Animal Health Business Lead Counsel

About the role

Boehringer Ingelheim is hiring an Animal Health Business Lead Counsel in Dubai, reporting to the Head of Legal & Compliance IMETA. IMETA is a regional unit covering India, Turkey, Southern Africa, North & West Africa, the Near East & UAE, Saudi Arabia and Gulf & East Africa. The role is a senior legal position combining strategy, commercial execution, governance and risk management, and requires both leadership and hands-on execution.

Key responsibilities

• Serve as principal legal partner and adviser to Animal Health leadership across IMETA
• Provide legal guidance on commercial activities, contracts, transactions, governance, regulatory matters, disputes and escalations
• Support strategic partnerships, distribution models, market access, sourcing arrangements and digital solutions
• Lead complex negotiations and legal workstreams, using specialist teams and external counsel when needed
• Anticipate and manage legal, regulatory, enforcement and geopolitical risks across jurisdictions
• Develop governance frameworks, policies, templates, playbooks and scalable legal operating models
• Coordinate legal support across IMETA and lead or oversee claims, investigations, disputes, enforcement and crisis situations
• Build legal capability through guidance, training, self-service tools and knowledge sharing
• Contribute to the Legal & Compliance Leadership Team and lead regional initiatives

Required profile

• Degree in Law, LLM and bar admission (qualified lawyer)
• At least 10 years of legal experience, including substantial in-house experience in a multinational
• Experience in life sciences, pharmaceuticals, Animal Health or another highly regulated sector
• Regional experience within IMETA is a plus; experience with an international law firm is an advantage
• Fluent English; Arabic and French preferred

Required skills

• Broad expertise in commercial contracting, distribution, governance, regulatory matters, competition law, disputes, investigations and risk management
• Ability to lead complex cross-border matters, transactions and negotiations
• Strong commercial judgement and ability to advise senior leaders in matrixed, multicultural settings
• Portfolio prioritization, external-counsel management and data, automation and AI-enabled legal tools