Senior Legal Counsel - CDD/FTC - 6 months
Owkin
Legal
Paris, France
Posted on Jan 20, 2026
About us
Owkin is an AI company on a mission to solve the complexity of biology. It is building the first Biology Super Intelligence (BASI) by combining powerful biological large language models, multimodal patient data, and agentic software. At the heart of this system is Owkin K, an AI copilot and its new LLM fine-tuned on biology called Owkin Zero, used by researchers, clinicians, and drug developers to better understand biology, validate scientific hypotheses, and deliver better diagnostics and therapies faster.
The position is based in our Paris offices.
Please submit your CV in English
About the role:
We are seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to join our Legal team on a fixed-term basis to cover maternity leave. The role will support the Company’s fast-growing activities in artificial intelligence applied to healthcare, diagnostics, and biomedical research, with a strong international dimension (primarily Europe and the United States). The Senior Legal Counsel will act as a trusted business partner, providing pragmatic, high-quality legal support across commercial, R&D, clinical, and strategic projects.
In particular, you will be responsible for:
- Drafting, reviewing and negotiating license and services agreements related to the Company’s new AI-based product, for the benefit of pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.
- Drafting and negotiating Term Sheets and in-licensing agreements in relation to innovative biotech products.
- Drafting and negotiating all agreements associated with healthcare research activities and the conduct of clinical trials, including CDMO, CRO, supplier and provider agreements, Clinical Trial Agreements (CTAs), and Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs).
- Drafting and negotiating contracts related to the Group’s diagnostics activities, including in particular commercial license agreements, distribution agreements, and consulting agreements (non-healthcare professionals), across all relevant geographies (mainly Europe and the United States).
- Providing legal support to the PortrAIt project (consortium), including the negotiation of specific agreements such as Data Transfer Agreements (DTAs), license agreements, and data processing agreements.
- Providing day-to-day legal support to the various departments involved in the Company’s commercial activities and in its healthcare and biomedical product activities, with a particular focus on support relating to the conduct of clinical trials and regulatory processes (including CODECOH-related procedures).
- Monitoring and providing legal watch on applicable legislation and regulations in the field of healthcare products, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and AI-enabled health technologies.
About you:
Required Qualifications and Experience:
- Approximately 8-10 years of professional experience as a lawyer, in the life sciences, biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, or digital health sectors.
- Master’s degree in Health Law (or equivalent), with a specialization in healthcare products strongly preferred.
- Strong experience in drafting and negotiating complex intellectual property, commercial, R&D, and clinical trial-related agreements.
- Solid knowledge of applicable regulations relating to healthcare products, including drug development and medical devices, in both Europe and the United States.
- Experience in clinical development, technology transfer, valuation, or in-licensing activities is considered a strong asset.
- Ability to operate in a fast-paced, innovative, and international environment.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (French is a plus).
Key Skills and Competencies:
- Strong analytical and drafting skills, with a pragmatic and solution-oriented mindset.
- Ability to manage multiple matters simultaneously and prioritize effectively.
- Excellent stakeholder management and business partnering capabilities.
- High level of autonomy, rigor, and reliability.
- Strong ethics and attention to compliance requirements.
- Collaborative mindset and ability to work cross-functionally.
What we offer
- Flexible work organization
- Friendly and informal working environment
- Opportunity to work with an international team with high technical and scientific backgrounds
Recruitment Process & Security
- Please complete the form and submit your CV.
- Owkin is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, color, religion, national origin, protected veteran status or on the basis of disability.
- Owkin is a great place to work. As a coveted workplace we are, unfortunately, vulnerable to recruitment phishing scams. We urge all job seekers and candidates to be wary of potential scams. Most of these have individuals posing as representatives of prominent companies, including Owkin, with the aim of obtaining personal, sensitive, or financial information from applicants. These scams prey upon an individual’s desire to obtain a job and can sometimes “feel” like a genuine recruitment process. Some red flags are identified below. Should you encounter a recruitment process that claims to be for Owkin but is not consistent with the below, please do not provide any personal or financial information:
- Legitimate Owkin recruitment processes include communication with candidates through recognized professional networks, such as LinkedIn.
- Communication is always through an official Owkin email address (from the @owkin.com domain), over the phone or through our applicant tracking system (Greenhouse).
- The Owkin talent team do use platforms such as LinkedIn and Job Teaser, however if you have any concern or doubt about this contact, please ask for them to send an email from @Owkin.com.
- The Owkin talent team will not solicit personal data from candidates during the application phase including, but not limited to, date of birth, social security numbers, or bank account information;
- Legitimate Owkin interviews may be conducted over the phone, in person, or via an approved enterprise videoconferencing service (Google Meets). They will not occur via Signal, Telegram or Messenger
- Owkin offers of employment are based on merit and only extended once a candidate has interviewed with members of the talent and hiring team. Offers will be extended both verbally and in written format.
If you think that you have been a victim of fraud,
- Check the identity of the talent team on LinkedIn
- Check our senior team on our website https://owkin.com/team/
- Check the existence of the position on our website: https://www.owkin.com/careers#current-opportunities
- Notify Owkin's recruitment unit at this address hiring@owkin.com
- contact the following authorities: