Form of Non. U.S. Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice (2020 Equity Incentive Plan)

EX-10.27 8 pcvx-ex10_27.htm EX-10.27 EX-10.27

Exhibit 10.27

Vaxcyte, Inc.
RSU Award Grant Notice – Non-U.S.
(2020 Equity Incentive Plan)

Vaxcyte, Inc. (the “Company”) has awarded to you (the “Participant”) the number of restricted stock units specified and on the terms set forth below (the “RSU Award”). Your RSU Award is subject to all of the terms and conditions as set forth herein and in the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) and the RSU Award Agreement, including any special terms and conditions for your country of residence and/or work set forth in the appendix attached hereto (the “Appendix” and together, the “Agreement”), both of which are incorporated herein in their entirety. Capitalized terms not explicitly defined herein but defined in the Plan or the Agreement shall have the meanings set forth in the Plan or the Agreement, as applicable.

Participant:

Date of Grant:

Vesting Commencement Date:

Number of Restricted Stock Units:

Vesting Schedule: [__________________________________________________________________]. Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as set forth below, vesting shall terminate upon the Participant’s termination of Continuous Service.

Issuance Schedule: One share of Common Stock will be issued for each restricted stock unit which vests at the time set forth in Section 5 of the Agreement.

Participant Acknowledgements: By your signature below or by electronic acceptance or authentication in a form authorized by the Company, you understand and agree that:

•

The RSU Award is governed by this RSU Award Grant Notice (the “Grant Notice”), and the provisions of the Plan and the Agreement, all of which are made a part of this document. Unless otherwise provided in the Plan, this Grant Notice and the Agreement (together, the “RSU Award Agreement”) may not be modified, amended or revised except in a writing signed by you and a duly authorized officer of the Company.

•

You have read and are familiar with the provisions of the Plan, the RSU Award Agreement and the Prospectus. In the event of any conflict between the provisions in the RSU Award Agreement, or the Prospectus and the terms of the Plan, the terms of the Plan shall control except as expressly amended or overridden in the RSU Award Agreement.

•

The RSU Award Agreement sets forth the entire understanding between you and the Company regarding the acquisition of Common Stock and supersedes all prior oral and written agreements, promises and/or representations on that subject with the exception of: (i) other equity awards previously granted to you, and (ii) any written employment agreement, offer letter, severance agreement, written severance plan or policy, or other written agreement between the Company and you in each case that specifies the terms that should govern this RSU Award.

 Vaxcyte, Inc.
By:_____________________________________
Signature
Title:____________________________________
Date:____________________________________
 Participant:
________________________________________
Signature
Date:____________________________________
 

Vaxcyte, Inc.

2020 Equity Incentive Plan

RSU Award Agreement – Non-U.S.

As reflected by your RSU Award Grant Notice (“Grant Notice”), Vaxcyte, Inc. (the “Company”) has granted you a RSU Award under its 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) for the number of restricted stock units as indicated in your Grant Notice (the “RSU Award”). The terms of your RSU Award as specified in this RSU Award Agreement (the definition of which shall include any special terms and conditions for your country of residence and/or work set forth in the appendix attached hereto (the “Appendix”)) for your RSU Award (the “Agreement”) and the Grant Notice constitute your “RSU Award Agreement”. Defined terms not explicitly defined in this Agreement but defined in the Grant Notice or the Plan shall have the same definitions as in the Grant Notice or Plan, as applicable.

The general terms applicable to your RSU Award are as follows:

Governing Plan Document. Your RSU Award is subject to all the provisions of the Plan. Your RSU Award is further subject to all interpretations, amendments, rules and regulations, which may from time to time be promulgated and adopted pursuant to the Plan. In the event of any conflict between the RSU Award Agreement and the provisions of the Plan, the provisions of the Plan shall control except as expressly amended or overridden in this Agreement.

