting of essential site agreements, including service agreements, vendor contracts, and lease agreements for the Hyderabad facility.

• Government & Regulatory Engagement: Manage relationships with relevant government and regulatory stakeholders. Provide expert advice on local regulations, compliance, and government affairs to safeguard Roche’s interests.

• Compliance: Partner closely with Compliance to implement and maintain a culture of integrity.

• Data, Digital & Privacy: Support digital, IT, and privacy-related legal inquiries, including interaction with Roche’s Global Legal Data, Digital & Privacy team.

• Global Networking: Act as the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for legal topics at the site. Network with global stakeholders to align on best practices, transfer pricing, and cross-divisional partnerships.

• Education & Enablement: Lead legal training sessions for site employees and ensure adherence to company policy.

• Change Management: Support the rapid scaling of the site (target: 1,000+ employees), addressing employment law requirements and operational legal needs as the business grows.

Qualifications of the position

• Education: University degree in Law (LL.B. or equivalent).

• Professional Experience:

  • Senior-level experience (ideally 8+ years) in a multinational corporation, preferably within the healthcare, pharmaceutical, or med-tech sector.

  • Proven experience working within a Global Capability Center (GCC) or similar complex matrixed environment.

  • Demonstrated experience in government affairs and managing regulatory interactions in India.

• Specialist Knowledge:

  • Strong expertise in commercial law, contract drafting, and corporate governance.

  • Familiarity with digital healthcare, IT, and data privacy regulations is highly desirable.

  • High ethical and integrity standards with a "hands-on" and pragmatic "can-do" attitude.

  • Ability to manage complexity, analyze facts quickly, and reach consensus across conflicting stakeholder interests.

• Leadership & Mindset:

  • You possess and exhibit good judgment, executive presence and interpersonal skills, and the organizational savvy and diplomatic sensitivities to effectively collaborate with multidisciplinary and global colleagues.

  • You have excellent active listening skills, fostering open communication and speak-up culture.

  • You possess a “can-do” attitude and pragmatic approach to problem solving and are ready and willing to be “hands-on”.

  • You are able to establish common ground with stakeholders, balancing out conflicting interests and reach consensus.

  • Fluency in English is required.

Mindset (Roche Operating Principles)

• Put patients first, Follow the science, Act as one team, Embrace differences, Accelerate learning, Simplify radically, Make impact now, Think long term.

Who we are

A healthier future drives us to innovate. Together, more than 100’000 employees across the globe are dedicated to advance science, ensuring everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Our efforts result in more than 26 million people treated with our medicines and over 30 billion tests conducted using our Diagnostics products. We empower each other to explore new possibilities, foster creativity, and keep our ambitions high, so we can deliver life-changing healthcare solutions that make a global impact.

Let’s build a healthier future, together.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.