Associate Counsel Italy (Fixed-term)

Description

Associate Counsel Italy (Fixed-term)

Syneos Health® is a leading fully-integrated life sciences services organization built to accelerate customer success. We partner with innovators at every point across the drug development and commercialization continuum, helping them navigate complexity, anticipate change and accelerate progress.

Every day we perform better because of how we work together, as one team, each the best at what we do. We bring together talented experts across a broad spectrum of business critical corporate functions. Every role plays an essential part in enabling our customers to achieve their goals. Our teams are agile, collaborative, and committed to delivering—for each other, for our customers, and ultimately for the people who rely on the services we support.

Discover what your 25,000 future colleagues already know:

Why Syneos Health

• We are passionate about developing our people, through career development and progression; supportive and engaged line management; technical and therapeutic area training; peer recognition and total rewards program.
• We are committed to building an inclusive culture – where you can authentically be yourself. Central to this is our purpose – Driven to Deliver – which captures the passion of our colleagues to show up each day and shape solutions that have the ability to dramatically impact someone’s life.
• We are continuously building the company we all want to work for and our customers want to work with. Why? Because we know that when we bring together smart colleagues from across the world, we can shape the future of healthcare, driving impact for customers and defining the pace of patient progress.

Job Responsibilities

Labor & Employment

• Serve as a trusted legal advisor to Human Resources and business leaders throughout Italy and designated EMEA jurisdictions.
• Provide day-to-day legal advice regarding employment law, employee relations, performance management, disciplinary actions, accommodations, leaves of absence, workplace conduct concerns, and separations.
• Advise on workforce restructurings, reorganizations, reductions in force, outsourcing initiatives, and business transformation projects.
• Support labor relations matters, including employee representative bodies, works councils, collective consultation requirements, and union-related issues where applicable.
• Draft, review, and update employment-related agreements, policies, handbooks, procedures, templates, and guidance materials.
• Monitor and advise on developments in employment legislation and regulatory requirements throughout assigned jurisdictions.
• Prepare and provide employment law training sessions and materials for Human Resources, managers, and business stakeholders.

Litigation, Claims & Investigations

• Manage employment litigation, administrative proceedings, employee claims, labor disputes, agency charges, and pre-litigation matters.
• Conduct legal risk assessments and recommend practical dispute resolution strategies that balance business objectives and company risk.
• Coordinate and manage external counsel in accordance with outside counsel guidelines, budget expectations, and legal management direction.
• Support internal investigations involving employee misconduct, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, ethics concerns, and other workplace matters.
• Assist with responses to government agencies, labor authorities, regulators, and other third-party inquiries.
• Provide regular reporting and strategic updates regarding legal matters, litigation trends, and risk areas.

Commercial Contracts & Corporate Legal Support

• Draft, review, negotiate, and advise on a variety of commercial agreements, including vendor agreements, professional services agreements, consulting agreements, confidentiality agreements, procurement-related contracts, and other operational agreements supporting EMEA business needs.
• Partner with Procurement, Finance, Compliance, Privacy, HR, Business Technology, Quality, and operational stakeholders to ensure agreements are consistent with applicable legal requirements, corporate policies, and business objectives.
• Provide pragmatic day-to-day and strategic advice to minimize legal risks while advancing business goals and initiatives.
• Guide the business on the appropriate management of contract, vendor, customer, and operational risks and disputes.
• Support the development and improvement of standard forms, contracting processes, policies, playbooks, and legal workflows.
• Support corporate due diligence, integration activities, and cross-functional legal projects as assigned.

Compliance, Governance & Risk Management

• Support corporate compliance initiatives and governance activities throughout the region.
• Collaborate with Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Human Resources, and business teams to identify and mitigate legal and regulatory risk.
• Assist in the development, implementation, and maintenance of legal policies, procedures, and best practices.
• Work collaboratively across the Legal department, including with regional attorneys and global subject‑matter experts, to build consensus and drive process improvements.
• Support the Syneos Health Mission, Vision, and Values.
• Perform other work-related duties as assigned.