Grant of the RSU Award. This RSU Award represents your right to be issued on a future date the number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock that is equal to the number of restricted stock units indicated in the Grant Notice subject to your satisfaction of the vesting conditions set forth therein (the “Restricted Stock Units”). Any additional Restricted Stock Units that become subject to the RSU Award pursuant to Capitalization Adjustments as set forth in the Plan and the provisions of Section 3 below, if any, shall be subject, in a manner determined by the Board, to the same forfeiture restrictions, restrictions on transferability, and time and manner of delivery as applicable to the other Restricted Stock Units covered by your RSU Award.

Dividends. You shall receive no benefit or adjustment to your RSU Award with respect to any cash dividend, stock dividend or other distribution that does not result from a Capitalization Adjustment as provided in the Plan; provided, however, that this sentence shall not apply with respect to any shares of Common Stock that are delivered to you in connection with your RSU Award after such shares have been delivered to you.

Responsibility for Taxes.

(a)

Regardless of any action taken by the Company or, if different, the Affiliate to which you provide Continuous Service (the “Service Recipient”) with respect to any income tax, social insurance, payroll tax, fringe benefits tax, payment on account or other tax‑related items associated with the grant or vesting of the RSU Award or sale of the underlying Common Stock or other tax-related items related to your participation in the Plan and legally applicable or deemed applicable to you (the “Tax Liability”), you hereby acknowledge and agree that the Tax Liability is your ultimate responsibility and may exceed the amount, if any, actually withheld by the Company or the Service Recipient. You further acknowledge that the Company and the Service Recipient (i) make no representations or undertakings regarding any Tax Liability in connection with any aspect of this RSU Award, including, but not limited to, the grant or vesting of the RSU Award, the issuance of Common Stock pursuant to such vesting, the subsequent sale of shares of Common Stock, and the payment of any dividends on the shares; and (ii) do not commit to and are under no obligation to structure the terms of the grant or any aspect of the RSU Award to reduce or eliminate your

Tax Liability or achieve a particular tax result. Further, if you are subject to Tax Liability in more than one jurisdiction, you acknowledge that the Company and/or the Service Recipient (or former service recipient, as applicable) may be required to withhold or account for Tax Liability in more than one jurisdiction.

(b)

Prior to any relevant taxable or tax (or social security) withholding event, as applicable, you agree to make adequate arrangements satisfactory to the Company and/or the Service Recipient to satisfy all Tax Liability. As further provided in Section 8 of the Plan, you hereby authorize the Company and any applicable Service Recipient to satisfy any applicable withholding obligations with regard to the Tax Liability by one or a combination of the following methods: (i) causing you to pay any portion of the Tax Liability in cash or cash equivalent in a form acceptable to the Company and/or the Service Recipient; (ii) withholding from any compensation otherwise payable to you by the Company or the Service Recipient; (iii) withholding shares of Common Stock from the shares of Common Stock issued or otherwise issuable to you in connection with the Award; provided, however, that to the extent necessary to qualify for an exemption from application of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act, if applicable, such share withholding procedure will be subject to the express prior approval of the Board or the Company’s Compensation Committee; (iv) permitting or requiring you to enter into a “same day sale” commitment, if applicable, with a broker-dealer that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (a “FINRA Dealer”), pursuant to this authorization and without further consent, whereby you irrevocably elect to sell a portion of the shares of Common Stock to be delivered in connection with your Restricted Stock Units to satisfy the Tax Liability and whereby the FINRA Dealer irrevocably commits to forward the proceeds necessary to satisfy the Tax Liability directly to the Company or the Service Recipient; and/or (v) any other method determined by the Company to be in compliance with Applicable Law. Furthermore, you agree to pay or reimburse the Company or the Service Recipient any amount the Company or the Service Recipient may be required to withhold, collect or pay as a result of your participation in the Plan or that cannot be satisfied by the means previously described. In the event it is determined that the amount of the Tax Liability was greater than the amount withheld by the Company and/or the Service Recipient (as applicable), you agree to indemnify and hold the Company and/or the Service Recipient (as applicable) harmless from any failure by the Company or the applicable Service Recipient to withhold the proper amount.

