Legal Director, Germany, Switzerland & Austria

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Job Function

Legal & Compliance

Job Sub Function

Law Business Partners

Job Category

People Leader

All Job Posting Locations

Umkirch, Germany

Job Description

DePuy Synthes is recruiting for a Director, Germany, Switzerland & Austria, Legal, located in Umkirch, Germany. Johnson & Johnson announced plans to separate our Orthopedics business to establish a standalone orthopedics company, operating as DePuy Synthes. The process of the planned separation is anticipated to be completed within 18 to 24 months, subject to legal requirements, including consultation with works councils and other employee representative bodies, as may be required, regulatory approvals and other customary conditions and approvals. Should you accept this position, it is anticipated that, following conclusion of the transaction, you would be an employee of DePuy Synthes and your employment would be governed by DePuy Synthes employment processes, programs, policies, and benefit plans. In that case, details of any planned changes would be provided to you by DePuy Synthes at an appropriate time and subject to any necessary consultation processes.

Overview

The Director, Germany, Switzerland & Austria (GSA), Legal, serves as a senior legal leader and trusted advisor to the regional business. This role provides legal and operational counsel to senior business leaders, enabling compliant growth, risk-informed decision-making, and sound commercial execution within a highly regulated medical devices environment. This role partners closely with commercial, supply chain, regulatory, and government affairs teams, and plays a critical role in managing risk, supporting complex transactions, and shaping ethical business practices in a highly regulated environment.

This is a highly visible leadership role with the opportunity to shape legal strategy, support innovation in MedTech, and contribute to a purpose-driven organization dedicated to improving patient outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary legal advisor for DePuy Synthes in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, advising senior business and functional leaders on legal and compliance matters.
• Provide legal guidance on healthcare compliance, regulatory matters, advertising and promotion, product liability, legal disputes, and interactions with healthcare professionals and institutions.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including distributor, customer, government, consulting and strategic alliance contracts.
• Identify, assess, and manage legal and compliance risks, developing practical mitigation strategies aligned with business objectives.
• Partner closely with regional Health Care Compliance and Privacy teams to ensure alignment with company policies and standards.
• Support investigations, disputes, regulatory inquiries and litigation matters in coordination with in-house and external counsel and manage legal spend.
• Monitor changes in local and regional laws affecting the medical devices industry in Australia and New Zealand, proactively advising the business on implications.
• Support ethics, compliance training initiatives, and promote a strong culture of integrity across the region.
• Champion the transformation of legal service delivery through the effective use of AI, automation, digital platforms, and emerging technologies.
• Reimagine legal workflows and operating models to deliver legal services more efficiently to drive greater business value.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required (Law or related field strongly preferred)
• Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent legal qualification required
• Advanced degree (LL.M. or MBA) preferred

Required

• Significant experience in legal roles, typically 10–12 years of relevant work experience
• Senior in‑house or equivalent experience advising regulated industries.
• Strong knowledge of German, Austrian and Swiss healthcare, regulatory, and commercial law.
• Strong negotiation, drafting and contract interpretation skills
• Demonstrated ability to provide clear, commercially grounded and pragmatic legal advice to senior business leaders and cross‑functional teams.
• Experience managing complex commercial contracts, legal risk mitigation, and external counsel.
• Demonstrated ability to lead strategic initiatives and drive organizational outcomes
• Strong business acumen, judgment and integrity, with the adaptability to operate effectively in a complex, fast‑evolving global organization, including comfort working through ambiguity and a demonstrated willingness to engage with innovative solutions, technology, and new ways of working and ability to operate effectively in a complex global organization

Preferred

• Experience in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, or medical device industry
• Familiarity with European and regional (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) regulatory frameworks
• Prior people leadership experience or demonstrated ability to lead through influence in a matrix organization
• Experience supporting commercial operations and market access strategies
• Strong track record of driving process improvements and operational excellence initiatives
• Experience working in a global organization with cross‑border legal considerations

Other

• Languages: Fluency in German and English required; additional European languages are a plus
• Travel: Up to 20–30% within the GSA region and internationally, as needed
• Certifications: Admission to practice law in at least one relevant jurisdiction preferred

The Anticipated Base Pay Range For This Position Is

€106,100.00 - €182,390.00

Benefits

In addition to base pay, we offer the following benefits*: an annual bonus with set target (% of pay) depending on pay grade / location, where the actual amount is based on the employees’ and companies’ performance of the previous calendar year, or sales commissions. Moreover, we offer vacation days, parental leave for a minimum of 12 weeks, bereavement leave, caregiver leave, volunteer leave, well‑being reimbursement, programs for financial, physical and mental health. We also offer service anniversary and recognition awards, and subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees - and in some location’s eligible dependents - can participate in several insurance plans. For more information, visit Employee benefits | Supporting well‑being & career growth | Johnson & J...

• This is for informative purposes only. Amounts and actual benefits may vary by location and are subject to change.

Johnson & Johnson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Johnson & Johnson is committed to providing an interview process that is inclusive of our applicants’ needs. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation, external applicants please contact us via internal employees contact AskGS to be directed to your accommodation resource.