Director of Legal

Overview We are seeking an experienced and business-minded legal leader to join our team as Director of Legal – Waters Analytical Sciences &​ Information Technology . In this highly visible role, you will serve as a trusted advisor to senior business and technology leaders across a global enterprise, helping to drive innovation, commercial success, and operational excellence while managing legal and regulatory risk.

This is an opportunity to work at the intersection of science, technology, and global business operations. You will partner with leaders across the Waters Analytical Sciences business and the Information Technology function to support product development and commercialization, strategic business growth, digital transformation initiatives, and cybersecurity governance. As a senior individual contributor, you will operate with significant autonomy and influence, advising on complex legal and business matters while helping shape enterprise-wide governance and risk management practices within a U.S. publicly traded company.

Reporting to the Associate General Counsel – Waters Analytical Sciences &​ Information Technology , you will collaborate with colleagues around the world to deliver practical, commercially focused legal guidance that enables innovation and supports organizational success.

Application end date: Thursday 30th July Responsibilities Strategic Business Partnership

• Serve as a legal advisor to leaders across the Waters Analytical Sciences business division and Information Technology function.
• Partner with regional and business segment leaders to provide pragmatic, solution-oriented counsel that supports commercial objectives while appropriately managing risk.
• Support the execution of legal strategies that advance business growth, innovation, and operational effectiveness.
• Advise on product commercialization, regulatory considerations, operational risk, and governance matters on an enterprise basis within applicable regulatory frameworks, including the medical-device regulatory framework.
• Identify legal, compliance and/or regulatory issues and escalate material or complex matters in line with established risk thresholds.
• Develop and deliver training programs that enhance awareness of key legal risks and compliance obligations.

Waters Analytical Sciences

• Advise global business leaders on commercial, operational, and regulatory-adjacent matters.
• Support the development and commercialization of innovative technologies and solutions.
• Provide guidance on regulatory frameworks impacting the business, including medical device-related considerations.
• Help build scalable operating models that balance enterprise standards with regional business needs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enable strategic initiatives and continuous business improvement.

Information Technology, Cybersecurity &​ Digital Risk

• Advise technology and information security leaders on legal issues relating to information technology, cybersecurity, digital transformation, and emerging technology risks.
• Support the evolution of enterprise governance frameworks and risk management practices in a complex global environment.
• Counsel stakeholders on incident response preparedness, cybersecurity regulations, notification obligations, disclosure considerations, and materiality assessments.
• Negotiate and manage complex technology, cloud services, software, cybersecurity, and digital services agreements.
• Partner with Compliance, Risk Management, Global Operations, Quality, and other stakeholders to identify and mitigate technology, data, and operational risks.

Enterprise Collaboration

• Work closely with Legal leadership to ensure consistency of legal advice and alignment with enterprise risk management objectives.
• Collaborate across Compliance, Finance, HR, Quality, Operations, and other functions to support critical business initiatives.
• Partner with legal colleagues around the world on cross-border matters and strategic projects.
• Contribute to the development of legal templates, playbooks, guidance materials, and best practices that improve efficiency and consistency.

Continuous Improvement &​ Leadership

• Independently manage a diverse portfolio of complex legal matters within established risk frameworks.
• Adapt quickly to evolving business priorities, regulatory developments, and emerging risks.
• Identify opportunities to enhance legal processes, service delivery, and operational effectiveness.
• Support the implementation of innovative tools, technologies, and operating models within the Legal function.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent legal qualification, with an active license to practice law in at least one jurisdiction.
• Significant experience in a senior legal role within a complex, multinational organization.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and build trusted relationships across business functions.
• Strong expertise in product commercialization, commercial excellence, technology strategy, and operational execution.
• Experience supporting medical device, life sciences, healthcare technology, or similarly regulated industries.
• Proven success negotiating complex technology, cloud services, software, cybersecurity, and product security agreements.
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity frameworks, data governance principles, and global regulatory requirements.
• Proven ability to manage multiple matters, prioritize effectively, and deliver practical solutions to Commercial, Information Security, and Risk management teams at the senior leadership level.
• Exceptional judgment, business acumen, and the ability to balance risk management with commercial objectives.
• Outstanding communication skills, including the ability to translate complex technical and legal issues into clear, actionable business guidance.

Ideal Candidate You are a strategic and practical legal advisor who thrives in a fast-paced, global environment. You enjoy partnering with business leaders to solve complex problems, influence outcomes, and enable innovation. You bring a strong commercial mindset, a collaborative approach, and the confidence to operate independently while knowing when to escalate critical issues. Most importantly, you're energized by the opportunity to make a meaningful impact across both a global business and its digital future.

In addition to salary, we work flexibly and provide 25 days holidays, excellent family friendly benefits such as attractive employer pension contribution, life assurance, income protection and private medical. With Waters, there are plenty of opportunities for you to grow, develop and contribute.

Company Description Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) is a global leader in life sciences and diagnostics, dedicated to accelerating the benefits of pioneering science through analytical technologies, informatics, and service. With a focus on regulated, high-volume testing environments, our innovative portfolio harnesses deep scientific expertise across chemistry, physics, and biology. We collaborate with customers around the world to advance the release of effective, high-quality medicines, ensure the safety of food and water, and drive better patient outcomes by detecting diseases earlier, managing routine infections, and combating antibiotic resistance. Through a shared culture of relentless innovation, our passionate team of :16,000 colleagues turn scientific challenges into breakthroughs that improve lives worldwide.

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our core values at Waters Corporation. It benefits our employees, our products, our customers and our community. Waters complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Qualified applicants are considered without regard to sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, marital status (including civil unions), military service, veteran status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, legally recognized disability, domestic violence victim status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Waters is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All hiring decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.