(c)

The Company and/or the Service Recipient may withhold or account for your Tax Liability by considering statutory withholding amounts or other withholding rates applicable in your jurisdiction(s), including (i) maximum applicable rates in your jurisdiction(s). In the event of over-withholding, you may receive a refund of any over-withheld amount in cash from the Company or the Service Recipient (with no entitlement to the Common Stock equivalent), or if not refunded, you may seek a refund from the local tax authorities. In the event of under-withholding, you may be required to pay any Tax Liability directly to the applicable tax authority or to the Company and/or the Service Recipient. If the Tax Liability withholding obligation is satisfied by withholding shares of Common Stock, for tax purposes, you are deemed to have been issued the full number of shares of Common Stock subject to the vested portion of the RSU Award, notwithstanding that a number of the shares of Common Stock is held back solely for the purpose of paying such Tax Liability.

(d)

You acknowledge that you may not participate in the Plan and the Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver shares of Common Stock until you have fully satisfied any applicable Tax Liability, as determined by the Company. Unless any withholding obligation for the Tax Liability is satisfied, the Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver to you any Common Stock in respect of the RSU Award.

Date of Issuance.

(a)

If you are subject to United States taxation, the issuance of shares in respect of the Restricted Stock Units is intended to comply with U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-1(b)(4) and will be construed and administered in such a manner. Subject to the satisfaction of the Tax Liability withholding obligation,

if any, in the event one or more Restricted Stock Units vests, the Company shall issue to you one (1) share of Common Stock for each vested Restricted Stock Unit on the applicable vesting date. Each issuance date determined by this paragraph is referred to as an “Original Issuance Date.”

(b)

If the Original Issuance Date falls on a date that is not a business day, delivery shall instead occur on the next following business day. In addition, if:

(i)

the Original Issuance Date does not occur (1) during an “open window period” applicable to you, as determined by the Company in accordance with the Company’s then-effective Insider Trading Policy, or (2) on a date when you are otherwise permitted (under the Company’s then-effective Insider Trading Policy, federal law, or otherwise) to (A) sell shares of Common Stock on an established stock exchange or stock market (including but not limited to under a previously established written trading plan that meets the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act and was entered into in compliance with the Company’s policies (a “10b5-1 Arrangement) or (B) acquire shares of Common Stock), and

(ii)

either (1) a Tax Liability withholding obligation does not apply, or (2) the Company decides, prior to the Original Issuance Date, (A) not to satisfy the Tax Liability withholding obligation by withholding shares of Common Stock from the shares otherwise due, on the Original Issuance Date, to you under this Award, and (B) not to permit you to enter into a “same day sale” commitment with a broker-dealer (including but not limited to a commitment under a 10b5-1 Arrangement) and (C) not to permit you to pay your Tax Liability in cash,

then the shares that would otherwise be issued to you on the Original Issuance Date will not be delivered on such Original Issuance Date and will instead be delivered on the first business day when you are not prohibited from selling shares of the Common Stock in the open public market or acquiring shares of Common Stock, but, if you are subject to United States taxation in no event later than December 31 of the calendar year in which the Original Issuance Date occurs (that is, the last day of your taxable year in which the Original Issuance Date occurs), or, if and only if permitted in a manner that complies with U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-1(b)(4), no later than the date that is the 15th day of the third calendar month of the applicable year following the year in which the shares of Common Stock under this Award are no longer subject to a “substantial risk of forfeiture” within the meaning of U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-1(d).

