Senior Counsel

The Senior Counsel, reporting to a Deputy General Counsel, provides legal support to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Inc., with emphasis on sponsored research compliance, basic and translational research-related contracting, and intellectual property (IP), know-how, and technology-transfer contract terms.

This attorney also supports strategic research initiatives, multi-institutional collaborations, clinical research networks, and large-scale federally sponsored research programs, including matters involving consortium governance, research security, data sharing, and international research collaborations. The role is responsible for delivering timely legal guidance, reviewing and negotiating research and other agreements, and advising on compliance matters that impact St.

Jude, working most closely with Compliance and the Technology Development Industry Engagement (TDIE) team and coordinating with the Data Protection Officer and Chief Privacy Officer as needed.

This position may be eligible for remote work. However, St. Jude requires all remote employees to:

Travel to our Memphis campus for the interview process and/or orientation, if selected

Travel to Memphis to work on-site for one week per quarter, or as requested based on business needs, if hired.

By applying, you acknowledge and agree to these travel requirements as a condition of employment.

This position is remote within approved U.S. locations. Due to state-specific employment regulations, we are unable to consider applicants currently residing in California for remote work; however, candidates based in California who are willing to relocate to an approved location may be considered.

Responsibilities:

• Draft, review, analyze, and negotiate research-related agreements, including basic and translational research agreements, sponsored research agreements, clinical and pre-clinical collaboration agreements, IP and technology agreements, data sharing agreements, international research agreements, and large consortium agreements.
• Conduct due diligence and provide strategic guidance on ongoing basic and translational research relationships and proposed collaborations, including contractual, regulatory, data-use, IP, publication, confidentiality, export-control, foreign influence, research-security, and related institutional risk considerations.
• Provide legal analysis and counsel investigators and institutional leadership on federal and institutional research compliance rules and regulations, including federal award terms and conditions, sponsor requirements, research-security obligations, foreign component disclosures, other support requirements, international collaboration, foreign influence, export-control, controlled research data, and evolving federal requirements to specific research activities and institutional decisions, and institutional policies governing sponsored research.
• Support the development, implementation, and review of internal policies related to conflict-of-interest management, research security, sponsoring-agency requirements, and requirements governing research, data, samples, and safe and respectful work and learning environments, including coordination with National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other sponsoring agencies as needed.
• Partner with the TDIE team to support IP protection consistent with institutional IP policies, including advice on IP ownership, licensing considerations, invention-related contractual provisions, protection of know-how, and consideration of data rights.
• Provide legal support to other institutional personnel, departments, committees, and cross-functional initiatives as necessary.
• Negotiate workable solutions to complex and sensitive legal issues involving research collaborations, sponsor requirements, IP/data rights, regulatory compliance, and institutional risk allocation.
• Assist in training and education on legal matters, including sponsored research compliance, research contracting, data-use terms, IP-related contract provisions, confidentiality, publication rights, and research-security obligations.
• Advise on ownership and allocation of intellectual property in research agreements; publication rights; use of background IP; confidential information; data ownership, access, use, sharing, retention, and protection provisions; and related risk allocation terms.
• Assist in maintaining contract templates, clause libraries, and internal guidance that integrate IP considerations, data-use and data-protection provisions, sponsor compliance requirements, publication and confidentiality standards, and institutional risk positions.
• Assist in preparing and presenting materials to staff, internal committees, and executive leadership regarding research compliance, contracting, IP/data issues, and other matters within the attorney’s area of responsibility.