Senior Contracts Manager – Research & Clinical Development

RQ Biotechnology Ltd.; Slough; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

RQ Biotechnology Ltd. is seeking an experienced Senior Contracts Manager to lead negotiation and management of contracts across research, preclinical, and clinical development.

The role requires hands‑on contracts experience in biotech, pharma, CROs or life sciences, working with scientific, operational and commercial stakeholders. Hybrid London role with exposure to CROs, CDMOs and external partners.

Qualifications

• Strong contracts management experience gained within biotech, pharmaceutical, CRO or life sciences

Responsibilities

• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating CDAs/NDAs, MSAs, SOWs, consultancy agreements, CRO agreements, manufacturing agreements and scientific supplier contracts
• Supporting agreements across discovery, preclinical, manufacturing and clinical development
• Negotiating contractual terms covering IP, indemnities, liability, confidentiality, payment terms, deliverables and termination
• Working closely with scientists and project managers to reflect scientific and operational requirements
• Managing contract negotiations directly with CROs, CDMOs, consultants, academic partners and other external organisations
• Tracking contractual obligations, amendments, renewals and key milestones after agreements have been signed
• Maintaining an organised contracts repository and helping develop effective contract management processes
• Identifying contractual risks and knowing when specialist external legal advice is required
• Supporting the business with increasingly complex agreements as development programmes progress
• Experience with clinical trial agreements would be beneficial

Skills

Contracts management

Drafting & negotiating

IP & risk awareness

Biotech/pharma experience

Stakeholder communication

Commercial/R&D contracts

Job description

RQ Biotechnology is looking for an experienced Senior Contracts Manager to join our growing team and take responsibility for the negotiation and management of contracts supporting our research, preclinical and clinical development activities.

This is a hands‑on role for someone who has already developed strong contracts experience within biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, CROs or a closely related life sciences environment and is comfortable working independently with scientific, operational and commercial stakeholders.

You will work closely with our scientific leads, project management team, finance and external partners, helping RQ Biotechnology put the right contractual frameworks in place as our programmes continue to develop.

What you will be doing

You will manage contracts across a broad range of R&D and development activities, including:

• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating CDAs/NDAs, MSAs, SOWs, consultancy agreements, CRO agreements, manufacturing agreements and scientific supplier contracts
• Supporting agreements across discovery, preclinical, manufacturing and clinical development
• Negotiating contractual terms covering areas such as intellectual property, indemnities, liability, confidentiality, payment terms, deliverables and termination
• Working closely with scientists and project managers to understand the underlying work and ensure contracts accurately reflect the scientific and operational requirements
• Managing contract negotiations directly with CROs, CDMOs, consultants, academic partners and other external organisations
• Tracking contractual obligations, amendments, renewals and key milestones after agreements have been signed
• Maintaining an organised contracts repository and helping develop effective contract management processes
• Identifying contractual risks and knowing when specialist external legal advice is required
• Supporting the business with increasingly complex agreements as RQ Biotechnology's development programmes progress

What we are looking for

We are particularly interested in people who have:

• Strong contracts management experience gained within biotech, pharmaceutical, CRO or life sciences
• Experience independently drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial and/or R&D agreements
• Exposure to contracts supporting scientific research, drug development, clinical development or manufacturing
• A good understanding of clauses relating to IP, liability, indemnity, confidentiality and contractual risk
• The ability to understand the scientific and operational context behind an agreement rather than reviewing contracts purely from a legal perspective
• Confidence working directly with senior internal stakeholders and external partners
• Strong attention to detail combined with a pragmatic, commercially aware approach
• The judgement to resolve contractual issues independently while recognising when external counsel should be involved

Experience with clinical trial agreements would be beneficial, but is not essential.

A legal qualification is also not required. We are much more interested in relevant life sciences contracting experience and your ability to manage agreements effectively within a growing biotech environment.

The opportunity

RQ Biotechnology offers the opportunity to work in a highly collaborative biotechnology company where contracts sit close to the science.

Rather than operating within a large legal or procurement department, you will work directly with the people developing and progressing our programmes and will have genuine visibility across the organisation.

The role offers significant autonomy and breadth while remaining a hands‑on contracts management position — making it particularly suited to an experienced Contracts Manager or Senior Contracts Manager looking for greater ownership within a growing biotech.

Location: London, hybrid working with typically 1–2 days per week onsite

Salary: Competitive and dependent on experience

Right to work: Applicants must be eligible to work in the UK