Nature of Grant. In accepting the RSU Award, you acknowledge, understand and agree that:

(a)

the RSU Award and your participation in the Plan shall not create a right to employment or other service relationship with the Company, and the RSU Award and your participation in the Plan shall not be interpreted as forming or amending an employment or service contract with the Company or the Service Recipient, and shall not interfere with the ability of the Company or the Service Recipient, as applicable, to terminate your Continuous Service (if any);

(b)

your RSU Award is not an employment or service contract, and, if you are an Employee of the Company or an Affiliate, nothing in your RSU Award will be deemed to create in any way whatsoever any obligation on your part to continue as an Employee of the Company or an Affiliate, or of the Company or an Affiliate to continue your employment. In addition, nothing in your RSU Award will obligate the Company or an Affiliate, or their respective stockholders, boards of directors, officers or employees to continue any relationship that you might have as a Director or Consultant for the Company or an Affiliate;

(c)

the Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature, and may be amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time, to the extent permitted under the Plan;

(d)

the grant of your RSU Award is voluntary and occasional and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of Awards (whether on the same or different terms), or benefits in lieu of Awards, even if Awards have been granted in the past;

(e)

your RSU Award and any shares of Common Stock acquired under the Plan on settlement of your RSU Award, and the income and value of same, are not part of normal or expected compensation for any purpose, including, without limitation, calculating any severance, resignation, termination, vacation, redundancy, dismissal, end-of-service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments;

(f)

the future value of the shares of Common Stock underlying the RSU Award is unknown, indeterminable, and cannot be predicted with certainty;

(g)

neither the Company nor any Affiliate shall be liable for any foreign exchange rate fluctuation between your local currency and the United States Dollar that may affect the value of your RSU Award or of any amounts due to you pursuant to the settlement of your RSU Award or the subsequent sale of any shares of Common Stock received;

(h)

notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan, for the purposes of the RSU Award, your Continuous Service will be considered terminated as of the date you are no longer actively providing services to the Company or one of its Affiliates (regardless of the reason for such termination and whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of employment laws in the jurisdiction where you are employed or are otherwise providing services, or the terms of your employment or service agreement, if any), provided that, unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement or determined by the Company, the vesting of your RSU Award will not continue during any notice period or any period of “garden leave” or similar period mandated under employment laws in the jurisdiction where you are employed or where you are otherwise providing services, or the terms of your employment or service agreement, if any (regardless, in each case, of whether or not you are providing services to the Company or one of its Affiliates during such notice period, garden leave period, or similar period); and the Board shall have the exclusive discretion to determine when you are no longer actively providing services for purposes of the RSU Award (including whether you may still be considered to be providing services while on a leave of absence); and

(i)

no claim or entitlement to compensation or damages shall arise from forfeiture of this RSU Award resulting from the termination of your Continuous Service (for any reason whatsoever, whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of employment laws in the jurisdiction where you are employed or are otherwise providing services, or the terms of your employment or service agreement, if any), and in consideration of the grant of this RSU Award to which you are otherwise not entitled, you irrevocably agree never to institute any claim against the Company or any Affiliate, waive your ability, if any, to bring any such claim, and release the Company and any Affiliate from any such claim; if, notwithstanding the foregoing, any such claim is allowed by a court of competent jurisdiction, then, by participating in the Plan, you shall be deemed irrevocably to have agreed not to pursue such claim and agree to execute any and all documents necessary to request dismissal or withdrawal of such claim.

Transferability. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan, your RSU Award is not transferable, except to your personal representative on your death.

Corporate Transaction. Your RSU Award is subject to the terms of any agreement governing a Corporate Transaction involving the Company, including, without limitation, a provision for the appointment of a stockholder representative that is authorized to act on your behalf with respect to any escrow, indemnities and any contingent consideration.

No Liability for Taxes. As a condition to accepting the RSU Award, you hereby (a) agree to not make any claim against the Company, or any of its Officers, Directors, Employees or Affiliates related to any Tax Liability arising from the RSU Award and (b) acknowledge that you were advised to consult with your own personal tax, financial and other legal advisors regarding the tax consequences of the RSU Award and have either done so or knowingly and voluntarily declined to do so.

10.

