Astellas Canada –
At Astellas, we strive to become a cutting-edge, value-driven life science innovator. This means working at the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into VALUE for patients.
What sets us apart is our focus on patients, our pioneering innovation, our collaborative culture, and the passion of our talented people.
Making a positive impact on patients’ lives is the purpose behind everything we do. At Astellas, we are relentless in our pursuit of scientific progress and in tackling unmet medical needs, demonstrated by our legacy in oncology, overactive bladder and transplant and our impressive pipeline in women's health, blindness and regeneration, genetic regulation, immuno-oncology, mitochondria and targeted protein degradation.
About Us:
We are a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, with a team of more than 14,000 managing operations in approximately 70 countries around the world. We are in the Top 30 global biopharma company based on global revenues and are predicted to be one of the Top 10 Cancer Drug Makers of 2024 by Fierce Pharma.
In Canada, we are growing to meet the exciting opportunities realized by our legacy brands and rich pipeline of innovative treatments.
We are looking for candidates who will thrive in our entrepreneurial and empowering environment where talent and leadership flourish. Do your values align with our Astellas Way - patient focus, ownership, results, openness and integrity? Then we would love to hear from you.
From the first day in role, everyone at Astellas has a responsibility for creating a brighter future for patients around the world. We nurture exceptional relationships with our employees to allow them to thrive, foster innovation, and deliver exceptional business results. We work to create a culture where our people feel empowered to pursue brave ideas and ambitious outcomes, to have the confidence to be accountable for a higher standard of performance and embody a competitive and solutions-oriented mindset.
Our expertise, science and technology make us a pharma company. Our open and diverse culture is what makes us uniquely Astellas.
Astellas Pharma Canada (APCA) is currently searching for a Lead, Legal and IP Business Operations.
Purpose and Scope:
The Lead, Legal & IP Business Operations position is a senior leadership role within the GC&CECO Chief of Staff (CoS) Office. This position serves as the senior operational lead for the Legal and IP functions, with primary accountability for strategic execution, operational planning, cross-functional coordination, and vendor and financial oversight.
As the designated operational business partner to Legal and IP leadership, this role ensures alignment between functional strategies and enterprise-level processes, including those owned by Finance, HR, and Procurement. The role is critical to driving transparency, fiscal discipline, vendor management effectiveness, and business process optimization across the Legal and IP Divisions. It also plays a key role in promoting standardization, efficiency, cost control, and continuous improvement in how Legal and IP operate globally. Additionally, the role oversees the use and performance of legal operations technologies, ensuring Legal and IP are supported by an effective, scalable, and cost-efficient technology toolset, including matter management and spend systems that support business needs.
Essential Job Responsibilities:
Strategic & Operational Leadership
- Serve as the operational lead and execution partner to Legal and IP leadership, translating strategic priorities into coordinated business operations.
- Align Legal and IP operating plans with CoS Office goals supporting Legal, IP, Ethics & Compliance, and Quality Assurance.
- Drive process standardization, efficiency improvements, and enterprise-level operational consistency across legal support functions.
- Develop and monitor operational KPIs that support performance transparency and continuous improvement.
Outside Counsel & Vendor Program Management
- Lead global outside counsel and vendor operations, including firm onboarding/offboarding, scope and rate negotiation, and adherence to outside counsel guidelines.
- Manage preferred provider governance, performance metrics, and firm-level compliance.
- Implement operational frameworks that optimize law firm engagement, enhance value, and reduce variability in spend and process.
- Collaborate with Procurement, Legal and IP to enforce vendor governance and automate key workflows.
Financial Oversight & Workforce Planning
- Oversee Legal and IP headcount planning, including FTE tracking, hiring plan alignment, and payroll budget management.
- Own the Legal and IP financial planning cycle, including budget development, quarterly forecasting, variance tracking, and cost performance analysis.
- Conduct deep analysis of spend at the matter, firm, and category level to inform cost control, forecasting accuracy, and strategic resource allocation.
- Partner with Finance to ensure clear reporting, forecast reliability, and alignment to corporate financial governance.
Program & Project Execution
- Lead the execution of cross-functional initiatives focused on operational transformation, tooling implementation, and department-wide efficiencies.
- Define objectives, timelines, and outcomes; manage stakeholder engagement; ensure sustainable adoption and measurable value.
- Support strategic planning cycles, road mapping, and OKR/goal development in partnership with Legal and IP leadership.
- Ensure Legal and IP are supported by an effective, scalable, and cost-efficient technology toolset, including matter management and spend systems that support business needs.
- Cross-Functional Business Partnering
- Coordinate with CoS solutions team leads and, as needed, with Finance, HR, and Procurement to ensure alignment of Legal and IP budgets, workforce planning, and vendor operations with enterprise processes and standards.
- Represent Legal and IP in governance forums focused on financial performance, operational risk, and enterprise alignment.
- Support organizational design, workforce planning, and operational oversight in collaboration with internal and enterprise stakeholders.