Vice President, Legal, Associate General Counsel

Legal

At Akebia we take that number very seriously and every day we come to work, with the purpose of bettering the lives of each person impacted by kidney disease and the renal community that serves them.
Our tenacious, passionate employees' challenge the status quo and work to develop unique therapeutics that have the potential to set new standards of care for people living with kidney disease.

This is life-changing work, and we are all in, are you?

Job Summary:

Akebia is seeking an experienced corporate and securities lawyer to join its fast-paced collaborative legal team. Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, the VP, Legal, Associate General Counsel will have primary responsibility for general corporate, securities, corporate governance and transactional legal matters, interacting frequently with our Board of Directors, and overseeing a variety of important legal matters for the company. They will partner with the finance and investor relations teams and collaborate across the organization on a wide range of corporate and securities matters, and serve as the strategic business partner for the Finance, Business Development, Investor Relations and People teams. This is an exciting opportunity to work with other members of the legal team and across the organization and gain exposure to a wide variety of business and legal issues at a commercial stage biotech company.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Responsibilities include:
* Serve as a strategic leader and provide solution-oriented legal advice to the business as it relates to corporate governance, securities and general legal matters
* Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand business objectives and develop innovative solutions that address legal challenges
* Lead the preparation and review of SEC filings, including periodic and current reports, proxy statements and Section 16 reports in collaboration with internal and external accounting and legal teams
* Lead corporate governance activities, including the preparation of materials for board and committee meetings and drafting and reviewing certain corporate policies and providing training to employees on those policies
* Act as point of contact for Finance and People teams with respect to the administration of Akebia's equity programs, including equity grants and employee stock purchase plan
* Provide legal advice on disclosure matters, including investor presentations, press releases, and other corporate internal and external communications
* Assist with capital markets and related financial transactions as needed, including equity and debt offerings
* Support business development efforts, including leading legal due diligence and assisting with drafting and negotiating transaction documents
* Serve as the primary business partner for the Finance, Business Development, Investor Relations and People teams, including preparing, reviewing and negotiating a diverse range of agreements common to the biotechnology industry, including master services agreements, consulting agreements and lease agreements
* Oversee the company's state pharmaceutical licenses
* Keep current on industry-related laws and regulations and creating or modifying policies and procedures based on such developments
* Manage and direct outside counsel when outside expertise is needed
* Build strong relationships across functions and work collaboratively to tackle complex issues.

* Manage and mentor Akebia's Sr. Corporate Paralegal
* Serve as a key member of Akebia's Management Team

Skills & Experience

Basic Qualifications:
* Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school and admitted to practice in Massachusetts or other U.S. state
* At least 10 years of experience in law firm and/or in-house company settings, including experience in securities and corporate governance at a Nasdaq-listed public company
* Strong knowledge of securities and general corporate law
* Experience in board and corporate governance matters
Preferred Qualifications
* In-house experience with public biopharmaceutical companies is a plus
* Strong organizational and project management skills with an ability to handle multiple tasks and quickly and effectively prioritize and make decisions
* Ability to build strong relationships and work collaboratively across functions
* Strong attention to detail and proactive approach
* Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills
* Strong analytic capability
* Confident, pragmatic, approachable and solution-oriented
* Comfortable in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment

Compensation:

Targeted Base: *313,709-387,523.00

*Base Compensation for this role will depend on a number of factors including a candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience, and may fall outside of the range shown. Base pay is only one component of the company's total rewards package, all regular employees are also eligible for the corporate bonus program or the incentive compensation program (if applicable), as well as equity. Additional benefits include health care, vision, dental, retirement, PTO, etc.

Are you an Akebian?

An Akebian is curious, empathetic, and values making connections to people and ideas. Akebian's aren't afraid of diving in and owning a process or a problem, because we all want to deliver a great solution. Akebian's believe that we are better together because we are all working toward a common purpose - to better the life of each person impacted by kidney disease. Want to learn more about what it means to be an Akebian? Visit our website: www.akebia.com

Akebia is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all job applicants. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by la