No Advice Regarding Grant. The Company is not providing any tax, legal or financial advice, nor is the Company making any recommendations regarding your participation in the Plan, or your acquisition or sale of the underlying shares of Common Stock. You should consult with your own personal tax, legal and financial advisors regarding your participation in the Plan before taking any action related to the Plan.

11.

Governing Law and Venue. The RSU Award and the provisions of this Agreement are governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the conflict of law principles that would result in any application of any law other than the law of the State of Delaware. For purposes of any action, lawsuit or other proceedings brought to enforce this Agreement, relating to it, or arising from it, the parties hereby submit to and consent to the sole and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Delaware, and no other courts, where this grant is made and/or to be performed.

12.

Severability. If any part of this Agreement or the Plan is declared by any court or governmental authority to be unlawful or invalid, such unlawfulness or invalidity will not invalidate any portion of this Agreement or the Plan not declared to be unlawful or invalid. Any Section of this Agreement (or part of such a Section) so declared to be unlawful or invalid will, if possible, be construed in a manner which will give effect to the terms of such Section or part of a Section to the fullest extent possible while remaining lawful and valid.

13.

Compliance with Law. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or this Agreement, unless there is an exemption from any registration, qualification or other legal requirement applicable to the shares of Common Stock, the Company shall not be required to deliver any shares issuable upon settlement of the Restricted Stock Units prior to the completion of any registration or qualification of the shares under any local, state, federal or foreign securities or exchange control law or under rulings or regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or of any other governmental regulatory body, or prior to obtaining any approval or other clearance from any local, state, federal or foreign governmental agency, which registration, qualification or approval the Company shall, in its absolute discretion, deem necessary or advisable. You understand that the Company is under no obligation to register or qualify the shares with the SEC or any state or foreign securities commission or to seek approval or clearance from any governmental authority for the issuance or sale of the shares. Further, you agree that the Company shall have unilateral authority to amend the Agreement without your consent to the extent necessary to comply with securities or other laws applicable to issuance of shares of Common Stock.

14.

Data Privacy.

(a)

To the extent that the processing of your personal data by the Company or its Affiliates under and/or in connection with this Agreement falls within the territorial scope of (i) Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27th April 2016 (the “EU GDPR”), (ii) the EU GDPR as it forms part of UK law by virtue of section 3 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended (the “UK GDPR”), and/or (iii) equivalent legislation and/or legislation implementing and/or supplementing the EU GDPR or UK GDPR in any member state of the European Economic Area or the UK or Switzerland, Company and/or its Affiliates will carry out such processing in accordance with their EEA/UK privacy notice from time to time in force, the latest version of which has been provided to you.

(b)

Except where (a) above applies, you explicitly and unambiguously acknowledge and consent to the collection, use, transfer and other processing of your personal data as described in this paragraph (b) by the Company and its Affiliates for the purpose of implementing, administering and managing your participation in the Plan. You understand that the Company and its Affiliates hold certain personal data about you, including, but not limited to, your name, home address, telephone number, date of birth, social security number (or other identification number), salary, nationality, job title, any shares of stock or directorships held by you in the Company, details of all Awards or any other entitlement to shares of Common Stock awarded, cancelled, purchased, exercised, vested, unvested or outstanding in your favor for the purpose of implementing, managing and administering the Plan. You understand that this personal data may be transferred to any third parties assisting in the implementation, administration and management of the Plan.

15.

Language. You acknowledge that you are sufficiently proficient in the English language, or have consulted with an advisor who is sufficiently proficient in English, so as to allow you to understand the terms and conditions of this Agreement. If you have received this Agreement, or any other document related to your RSU Award and/or the Plan translated into a language other than English and if the meaning of the translated version is different than the English version, the English version will control.

16.

