Associate Director, Contracts

Beam Therapeutics Inc.; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Beam Therapeutics Inc. is seeking an Associate Director, Contracts to independently draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of agreements supporting clinical, research, manufacturing, quality, and corporate activities.

The role requires managing contract lifecycles and providing commercially informed guidance to business partners. The ideal candidate has extensive biotechnology contracting experience, a JD preferred, and a demonstrated ability to handle high‑volume matters with urgency and

Qualifications

• 10+ years of contracts experience in biotechnology/pharmaceuticals.
• Experience negotiating biotechnology agreements and complex deals.
• Excellent drafting and negotiating skills with strong attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end contract lifecycle from intake to execution and record retention.
• Advise stakeholders on contracting structures and ensure alignment of SOWs, budgets, requisitions, and POs.
• Identify and elevate legal, regulatory, privacy, IP, financial, and operational risks for commercial solutions.
• Coordinate approvals and execution using contracting systems (e.g., Agiloft) and other tools.
• Develop and enhance contract templates, clause libraries, and negotiation guidance.
• Provide clear guidance on contracting requirements, intake processes, and approval paths.
• Share institutional knowledge and support onboarding within the Contracts team.
• Handle a high-volume portfolio with proactive prioritization and timely responses.
• Contribute to process improvements, templates, and training resources.

Skills

Contract negotiation

Attention to detail

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Prioritization

Education

Bachelor’s degree, JD preferred

Job description

Company Overview:

Beam Therapeutics is a biotechnology company committed to establishing the leading, fully integrated platform for precision genetic medicines. To achieve this vision, Beam has assembled a platform with integrated gene editing, delivery and internal manufacturing capabilities. Beam’s suite of gene editing technologies is anchored by base editing, a proprietary technology that is designed to enable precise, predictable and efficient single base changes, at targeted genomic sequences, without making double-stranded breaks in the DNA. This has the potential to enable a wide range of therapeutic editing strategies that Beam is using to advance a diversified portfolio of base editing programs. Beam is a values-driven organization committed to its people, cutting-edge science, and a vision of providing life-long cures to patients suffering from serious diseases.

Position Overview:

Beam Therapeutics is seeking a talented, practical and highly motivated contracts professional to serve as Associate Director, Contracts. This individual will independently draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of agreements supporting Beam’s clinical, research, manufacturing, quality, commercial-readiness, procurement, technology, and corporate activities. The Associate Director will manage contracting matters throughout the contract lifecycle, provide clear and commercially informed guidance to business partners, and identify and appropriately elevate legal, compliance, privacy, intellectual-property, financial, and operational risks. This individual will collaborate closely with cross-functional stakeholders to facilitate timely execution, support business objectives, and promote consistent contracting practices. The role will also contribute to the continued development of Beam’s contracting templates, systems, processes, and training resources.

Responsibilities:

• Manage assigned matters throughout the contract lifecycle, including intake, assessment, drafting, negotiation, stakeholder alignment, approvals, execution, administration, and record retention.
• Advise stakeholders on appropriate contracting structures and ensure alignment among agreements, statements of work, budgets, requisitions, purchase orders, and governing agreements.
• Identify, assess, and appropriately elevate contractual, legal, compliance, privacy, financial, and operational risks while developing practical solutions that support business objectives.
• Coordinate contract approvals, execution, and recordkeeping through Agiloft, and other applicable systems.
• Develop and enhance contract templates, clause libraries, negotiation guidance, fallback positions, checklists, and contracting procedures.
• Provide business partners with clear guidance regarding contracting requirements, intake processes, approval pathways, signature authority, and use of approved templates.
• Serve as an experienced resource to the Contracts team by sharing institutional knowledge, supporting onboarding and development, and promoting consistent contracting practices.
• Manage a high-volume portfolio of contracting matters from intake through execution and record retention, independently establishing priorities, communicating status and timing, and promptly addressing urgent or business-critical requests.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, including process and workflow enhancements, contracting-system improvements, template updates, training materials, and other Legal priorities.
• Stay informed of relevant legal, regulatory, and industry developments affecting contracting practices within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree, with a JD preferred.
• Typically 10+ years including 5 years of progressively relevant experience negotiating biotechnology contracts, including experience independently managing complex negotiations with limited supervision.
• Excellent document drafting skills, with high attention to detail.
• Experience with global clinical trial agreements and processes, including informed consent documents.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with team members across a diverse range of projects.
• Sound judgment and ability to quickly analyze different sources of information.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, assess, and respond to urgent matters with timely, practical, and clear solutions.
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple matters.
• Practical and business-minded with a demonstrated ability to present business partners with clear and practical commercial advice.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

This role requires onsite work in Cambridge at least two days per week.

The salary range below reflects the full-time base salary range we expect to pay for this role at the time of posting. Base pay will be determined based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, education, scope of job, internal comparisons, and market data.

Beam Pay Range

$185,000 — $225,000 USD