Vice President, Corporate Legal

Crinetics is a pharmaceutical company based in San Diego, California that develops much-needed therapies for people with rare endocrine diseases. We were founded by a dedicated team of scientists with the simple belief that better therapies developed from rigorous innovation can lead to better lives. Our work continues to make a real difference in the lives of patients. We have a prolific discovery engine and robust pipeline across preclinical and clinical development. We are driven by science with a patient-centric and team-oriented culture. This is an exciting time to join Crinetics as we shape our organization into the world’s premier fully integrated endocrine company from discovery to patients. Come join our team as we transform the lives of others.

Position Summary:

This position will be responsible for providing legal guidance on global patient access programs, international distribution and licensing, and regulatory submissions. Additionally, the role will support corporate governance, SEC filings, employment law, and commercial contracts. This position requires deep expertise in pharmaceutical regulations, international access strategies, and corporate legal matters. The ideal candidate should possess exceptional leadership skills, strong work ethic, sound judgment, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, proactive problem-solving abilities, and thrive in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate will have experience working at a life sciences organization, preferably with demonstrated success in supporting regional expansion.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:

These may include but are not limited to:

• Global Expansion & Patient Access

  • Provide legal counsel on global patient access programs, including compassionate use, early access, named patient programs, and government-sponsored distribution initiatives.

  • Structure and negotiate international licensing, distribution, and market access agreements to expand product availability worldwide.

  • Advise on global regulatory submissions to facilitate approvals in new and emerging markets, ensuring compliance with international health authorities.

  • Support the development of pricing and reimbursement strategies, aligning with global regulatory frameworks and access models.

  • Work cross-functionally with Market Access, Regulatory Affairs, Medical Affairs, and Commercial teams to navigate legal considerations for expanding access to therapies.

  • Ensure compliance with international laws and regulations governing patient access across multiple global health agencies.

  • Advise on global transactions, including but not limited to licensing agreements, supply agreements, manufacturing and distribution agreements, clinical trial agreements, consulting agreements, service agreements, and other related agreements.

• Corporate Legal Support

  • Support SEC reporting and compliance, including drafting and reviewing 10-Ks, 10-Qs, Proxy Statements, 8-Ks, and Section 16 filings.

  • Negotiate, draft, and review a variety of commercial agreements, including supply and manufacturing agreements, vendor contracts, and service agreements.

  • Advise on employment law matters, including global workforce compliance and cross-border employment issues.

  • Ensure corporate policies and programs align with global compliance and regulatory standards.

• Risk Management & Compliance

  • Develop legal strategies to mitigate risks related to global access programs, including compliance with anti-bribery, anti-kickback, and data privacy laws (e.g., FCPA, GDPR, HIPAA).

  • Support internal investigations related to compliance, employment, or regulatory matters.

  • Manage relationships with external counsel and regulatory consultants to ensure legal compliance across multiple jurisdictions.

• Budget Management: Oversee the department’s budget, including managing external legal counsel and ensuring cost-effective strategies for supporting the business.

• Actively manage and coach direct reports by encouraging professional and personal development, leading by example and nurturing individual growth to optimize team performance.

• Other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience:

Required:

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school and minimum of 15 years of post-law school experience.

• Significant experience serving as in-house counsel for a pharmaceutical or biotechnology company and a deep understanding of global patient access programs, including compassionate use, expanded access, and named patient programs.

• Expertise in international licensing, distribution agreements, and global pharmaceutical regulatory frameworks.

• Strong knowledge of FDA, EMA, and other global regulatory requirements related to product approvals and market access.

• Strong understanding of Latin America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific markets on patient access and market entry strategies.

• Leadership: a minimum of 14 years of experience as a supervisor with strong leadership skills and experience managing and developing high-performing teams. Ability to influence senior executives and cross-functional teams.

• Business Acumen: Strong understanding of pharmaceutical business models, including R&D, commercialization, and regulatory affairs. Demonstrated ability to align global product and regulatory strategies with broader business goals.

• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex legal concepts to non-legal stakeholders.

• Proven track record of successfully managing outside counsel, handling multiple priorities simultaneously, and delivering results under tight deadlines.

• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.

• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the organization.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

Physical Activities: On a continuous basis, sit at desk for a long period of time; intermittently answer telephone and write or use a keyboard to communicate through written means. Some walking and lifting up to 25 lbs. may be required. The noise level in the work environment is typically low to moderate. The physical demands described above are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions and responsibilities of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions and responsibilities.

Travel:

You will be required to travel for regularly occurring on-site meetings and may be required to travel for up to an additional 5% of your time.

The Anticipated Base Salary Range: $312,00 – 390,000

In addition to your base pay, our total rewards program consists of a discretionary annual target bonus, stock options, ESPP, and 401k match. We also provide top-notch health insurance plans for employees (and their families) to include medical, dental, vision and basic life insurance, 20 days of PTO, 10 paid holidays, and a winter company shutdown.

The final salary offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to the type and length of experience and education. Crinetics Pharmaceuticals is a multi-state employer, and this salary range may not reflect positions that work in other states. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range during the hiring process.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Crinetics is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and employment applicants without regard to unlawful considerations of sex, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and/or expression), pregnancy, race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, religion or similar philosophical beliefs, disability, marital and civil union status, age, genetic information, veteran status or any personal attribute or characteristic that is protected by applicable local, state or federal laws

Vaccination requirement:

Following extensive monitoring, research, consideration of business implications, and advice from internal and external experts, Crinetics requires that all employees and contractors be fully vaccinated and have received the COVID-19 vaccines as a condition of employment. Anyone unable to be vaccinated, either because of a sincerely held religious belief or a medical condition or disability that prevents them from being vaccinated, can request a reasonable accommodation.