Foreign Asset/Account, Exchange Control and Tax Reporting. You may be subject to foreign asset/account, exchange control and/or tax reporting requirements as a result of the acquisition, holding and/or transfer of shares of Common Stock or cash (including dividends and the proceeds arising from the sale of shares of Common Stock) derived from your participation in the Plan in, to and/or from a brokerage/bank account or legal entity located outside your country of residence. The applicable laws in your country of residence may require that you report such accounts, assets and balances therein, the value thereof and/or the transactions related thereto to the applicable authorities in such country. You may also be required to repatriate sale proceeds or other funds received as a result of your participation in the Plan to your country of residence through a designated bank or broker within a certain time after receipt. You acknowledge that it is your responsibility to be compliant with such regulations and you are encouraged to consult with your personal legal advisor for any details.

17.

Applicable Law. In the event applicable laws prevent or hinder the consummation of the actions and transactions contemplated in this Agreement or the Plan, the Company may in its sole discretion agree to vary the terms of the Plan and/or this Agreement so that you receive substantially the same economic result as contemplated herein, such as through a cash bonus or phantom stock.

18.

Appendix. Notwithstanding any provisions in this Agreement, your RSU Award shall be subject to the special terms and conditions for your country of residence and/or work set forth in the Appendix attached to this Agreement which, where applicable, shall prevail in the event of conflict between such terms and conditions and the terms of this Agreement, Grant Notice, and/or the Plan. Moreover, if you relocate to one of the countries included therein, the terms and conditions for such country will apply to you to the extent the Company determines that the application of such terms and conditions is necessary or advisable for legal or administrative reasons. The Appendix constitutes part of this Agreement.

19.

Electronic Delivery and Participation. The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to current or future participation in the Plan by electronic means. You hereby consent to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agree to participate in the Plan through an online or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or a third party designated by the Company.

20.

Imposition of Other Requirement. The Company reserves the right to impose other requirements on your participation in the Plan, on the RSU and on any shares of Common Stock acquired under the Plan, to the extent the Company determines it is necessary or advisable for legal or administrative

reasons, and to require you to sign any additional agreements or undertakings that may be necessary to accomplish the foregoing.

21.

Waiver. You acknowledge that a waiver by the Company of breach of any provision of this Agreement shall not operate or be construed as a waiver of any other provision of this Agreement, or of any subsequent breach by you or any other participant.

22.

Other Documents. You hereby acknowledge receipt of or the right to receive a document providing the information required by Rule 428(b)(1) promulgated under the Securities Act, which includes the Prospectus. In addition, you acknowledge receipt of the Company’s Insider Trading Policy.

23.

Questions. If you have questions regarding these or any other terms and conditions applicable to your RSU Award, including a summary of the applicable federal income tax consequences please see the Prospectus.

* * * *

APPENDIX TO RSU AWARD AGREEMENT

This Appendix includes special terms and conditions that govern the RSU Award granted to you under the Plan if you reside and/or work in one of the countries listed below.

The information contained herein is general in nature and may not apply to your particular situation, and you are advised to seek appropriate professional advice as to how the relevant laws in your country may apply to your situation. If you are a citizen or resident of a country other than the one in which you are currently working and/or residing, transfer employment and/or residency to another country after the Date of Grant, are a consultant, change employment status to a consultant position, or are considered a resident of another country for local law purposes, the Company shall, in its discretion, determine the extent to which the special terms and conditions contained herein shall be applicable to you. References to your employer shall include any entity that engages your services.

Switzerland

Data Privacy. The Company is part of an international group of companies. For purposes of properly administrating the Plan within the Company, it may be necessary for the Company to transmit your personal data to Affiliates of the Company or third-party service providers within or outside Switzerland. By accepting the grant of your RSU Award and participating in the Plan you explicitly consent to the transfer of your personal data to the aforementioned countries and acknowledge and agree that there is a risk, in particular, that the rights provided for by Swiss and EU data protection laws may not or only be guaranteed to a limited extent and that foreign authorities (particularly U.S. intelligence services) may gain access to your personal data with or without your knowledge and/or any means of legal redress against such access. Such access may also result in further observations and processing of your personal data by such foreign authorities