Chief Legal Officer

Job Description

Job Description

About Discovery Life Sciences:

Discovery Life Sciences is a global market leader in biospecimen solutions and specialty laboratory services, offering an extensive range of products and services to support drug discovery and development. With a network of laboratories and offices across the United States and internationally, we are committed to advancing scientific research and improving health care outcomes. We are dedicated to accelerating the discovery and development of new therapies and diagnostics by providing the highest quality biospecimens, in vitro preclinical products, and cell and gene therapy starting materials, coupled with specialty lab services.

Position Summary:

The Chief Legal Officer (CLO) is a business-critical leadership role with responsibility for defining Discovery’s global legal strategy, managing legal risk, and ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. The CLO will provide strategic legal counsel to senior leadership and the board to support business transactions and to help create scalable governance frameworks that empower growth while protecting our company, our clients, and our people.

Why Join Us:

At Discovery, you will have the opportunity to lead a talented global legal and compliance team and make a significant impact on the growth and success of a pioneering company in the biotech and life sciences industry. We offer a collaborative and innovative work environment, competitive compensation, and the chance to work on groundbreaking projects that contribute to improving patient outcomes globally.

A Day in the Life of the CLO at Discovery Life Sciences:

• Lead with Impact – Serve as chief legal advisor to the CEO, Board, and executive team, guiding on governance, regulatory, and corporate matters.
• Champion Privacy & Compliance – Lead our global privacy program, ensuring compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA/CPRA, and other evolving standards.
• Partner Across Functions – Collaborate with business unit and corporate functional leaders to align legal guidance with innovation and client delivery.
• Mitigate Risk Proactively – Design and maintain compliance frameworks, training programs, and oversight processes that support ethical, risk-balanced growth.

Must-Have Qualifications (Education, Skills, Experience):

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school; licensed and in good standing to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction. Ability to achieve additional licenses if required by applicable jurisdictions. CIPP certification (e.g., CIPP/US, CIPP/E) a plus.
• Minimum of 15 years of legal experience, including in-house counsel or law firm experience supporting global organizations required; experience in healthcare, biotech, diagnostics, or regulated industries preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership of compliance and/or privacy programs, including working knowledge of U.S. and global privacy regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA, etc.) preferred.
• Experience advising executive leadership and boards on complex legal, regulatory, and data issues.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to align legal strategies to company goals.
• Experience in US & European general corporate matters along with mergers/acquisitions required.
• Background in managing intellectual property, clinical trial compliance, or life science regulatory affairs.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with executive presence and boardroom fluency.
• Able to recruit, retain, develop, and mentor teams, along with motivating them and holding them accountable for results.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills (concise, articulate, and influential).
• Negotiation skills required with a pragmatic and collaborative approach.
• Proven excellence in presentation, interpersonal, organizational, and planning skills.
• Extensive knowledge of MS Office.

Key Responsibilities:

• Legal Leadership: Serve as chief legal advisor to the CEO, Board, and executive team. Lead internal and external counsel on contracts, IP, labor, litigation, regulatory, and corporate governance matters.
• Strategic Transactions: Oversee legal aspects of M&A, partnerships, licensing, and capital markets activity, ensuring alignment with business objectives and risk management practices.
• Privacy & Data Protection: Lead the global privacy and data protection program, ensuring compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA/CPRA, and other emerging standards. Partner with IT and compliance teams to embed privacy-by-design and manage data protection. Act as the primary contact for regulatory authorities, customers, and partners regarding privacy and data protection matters.
• Risk Management & Compliance: Identify and mitigate legal and compliance risks across global operations. Develop and maintain policies, training, and oversight programs, while managing investigations, ethics reviews, and whistleblower processes.
• Cross-functional Leadership: Collaborate with corporate functions and business units, to enable innovation and growth through practical, risk-balanced legal strategies. Influence company culture by promoting ethics, accountability, and data stewardship at every level.
• Talent Leadership & Development: Recruit, mentor, and retain a high-performing global legal team. Foster a culture of excellence, integrity, and continuous improvement.

Compensation and Benefits:

Discovery Life Sciences is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices, and we strive to provide employees with total compensation packages that are market competitive. The exact base pay offered for this role will depend on various factors, including but not limited to your qualifications, skills, and experience.

Your annual salary is only one part of your total compensation package. Other benefits:

• Benefits package options include free medical, dental, vision, and life for you, which starts on your first day of employment. Discovery covers 85% of the cost for eligible dependents.
• Inclusion in executive unlimited paid time off (UPTO) program.

Location and work hours:

• Hybrid near a US office location (Huntsville, AL, Boston, MA, or Newtown, PA)
• Relocation support is available for the selected qualified candidate relocating to one of our U.S. office locations.
• Up to 20% domestic and 5% international travel required for site meetings and customer meetings.

Join Discovery and lead our marketing efforts to enable the discovery and development of new therapeutics that improve patient outcomes.