Senior Contracts Manager

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

Job summary

Northreach seeks a Contracts Manager to oversee agreements across discovery, preclinical and clinical development activities for a growing biotechnology client. You will manage contracts from initial request and negotiation through to signature and ongoing lifecycle management, collaborating with scientific teams, project management, finance, external service providers and legal counsel.

The role requires understanding contractual terms alongside scientific work, with a hands‑on approach to

Qualifications

• Experience as Contracts Manager or similar role.
• Experience with biotech or life sciences contracts.
• Experience reviewing, drafting and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Familiarity with CRO, CDMO or research contracts.
• Understanding of IP, indemnity, liability and confidentiality clauses.

Responsibilities

• Oversee contracts from initial request through negotiation, signature and lifecycle 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 escalate 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.

Skills

Contracts management

Biotech industry

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Attention to detail

Project coordination

Risk assessment

Job description

The Opportunity

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 escalated 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.