Corporate Counsel, Operating Unit

At West, we’re a dedicated team that is connected by a purpose to improve patient lives that has been at the center of our Company for more than a century. Our story began when Herman O. West solved the problem of supplying penicillin in mass quantities to the US Government during World War 2. Through our work to deliver thousands of life-saving and life-enhancing injectable medicines to millions of patients daily, West’s indelible mark on the healthcare industry has just begun. A name started our story. How will yours help write our future?

There’s no better place to join an inclusive community of professionals with opportunities for lifelong learning, growth and development. Supported by benefit programs, we empower the physical, mental, emotional and financial health of our team members and their families.

We believe in giving back to help those in need in the communities where we live and work. And are equally committed to creating a healthier environment and planet through our sustainability efforts.

Job Summary

West Pharmaceutical Services is seeking a business-oriented Corporate Counsel to join its Operating Unit Legal Team. This role will provide broad-based legal support to commercial and operational teams, serving as a trusted advisor on contracting, risk management, and strategic initiatives. The ideal candidate is a pragmatic attorney with strong transactional experience, sound business judgment, and the ability to independently manage complex matters in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of complex commercial agreements, including supply, manufacturing, development, services, confidentiality, and distribution agreements.
• Assist in developing playbooks, risk matrices and contracting guardrails
• Serve as day-to-day legal advisor to assigned business units, business functions and law department initiatives - providing practical and risk-balanced guidance.
• Partner cross-functionally with Commercial, Operations, Regulatory, Supply Chain, Finance, and Quality teams.
• Support strategic initiatives, operational changes and optimization, and enterprise strategic strategy including.
• Develop and deliver proactive legal education to internal stakeholders on identified areas
• Identify legal and business risks and develop practical mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate with internal subject matter experts (e.g., intellectual property, compliance, employment, governance) when specialized expertise is required.
• Support continuous improvement of contracting processes and templates to increase efficiency and consistency.
• Manage outside counsel relationships when necessary, including scope and budget oversight.
• Flexibility to serve as primary or backup on designated subject areas, fill capacity gaps dynamically based on need and support workload balancing across a global team of operating unit generalist lawyers
• Other duties as assigned.

Education

• Law degree and bar admittance or license to practice law in at least one US jurisdiction.

Work Experience

• Minimum of 10+ years of legal work experience with a minimum 5-8 preferably combining large law firm and in-house experience.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Preferred experience in pharmaceutical, medical device, biotech, or manufacturing industries.
• Preferred familiarity with regulated environments and operational business models.
• Demonstrated ability to embrace simplification of legal processes.
• As comfortable with reading a financial document as legal documents.
• Bias toward problem-solving with a demonstrated ability to innovate and think “outside the box”.
• Learning agility and intellectual curiosity to learn new areas of the law or aspects of the business.
• Significant experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements independently.
• Extensive experience advising multinational clients regarding matters of legal and business importance and managing of related risks.
• Strong analytical, communication, and negotiation skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality at all times.
• Dependability, attention to detail with strong organizational and time management skills a must.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work as a team player.
• Must be able to meet deadlines and manage multiple priorities.
• Able to be aware of all relevant SOPs as per Company policy as they are related to the position covered by this Job Description.
• Able to comply with the company’s safety and quality policy at all times.

Travel Requirements

20%: Up to 52 business days per year

Physical Requirements

Sedentary-Exerting up to 10lbs/4kgs of force occasionally, and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time.

What We Offer

This is a hybrid position requiring the team member to be onsite a minimum of 3 days per weekCommunity Involvement: West encourages volunteerism through its West without Borders initiative and other charitable programs that make a difference in local communities.Continuous Learning & Development: Opportunities for professional growth through training programs, tuition assistance, leadership development, and skill-certification initiatives.Generous Paid Time Off (PTO): Flexible vacation, personal, and holiday leave ensures employees can maintain a healthy work-life balance and recharge effectively.Inclusive & Collaborative Culture: A global workforce that values diversity, equity, and inclusion—where all voices are heard and respected in a supportive environment.