Global Head of Legal Spend Management
Roche
Summary
At Roche, we believe in fostering a culture of innovation, continuous growth, and collaborative impact across our global Legal & Compliance function. As our Global Head of Legal Spend Management, you will redefine how our global legal department values, structures, and optimizes external legal services to directly fund our digital ambitions. Reporting directly to the Head of Strategy & Operations, you will oversee a significant global budget, driving financial transparency, pricing modernization, and tech-driven efficiency across our divisions.
Job description
The Opportunity
- Establish centralized governance, real-time analytics, and spend transparency across all global legal and compliance divisions.
- Lead commercial strategy, rate negotiations, global panel management, and the integration of Alternative Legal Service Providers (ALSPs).
- Modernize pricing models by evolving traditional hourly billing into structured Alternative Fee Arrangements (AFAs), capped fees, and outcome-based pricing.
- Evaluate external counsel based on legal expertise, technological maturity, and their ability to pass AI-driven efficiency gains back to the organization.
- Oversee the global rollout, system controls, and mandatory adoption of unified e-billing and matter management systems.
- Facilitate multi-party delivery models that connect internal legal teams, preferred external law firms, and LegalTech/AI software partners.
- Educate in-house teams on commercial management and matter budgeting to shift organizational culture toward data-driven vendor management.
Who You Are
- You bring 10+ years of experience leading legal procurement, legal operations, or commercial management within a large corporate legal department or top-tier law firm, including deep knowledge of the US legal market.
- You possess a proven track record of managing large-scale global legal budgets and negotiating complex Alternative Fee Arrangements (AFAs).
- You demonstrate a deep understanding of how AI, automation, and LegalTech alter the economics of legal work.
- You are an experienced leader adept at driving behavioral shifts, building international teams, and influencing senior stakeholders across business and external partners.
- You hold a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Legal Studies, Data Analytics, or a related field (an MBA, Master's, or Law degree is an advantage).
The preferred location for this position is South San Francisco. Depending on the selected candidate, we are open to considering Basel or other Roche locations across Europe. Please note that fully remote working is not an option for this role. Relocation benefits are not available for this position.
Requirements
- 10+ years of experience leading legal procurement, legal operations, or commercial management within a large corporate legal department or top-tier law firm
- Deep knowledge of the US legal market
- Proven track record of managing large-scale global legal budgets
- Proven track record of negotiating complex Alternative Fee Arrangements (AFAs)
- Deep understanding of how AI, automation, and LegalTech alter the economics of legal work
- Experienced leader adept at driving behavioral shifts, building international teams, and influencing senior stakeholders
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Legal Studies, Data Analytics, or a related field
- MBA, Master's, or Law degree is an advantage
Benefits
- Discretionary annual bonus
Company overview
Roche is a Swiss multinational healthcare company and a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, founded in 1896 and headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. As the world's largest biotech company and the fifth-largest pharmaceutical company by revenue, Roche operates through two primary divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. The company is renowned for its leadership in personalized healthcare, combining strengths in both drug development and diagnostic testing to deliver tailored treatments for patients. Roche maintains a strong focus on oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology, and central nervous system disorders, with a portfolio that includes over 30 medicines on the World Health Organization's Model Lists of Essential Medicines. The company owns significant subsidiaries including Genentech, Chugai Pharmaceuticals, Ventana Medical Systems, and Foundation Medicine. With approximately 103,000 employees worldwide and operations in over 100 countries, Roche has established itself as a leader in cancer treatments globally while maintaining a robust pipeline of innovative therapies and diagnostic solutions. The company's commitment to sustainability has been recognized through ten consecutive years as Group Leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices within the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences Industry.