Associate Commercial Contracts Counsel

Sacbar; Solana Beach (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K with match

Medical/dental benefits

HSA

Job summary

Sacbar, headquartered in San Diego County, California, seeks a Commercial Contracts Counsel to independently manage the day-to-day contracting for a fast-growing global marketplace in the life sciences space. The role centers on IT/technology contracts and cross-border negotiations with teams across the USA, Canada, Europe, and Japan.

You will own drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex agreements, while partnering with our UK-based GC to refine playbooks and templates.

Qualifications

• 3+ years PQE in-house or at a reputable law firm.
• Demonstrable background drafting/negotiating IT and technology contracts (software, integrations, AI).
• Self-starter, highly organized, able to drive negotiations to close autonomously.
• Willing to adapt to multiple time zones for cross-border calls.
• Pharma, life sciences, or health-tech sector experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements for a global marketplace.
• Lead IT/software agreements, including SaaS, licensing, integrations, punchouts, and AI solutions.
• Advise internal stakeholders across USA, Canada, Europe, and Japan with pragmatic legal guidance.
• Develop legal playbooks, templates, and scalable contract processes with GC oversight.
• Manage workload independently and escalate only high-risk matters to GC when needed.

Skills

IT Contracts

Tech Negotiation

Independent Operator

Time Zone Flexibility

Global Collaboration

Job description

We are a leading, high-growth global marketplace operating at the cutting edge of the pharmaceutical sector. Headquartered in San Diego, California, our platform connects the life sciences ecosystem worldwide. We have a highly collaborative and dynamic workforce distributed across Europe, the USA, Canada, and Japan.

The Opportunity

We are looking for an entrepreneurial and highly autonomous Commercial Contracts Counsel (approx. 3 years PQE) to join our rapidly scaling business. Technology and IT focus experience highly preferred.

In this newly created role, you will be the sole legal counsel reporting directly to our UK- based General Counsel, effectively making this a two-person global legal function. You will have unparalleled exposure to international commercial operations and the autonomy to own the day-to-day commercial contracting process.

Because our team and clients are globally distributed, this role requires a flexible self-starter who is comfortable navigating international time zones and thrives in a trust-based environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Commercial Contracting: Draft, review, and negotiate a wide variety of commercial agreements to support our global marketplace operations.
• Technology & IT Focus: Take the lead on negotiating complex IT and technology agreements, including SaaS, software licensing, system integrations, punchout catalogs, and emerging AI technologies.
• Global Advisory: Act as a trusted legal business partner to internal stakeholders across the USA, Canada, Europe, and Japan, providing pragmatic, commercially focused legal advice.
• Process Optimization: Work closely with the General Counsel to build and refine legal playbooks, contract templates, and scalable legal processes for a growing global business.
• Autonomy & Ownership: Manage your own workload independently, escalating high-risk strategic matters to the General Counsel only when necessary.

About You (Requirements)

• Qualifications: 3+ years PQE (post-qualification experience, either in-house or at a reputable law firm.
• IT Contracts Expertise: You must have a demonstrable, strong background in drafting and negotiating IT and technology contracts (specifically software, integrations, punchouts, and AI solutions).
• Independent Operator: highly organized and comfortable working without a large legal support team, and capable of driving negotiations to close autonomously.
• Time Zone Flexibility: Given our global footprint (US, Canada, Europe, Japan), you must be willing to adopt a flexible working schedule to accommodate cross-border calls and negotiations as necessary.
• Industry Knowledge: experience within the pharmaceutical, life sciences, or health-tech sectors is a distinct advantage, highly preferred.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex legal jargon into actionable business advice. Fluent in the English language.
• Location & Presence: Based in (or willing to relocate to) San Diego County, with the ability to work 3 days a week in our Solana Beach office to engage directly with local C-Suite executives.

Working Model & Location

• Location: San Diego County, California (Solana Beach HQ).
• Hybrid Schedule: 3 days per week in-office at our Solana Beach headquarters to maintain direct, face-to-face alignment with our C-Suite and local leadership team, with 2 days remote flexibility.
• Global Alignment: Must be comfortable working in a hybrid environment while managing a flexible schedule to accommodate cross-border calls with our UK General Counsel and global stakeholders.

Why Join Us?

• Direct Impact: Shape the commercial legal landscape of a global marketplace.
• Mentorship: Work directly with an experienced General Counsel.
• Innovation: Be at the forefront of digital transformation in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Benefits: 401K with match, full medical/dental, HSA