General Counsel

Are you ready to join Connecticut Innovation’s vibrant community of innovators? Connecticut Innovations (“CI”) is Connecticut’s strategic venture capital arm, and we are passionate about serving our portfolio of 220 companies across various industries, with strengths in life sciences, technology, and climate tech.

Come join one of our quickly growing portfolio companies, First-in-Class Dermatology Drugs | Veradermics!

Veradermics | Overview

Veradermics is a late clinical-stage aesthetics and dermatology focused biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class therapeutics for common dermatologic conditions.

Fresh off a $75 million Series B financing, we are entering an exciting new chapter. This funding propels the development of our lead candidate, VDPHL01, a non-hormonal oral therapeutic for androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and patterned hair loss (PHL). With Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials now underway, Veradermics is advancing toward transformative solutions for patients and redefining the standard of care in dermatology. Learn more here.

In addition to VDPHL01, our pipeline is expanding to address widespread conditions like common warts and molluscum contagiosum. At Veradermics, we combine scientific rigor with a vision for impactful innovation to make a lasting difference in the lives of patients.

Why Work at Veradermics

• You Can Be Part of a Meaningful Mission - Veradermics aims to create a paradigm shift in medical dermatology by bringing pharmaceutical innovation to the treatment of common skin conditions that currently lack meaningful therapeutic advances and have been neglected by traditional pharma.
• Veradermics Has Significant Growth Potential – Veradermics’ Product Candidates Have Cumulative Revenue Estimates of > $6B/Year.
• We have been featured in Forbes, Slate, The New York Post, The Hartford Courant, The Kansas City Star, and many other multi-media platforms.

General Counsel | Position Overview

The General Counsel will serve as a member of the executive leadership team and a strategic partner to the CEO and the Board of Directors. This position reports to the CEO. Responsibilities will span a wide range of duties ensuring that the company operates in accordance with all legal requirements. The role will work cross-functionally with internal departments and external resources as required on legal issues, to support and advance global corporate activities, ensure compliance with corporate regulatory and legal requirements, proactively identify legal risks, and coordinate with and support key stakeholders to ensure progress towards company goals.

The focus will be to oversee and direct general corporate legal matters, securities compliance, intellectual property, license agreements, labor and employment matters, data governance and strategy, privacy incident management and response, artificial intelligence governance and ethics, and cybersecurity matters.

This position requires an onsite presence in New Haven, CT on occasion, offering the opportunity to be deeply integrated into Veradermics’s thriving company culture.

Legal Oversight and Strategy

• Provide counsel to the executive team, Board of Directors, and senior management on all legal matters affecting the business, including corporate governance, contracts, litigation, intellectual property, and labor and employment matters.
• Assess and manage legal risks across the organization, develop proactive legal strategies, and ensure that legal exposure is appropriately minimized while enabling the business to grow.
• Manage the company’s intellectual property portfolio, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets; advise on licensing agreements, IP enforcement and patent protection/prosecution, and risk mitigation.
• Help identify opportunities to drive the business forward, including drafting, reviewing and negotiating strategic commercial, direct sourcing and non-disclosure agreements.
• Apply legal and business judgment to proposed deals, relationships and other issues requiring legal or compliance attention and advise the business on compliance, ethical practices, privacy, antitrust, and advertising / promotional matters.
• Lead all legal activities related to drafting and reviewing SEC filings, ensuring compliance with securities laws, and coordinating with external counsel.
• Evaluate and modify corporate governance matters and policies and legal structure to align with public company standards.
• Preparing and prosecuting patent applications.
• Originating and managing clients.
• Advising on patent design-arounds and non-infringing product designs.
• Negotiating, drafting, and reviewing agreements such as licenses, research agreements, collaboration agreements, confidentiality agreements, and material transfer agreements.
• Coordinate board of director meetings and act as the corporate secretary, preparing meeting minutes and maintaining appropriate corporate records.
• Counsel on negotiating vendor agreements, business associate agreements, and data sharing agreements.
• Work with stakeholders on various data security topics.

Leadership and Team Management

• Develop functional plans for managing legal matters, determining whether activities are performed in-house or through third-party providers. Oversee the budget, ensuring resources are allocated effectively and efficiently.
• Work with senior leadership to set the corporate strategy and monitor performance and ensure that strategic objectives are met.
• Advise stakeholders on corporate governance practices, ensuring adherence to legal standards and best practices.
• Ensure the company’s operations are compliant with all applicable laws and regulations, including FDA guidelines.
• Collaborate with functional stakeholders to support and execute the company’s outsourced model in various areas of the business.
• Advise on public disclosure obligations and collaborate with investor relations/corporate communications and senior management on preparation and review of press releases, social media posts and other external communications.
• Supporting the management of disputes and litigation, as well as outside counsel.

Candidate Profile | Who You Are

• JD with excellent academic credentials from an accredited law school. Active bar membership in at least one US jurisdiction.
• At least 15 years of experience ideally gained at a well-regarded law firm followed by in-house role(s) at growth-oriented companies.
• 5 years of experience operating or advising in the life sciences (pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical, medical device) industry.
• Drafting, negotiating and closing commercial and supplier agreements in a regulated environment (e.g. sale and distribution agreements, supply and professional services procurement agreements etc.), preferably with experience gained in the healthcare or life sciences industry (including the application of privacy laws such as HIPAA and/or GDPR).
• Sound SEC compliance experience, including the preparation and filing of SEC documents and preparation of company proxy statements. Strong understanding of corporate governance.
• Experience managing financial transactions, and ESG legal matters.
• Strong technical/analytical skills, combined with a practical, business-oriented and strategic approach to identifying and solving business and legal problems and to provide balanced, solution-oriented guidance.
• Extensive knowledge of relevant laws, regulations, guidance, and industry codes.
• Unquestionable ethics, integrity, and judgment.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• A commitment to be a collegial team player with a healthy sense of humor and a strong interest in advancing corporate culture.

Company Culture

Veradermics is a small and tight-knit operation where our team works tirelessly to develop innovative new therapeutics for dermatology. We hold ourselves to an incredibly high standard and are looking for an exceptional person who is ready to be an integral team member and make a positive impact on the practice of medicine. We strongly appreciate positivity, curiosity, and, above all else, the ability to stay organized and get things done at the highest level and on time. We are incredibly conscious of creating a comfortable, flexible environment that cultivates the desire to be engaged, ask questions, and feel a vested interest in our team's success. Most importantly, you should value honest and direct communication as you recognize that this is the best way for any individual or team to continuously learn and grow. Accomplishing our collective goals will be fun but also complex.

What It's Like To Work With Us

We’re passionate about dermatology and about improving the lives of individuals suffering from common skin conditions. The therapeutics you help us develop will impact the quality of life of millions of people suffering from conditions ranging from common warts to alopecia areata. We strive to do our personal best and to encourage others to do their best. We also believe in treating others with respect and want to create a company that people are excited to work for.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Veradermics is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.