Qualification Requirements

Required

• Qualified attorney admitted to practice law in Italy and in good standing with the applicable Italian bar association.
• Significant experience practicing labor and employment law in Italy, including advising on employee relations, separations, restructurings, litigation risk, and workplace investigations.
• Experience managing employment disputes, litigation, administrative proceedings, employee claims, and pre‑litigation matters.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Strong understanding of Italian labor and employment law and familiarity with European employment law principles applicable to multinational organizations.
• Ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and professionally with all levels of management regarding complex employment and commercial legal issues.
• Fluent written and spoken Italian and English.
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced environment, manage multiple priorities, and partner effectively with stakeholders across regions and functions.
• Ability to collaborate with colleagues and take a business-oriented approach while identifying and balancing risks and providing succinct, accurate, and pragmatic advice.

Preferred

• Experience supporting multiple European jurisdictions, particularly countries neighboring Italy.
• In‑house legal experience within a multinational company.
• Experience in the healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceutical, CRO, or professional services industries.
• Familiarity with European labor relations, works councils, collective consultation requirements, benefits, immigration, and employment regulatory frameworks.
• Additional European language capabilities.

Critical Success Factors

• Judgment: Demonstrates expertise and sound judgment; understands how assigned responsibilities support Syneos Health’s business objectives; and provides practical, risk-balanced advice based on a thorough understanding of the scope of an issue, internal resources, and external legal developments.
• Collaboration: Works effectively with Legal, HR, business teams, and functional stakeholders; integrates information from multiple sources; capably navigates a matrixed environment; and works well in a team to achieve optimal business results.
• Independence: Able to independently handle complex matters with appropriate supervision and escalation; understands when to elevate issues to senior management for awareness or decision.
• Communication: Demonstrates excellent interpersonal, strategic thinking, negotiation, communication, and organizational skills, with the ability to explain complex legal issues in a concise and practical manner.
• Client Service: Partners with clients to achieve outcomes that make business sense, including identifying opportunities for effective process improvements and client‑friendly solutions while managing company risk.

Travel

Occasional travel within Europe and internationally may be required based on business needs.

Get to know Syneos Health

Over the past 5 years, we have worked with 94% of all Novel FDA Approved Drugs, 95% of EMA Authorized Products and over 200 Studies across 73,000 Sites and 675,000+ Trial patients.

No matter what your role is, you’ll take the initiative and challenge the status quo with us in a highly competitive and ever‑changing environment. Learn more about Syneos Health.

Additional Information

Tasks, duties, and responsibilities as listed in this job description are not exhaustive. The Company, at its sole discretion and with no prior notice, may assign other tasks, duties, and job responsibilities. Equivalent experience, skills, and/or education will also be considered so qualifications of incumbents may differ from those listed in the Job Description. The Company, at its sole discretion, will determine what constitutes as equivalent to the qualifications described above. Further, nothing contained herein should be construed to create an employment contract. Occasionally, required skills/experiences for jobs are expressed in brief terms. Any language contained herein is intended to fully comply with all obligations imposed by the legislation of each country in which it operates, including the implementation of the EU Equality Directive, in relation to the recruitment and employment of its employees. The Company is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, including the provision of reasonable accommodations, when appropriate, to assist employees or applicants to perform the essential functions of the job.

Summary

Syneos Health is seeking a talented, commercially minded and proactive attorney to join its EMEA Employment Legal team. The successful candidate will provide practical, business‑oriented legal support to business leaders, Human Resources, and functional stakeholders across Europe, with primary responsibility for Italy and support for nearby European jurisdictions. The Associate Counsel will advise on a broad range of labor and employment matters, including employee relations, workplace investigations, disciplinary actions, performance management, restructurings, reductions in force, separations, employment litigation, labor disputes, and related risk mitigation. The role will also provide commercial contracting and corporate legal support for regional business needs, partnering with Procurement, Finance, Compliance, Privacy, HR, and operational stakeholders as needed. This position requires an attorney qualified to practice law in Italy who possesses strong legal judgment, excellent drafting and negotiation skills, and the ability to provide practical, risk‑balanced advice in a fast‑paced, multinational environment.