Associate Legal Counsel

Work Flexibility: Onsite

Position Summary:

The Associate Legal Counsel works closely with colleagues in the Legal & Compliance Department and with business and functional stakeholders on a broad range of commercial and legal matters, in accordance with applicable laws, regulations and Stryker policies. The Associate Legal Counsel will provide day-to-day legal support to Stryker’s businesses in Spain and Portugal, under the overall direction of the Regional Counsel Southern Europe. The role requires independent judgment, strong business acumen and the ability to manage legal matters with an appropriate level of autonomy, identifying and escalating material legal risks where necessary. The Associate Legal Counsel will be expected to develop strong relationships with business stakeholders and provide pragmatic, business-oriented and timely legal advice.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities: (Detailed Description)

- Act as a key legal business partner for Stryker’s businesses and functional teams in Spain and Portugal, providing pragmatic, day-to-day legal advice on commercial contracting, customer arrangements, indirect channels and other business initiatives, in line with applicable laws, regulations and Stryker policies.

-Independently draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including sales and service agreements, capital equipment placement agreements, distribution and agency agreements, HCP/HCO, consultancy and event agreements, procurement agreements and non-disclosure agreements.

-Support public procurement and tender-related matters with public-sector customers, including review of tender documentation and legal and contractual issues arising during the tender and contract performance phases.

Identify, assess and appropriately escalate material legal and compliance risks, helping the business develop practical mitigation strategies.

Identify and escalate competition law issues in commercial models (e.g. minimum purchase commitments, rebates, multi-division offerings).

-Partner with Commercial, Finance, Compliance, HR, Regulatory Affairs, Quality and other functions on cross-functional matters, and with the European and EMEA Legal & Compliance teams on cross-border matters and initiatives.

-Support product liability matters, disputes and claims, coordinating with internal stakeholders and external counsel as appropriate.

- Manage and coordinate external legal counsel when required, with appropriate oversight from the Regional Counsel Southern Europe.

- Support corporate governance and corporate secretarial matters for Stryker’s legal entities in Spain and Portugal, in coordination with relevant regional and global teams.

- Collaborate with the Global Data Privacy Team on local DPAs, data privacy agreements and other data protection matters.

- Support EMEA, regional and strategic projects affecting Spain and Portugal, including M&A, divestiture and integration workstreams.

- Develop and deliver legal training for business partners to support business needs, compliance initiatives and the proper operation of contractual and legal processes.

- Develop and maintain legal templates, playbooks and guidance materials, and drive process improvement initiatives that increase the efficiency and consistency of legal support.

- Leverage AI and legal technology tools in day-to-day legal work (e.g. contract review, drafting, legal research and knowledge management) and actively drive their adoption across the team, in line with Stryker policies and applicable confidentiality and data protection requirements.

- Provide legal research and analysis to the Regional Counsel Southern Europe and the wider Legal & Compliance Department, report on legal activities, material risks and developments, and keep abreast of legal and regulatory changes relevant to Stryker’s businesses.

Education & Special Training:

Law degree with strong academic credentials. LL.M. or equivalent postgraduate legal qualification is a plus.

Qualification to practise law in Spain is preferred.

Qualifications & Experience:

· 3–5 years of relevant professional legal experience, gained in a leading law firm and/or in-house.

· Solid commercial contracting, drafting and negotiation experience.

· Must be able to speak and write fluently in Spanish and English. Portuguese and/or Italian is a plus.

· Experience in a regulated industry, preferably medical devices, healthcare, life sciences or pharmaceuticals, is a strong plus.

· Experience in public procurement is a plus.

· Advanced, hands-on proficiency in the use of AI tools (e.g. generative AI for drafting, contract review, research and summarisation) in legal practice, with the judgement to critically verify outputs and safeguard confidential information. This is a key requirement of the role.

· Sound judgement and ability to work independently, taking ownership of matters through to completion and escalating where appropriate.

· Commercial mindset and ability to translate complex legal issues into clear, concise and practical business advice, balancing legal risk with business objectives.

· Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships at all levels and to collaborate effectively across functions and jurisdictions in a matrix organisation.

· Well-organised and detail-oriented, able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, changing environment.

·Unwavering commitment to integrity, high ethical standards and confidentiality.

Spain Pay Ranges:

• Spain: €53.500 - €89.200 EUR Annual

At Stryker, we believe transparency helps candidates make confident decisions about their next career step. Compensation is an important part of that process and we want to be clear about how pay is determined. The compensation information posted for this role may be presented as a salary range or a fixed amount depending on the role.  In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for incentive compensation (such as bonus and/or commissions where applicable), along with Stryker’s comprehensive benefits package.

If you’d like to learn more about the salary or the benefits associated with this role, your recruiter will be happy to walk you through the details as you progress through the hiring process.

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