Counsel at Cepheid

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Counsel will be responsible for providing guidance, direction and assistance in connection with a wide variety of (a) legal and business matters and (b) for supporting the compliance teams in its initiatives across Africa.

ORGANIZATION:

The Counsel will report directly to the Legal & Compliance Counsel- Regional Lead for Africa and may be required support larger EMEA and compliance initiatives in Africa from time to time.

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Draft, review, negotiate, strategize, document commercial transactions, contracts, and other legal arrangements including distribution, supply, services, sub-contracts, and procurement transactions, both with Governments agencies and private partners.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with local leadership and other strategic partners; proactively engage and advise colleagues on the prioritization of risks and to identify, monitor and improve key processes and internal controls.
• In coordination with Legal & Compliance Counsel for Africa, develop and implement appropriate approaches to dispute resolution, lawsuits, and arbitrations; provide regular, clear communication of litigation issues and opportunities to the affected business and other stakeholders.
• Provide effective, strong and well researched legal advice to the business, finance or other teams, in a timely and efficient manner.
• Collaborate with the EMEA and Global Legal Team on team initiatives, learning exercises and sharing of best practices.
• Constantly emphasize and demonstrate operational excellence and balanced risk taking.
• Conduct training and education as deemed necessary or appropriate, i.e. within legal matters, legal spend.
• Assist Legal & Compliance Counsel with mergers & acquisition in Africa.
• Educate business leadership on the appropriate use and leverage of in-house counsel.
• Assist HR colleagues with labor law support.
• Assist Quality and Regulatory Affairs colleagues with regulatory law support.
• Under Legal & Compliance Counsel’s direction, select appropriate outside counsel and work closely with them.
• Ensure transparent and reactive reporting to Legal & Compliance Counsel.
• At the direction of the Legal & Compliance Counsel, support Cepheid’s comprehensive Compliance Program, including:
• Implement planned activities such as policy and procedure management, lead training, conduct monitoring, and direct investigations.
• Promote (a) use of the Compliance Hotline, (b) awareness of the Code of Conduct, and (c) understanding of new and existing compliance issues and related policies and procedures.
• Monitor and report results of compliance/ethics efforts and provide guidance to associates on compliance matters.
• Support third party due diligence screening.
• Collaborate closely with colleagues in Legal, Internal Audit, HR, Finance and other core functions to direct compliance and legal issues through the appropriate channels for investigation and resolution as well as work towards future improvements to the Compliance Programs and other Legal Initiatives.
• Support Danaher and the Diagnostic Platform’s compliance efforts and other initiatives and projects as needed.

TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES: (REQUIRED)

• Complete all assigned and required training satisfactorily and on time

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Education:

• Bachelor of Arts in Law from Kenyan / South African and / or English law school.
• Licensed to practice law in Kenya / South Africa.

Experience:

• 4 or more years of practice, preferably from an international law firm, or equivalent in-house experience, or a combination of the two, in the Life Sciences, Medical Device or Pharmaceutical industry.
• Significant experience in reviewing Public procurement agreements and negotiation with public agencies and international organizations.
• Preferred knowledge and understanding of compliance programs.
• Project management skills, to include managing and prioritizing multiple concurrent projects and reporting progress.
• Preferred experience in third party due diligence screening, conducting and managing investigations, and developing and maintaining policies, procedures, and other guidance documents.
• Exposure to and success in a dynamic business environment.
• Some experience that suggests an ability to hit the ground running in a “start-up” function within a complex, matrixed organization is necessary.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.
• Preferred exposure and experience working in a multi-national or US Company.

Skills:

• Must be an excellent lawyer, self- starter and team player, who should be able to explain complex legal points to business leaders with varying degrees of sophistication about legal matters; able to take business leaders’ concerns and demands into account in how best to pursue legal strategies.
• Business minded. Able to quickly understand the business’ needs, work effectively with business teams, other members of the Legal department, and other internal groups to craft solutions and efficiently deliver results.
• Excellent communication, drafting, and negotiation skills.
• Demonstrated capability of working efficiently, learning quickly, meeting demanding deadlines in a fast-paced environment, prioritizing workflow, and adjusting to frequent change.
• Practical approach to problem-solving and the ability to effectively counsel internal clients by providing them clear, concise advice to meet their business needs.
• High integrity and ethics in all dealings – internal, external and personal; non-political in conduct, while understanding internal and external political dynamics.
• Innovative, adaptable, creative, with the appetite to challenge assumptions and working practices constructively.
• A resilient individual, who can operate independently, show skills in analysis, judgment and decision making, and work for long-term, sustainable change.
• Capable of building positive relationships within Cepheid and with its customers, including welcoming others and taking opportunities to help others to achieve their objectives.
• An excellent listener with a high degree of curiosity and appetite for learning.
• Highly responsive and service-oriented with superior legal and business judgment.
• Ability to work under remote leadership and efficiently manage global relationships remotely.

Other:

• Fluency in English required.

When you join us, you’ll also be joining Danaher’s global organization, where 69,000 people wake up every day determined to help our customers win. As an associate, you’ll try new things, work hard, and advance your skills with guidance from dedicated leaders, all with the support of powerful Danaher Business System tools and the stability of a tested organization.

At Danaher, we value diversity and the existence of similarities and differences, both visible and not, found in our workforce, workplace and throughout the markets we serve. Our associates, customers and shareholders contribute unique and different perspectives as a result of these diverse attributes.

If you’ve ever wondered what’s within you, there’s no better time to find out.

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