Organon - Vice President, Legal - Head of Mergers & Acquisitions

Job Description

Our Support Functions deliver services and make recommendations about ways to enhance our workplace and the culture of our organization. Our Support Functions include HR, Finance, Information Technology, Legal, Procurement, Administration, Facilities and Security.

We partner with the business to ensure we maintain our company’s values and high ethical standards, comply with the law, protect our people and enhance our reputation. We strive to foster an environment that is inspiring, supportive and diverse.

The Vice President (VP), Legal - Head of Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) is an integral member of the Organon Legal Department. The VP will lead the Legal M&A function and team in supporting the Company’s M&A activities globally. This role will have strategic and leadership oversight of the Company’s legal M&A approach, working closely with other legal professionals and Company stakeholders, especially the Corporate Development team.

This position will report directly to the General Counsel of Organon and will be responsible for handling a wide range of corporate and securities matters related to the growth, operation and further development of this dynamic business. This role requires a person to possess a strong corporate governance, securities and M&A background, and an analytical and detail-oriented mindset, coupled with strong communication skills.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provide counsel and legal support to the Company’s Corporate Development team with respect to day-to-day M&A activity. This includes advice on overall deal tactics and strategy, as well as oversight of outside counsel.
• Directly lead execution on select major deals, including negotiation, transaction structuring, drafting of relevant agreements, due diligence and the regulatory approval process.
• Educate/train corporate and business development personnel regarding key legal considerations.
• Build out a team of more junior M&A attorneys to create an in-house deal team; lead, develop and motivate direct reports.
• Assess and develop legal talent and M&A attorneys throughout the organization and ensure enough bench strength in both technical and leadership skills to meet the future needs of the Company.
• Manage internal and external legal deal processes and drive continuous improvements, efficiency and scalability in deal processes and execution. Lead team in developing and improving process playbooks, templates and billing/cost efficient approaches.
• Enable a culture of transparency, continuous improvement, business oriented decision making, collaboration and informed risk-taking.

In addition to a JD from an accredited law school and an active state bar license, the ideal candidate will have the following:

• Relevant Legal Experience: A minimum of 15 years of legal experience, with top-tier law firm training and/or in-house roles, ideally within the corporate legal department of a complex, global and highly acquisitive organization. Prior experience in private equity and/or venture capital a plus.

• Deal Experience in Relevant Industries: Established track record in M&A transactions – domestic, international and cross-border (particularly in EU, LATAM, and/or China) – with a comprehensive understanding of M&A structures, process design and execution, documents, and legal issues. Deal experience in science, technology, and/or life sciences is a plus.

• Team Development and Legal Operations Experience: Experience building, developing, and managing a team, including attorneys and support staff, either in a law firm or in-house setting. Broad exposure to managing day-to-day legal operational issues; this includes management of people, processes, budgets, resources and outside consultants/counsel.

The ideal candidate will possess the following culture and leadership characteristics:

• Business Acumen and Stakeholder Management: Team-oriented and forward-thinking deal and business partner who understands risk-based decision making and the need to balance protecting against risk with promoting company growth. A high-level of intellectual, professional and interpersonal agility, combined with strong analytical and pragmatic problem-solving skills. Excellent project management skills, well organized, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced work environment and manage numerous projects simultaneously under deadline pressure. A quick learner, able to effectively prioritize in real time.
• Leadership and Collaboration: A collaborative leadership style, with confidence-inspiring gravitas and a “calm under pressure” demeanor that enables a culture of transparency. Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communications skills, with an ability to explain M&A legal issues to Corporate Development personnel who possess varying degrees of sophistication about legal matters. A strong people orientation and high level of emotional intelligence. Exemplify humility in leading teams to difficult goals, with an apolitical and nonbureaucratic approach. Strong ability to inspire and foster an inclusive and diverse culture, and to teach/mentor team members.
• Integrity and Personality: Unquestioned ethics and integrity, with sound judgment. Brings creativity and intellectual curiosity in dealing with complex legal issues in matrixed and cross-border settings, including a tolerance for ambiguity. Resilient, tough-minded but able to be flexible when the situation demands it, able to think on one’s feet, ability to engage in searching, critical discussion without personalizing outcomes. Brings a sense of humor, openness to learning, and resilience.

Who we are …

We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

What we look for …

In a world of rapid innovation, we seek brave Inventors who want to make an Impact in all aspects of our business, enabling breakthroughs that will affect generations to come. We encourage you to bring your disruptive thinking, collaborative spirit and diverse perspective to our organization. Together we will continue Inventing For Life, Impacting Lives while Inspiring Your Career Growth.

Invent. Impact. Inspire.

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

For more information about personal rights under Equal Employment Opportunity, visit:

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We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Kenilworth, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status:

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Number of Openings:

Requisition ID:R115866