Senior Contracts Manager

Northreach; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Northreach is seeking a Contracts Manager to oversee agreements across discovery, preclinical and future clinical development. The role is hands-on, managing contracts from initial request to signature and lifecycle management.

You will collaborate with scientific teams, project management, finance, external service providers and legal counsel to align contractual terms with scientific work. This is a key senior support role within a growing biotechnology environment.

Qualifications

• Experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Familiarity with CRO, CDMO, consultancy or research contracts.
• Understanding of IP, confidentiality and liability clauses.

Responsibilities

• Manage contracts from request through drafting, negotiation, signature and lifecycle management.
• Review and negotiate CDAs, MSAs, scopes of work, CRO/CDMO agreements and transfer agreements.
• Ensure terms reflect scientific activities, deliverables and timelines.
• Collaborate with scientific leads, project management and finance to progress agreements.
• Escalate high-risk terms to external counsel when needed.
• Maintain records of key terms, obligations, renewals and termination dates.
• Support contract interpretation and remedies with internal teams.
• Help improve contract-management processes and scalable workflows.

Skills

Contract management

Biotech/pharma experience

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Attention to detail

Multi-tasking

Job description

We are working with a growing biotechnology company looking to appoint a Contracts Manager to oversee agreements across its discovery, preclinical and future clinical development activities.

This is a hands-on role managing contracts from initial request and negotiation through to signature and ongoing lifecycle management.

You will work closely with scientific teams, project management, finance, external service providers and legal counsel. The role requires someone who can understand both the contractual terms and the scientific work each agreement supports.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage contracts from initial request through drafting, negotiation, signature and post-signature management.
• Review and negotiate agreements including CDAs, MSAs, scopes of work, CRO and CDMO agreements, consultancy agreements and material transfer agreements.
• Review clauses covering intellectual property, indemnity, liability, confidentiality, payment terms and termination.
• Ensure scopes of work accurately reflect scientific activities, responsibilities, timelines and deliverables.
• Work with scientific leads, project managers and finance teams to progress agreements.
• Identify complex or higher-risk terms and escalat[e] them to external legal counsel when required.
• Maintain accurate records of key terms, obligations, renewals and termination dates.
• Support internal teams with contract interpretation, supplier obligations and contractual remedies.
• Help improve contract-management processes and introduce scalable ways of working.

Experience and Skills

• Previous experience in a Contracts Manager or similar role.
• Experience within biotechnology, pharmaceuticals or life sciences.
• Experience reviewing, drafting and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Familiarity with CRO, CDMO, consultancy or research contracts.
• Understanding of intellectual property, indemnity, liability and confidentiality clauses.
• Strong attention to detail, organisation and stakeholder-management skills.
• Able to manage multiple agreements and priorities.
• Proactive, commercially aware and comfortable working in a growing company.

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to take ownership of contracts within a growing biotechnology company as it progresses its research and development programmes.

You will manage a varied portfolio of scientifically and commercially important agreements while helping the business establish effective and scalable contract-management processes.