Executive Director, Head of Litigation

Alnylam is recruiting an Executive Director, Head of Litigation to build and lead a best-in-class enterprise litigation function. This is a highly visible, high-impact role for an experienced litigation leader who is energized by the opportunity to shape how a global, commercial-stage, large-cap biopharmaceutical company anticipates, prepares for, manages, and resolves pending and threatened litigation, disputes, government investigations, and other adversarial matters around the world, excluding intellectual property matters. Reporting to the SVP, General Counsel, Corporate and Governance, this leader will serve as Alnylam’s senior legal advisor for litigation and disputes, including commercial and contract disputes, antitrust and competition-related matters, securities and shareholder litigation, employment litigation, product-related claims, government investigations, enforcement proceedings, civil investigative demands and subpoenas, whistleblower matters, and other high-stakes adversarial matters. The ideal candidate will bring excellent judgment, executive presence, broad-based litigation expertise, and a practical business orientation. This leader will be both a strategic advisor and a hands-on matter owner, able to build scalable processes, partner effectively across the enterprise, and translate complex legal risk into clear, actionable guidance for business leaders, the Executive Leadership Team, and the Board of Directors. Preferred location: Cambridge, MA. Candidates based outside the region may be considered if they can travel to Cambridge regularly and maintain a consistent onsite presence.

Lead Alnylam’s global strategy for managing and favorably resolving litigation, pre-litigation disputes, and government and other investigations (other than intellectual property matters). Build a scalable operating model for litigation, disputes, and government and other investigations, including matter intake, docketing and triage, early case assessment, escalation protocols, insurance considerations, liability and reserve assessment, settlement authority and governance, public reporting, and playbooks. Advise the Chief Legal Officer, Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors on material disputes, government investigations, litigation exposures, reserves, insurance coverage, disclosure considerations, and potential financial, operational and reputational implications. Select, manage, and evaluate outside litigation counsel, discovery providers, forensic experts, and other vendors, with accountability for strategy, staffing, performance, budget discipline, alternative fee arrangements, and billing practices. Develop practical, proportionate, and business-informed litigation and investigation strategies aligned with Alnylam’s public company obligations, risk tolerance, values, and long-term interests. Develop and maintain appropriate processes for litigation holds, document preservation, e-discovery, document review, production, and records management, in partnership with Legal Operations, Ethics and Compliance, and IT. Provide internal education on best practices for establishing and maintaining legally privileged communications. Provide litigation counsel in connection with internal investigations led by Ethics & Compliance and other functions, and coordinate company responses to subpoenas, civil investigative demands, agency inquiries, whistleblower allegations, and other formal or informal government requests. Manage antitrust and competition-related disputes, civil investigative demands, subpoenas, enforcement proceedings, and related matters, including coordination with internal and external experts across Legal, Ethics & Compliance, and other functions. Manage cross-border and multi-jurisdictional disputes and investigations, coordinating with local counsel and internal stakeholders to ensure consistent strategy, appropriate privilege protection, and alignment with global business