Contracts Manager II

Connect Life Sciences; California (MO); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Connect Life Sciences is seeking a Corporate Contracts Manager II to draft, negotiate, and manage a broad range of contracts supporting research, development, and supply chain functions. The role emphasizes hands-on negotiation, risk assessment, and cross-functional collaboration across Commercial, R&D, Finance and IT teams.

Ideal candidates bring in-house contracts experience in biotech or pharma settings, with strong expertise in CSA/CTA negotiations and vendor contracts.

Qualifications

• Direct experience drafting, redlining, and negotiating CSAs, CTAs, and other clinical-study contracts.
• Hands-on negotiation experience with counterparties, not just administration.
• In-house contracts experience in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, clinical research, or similar environments.
• Understanding of R&D contracting activities and related processes.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.

Responsibilities

• Draft, negotiate and manage a wide range of contracts (confidentiality, consulting, services, MTAs, research, CTAs) under supervision.
• Advise and troubleshoot on existing agreements under supervision.
• Define risks related to contracts and communicate them to internal decision-makers for resolution.
• Interact with internal clients across functional groups to address legal/business questions.
• Maintain and track status for contracts and provide support to in-house attorneys.
• No supervisory responsibilities and ensure compliance with policies and standards.

Skills

Contract drafting & negotiation

Clinical study agreements

Vendor management

Risk assessment

Cross-functional collaboration

Attention to detail

MS Word/Excel/PowerPoint

Education

Bachelor's degree + 2-3 years in-house contracts experience

JD preferred

Tools

Agiloft CLM

Contract Management System

Job description

Corporate Contracts Manager II is responsible for drafting, negotiating and managing a variety of contracts supporting research, development, and supply chain functions.

Responsibilities

• Draft, negotiate and manage a wide range of contracts (which may include confidentiality agreements, consulting and service agreements, materials transfer agreements, research agreements, clinical study agreements, and various vendor services agreements) under close supervision.
• Advise and troubleshoot on existing agreements under supervision.
• Define risks related to contracts documents and relationships, and be able to communicate those risks to appropriate internal decision-makers for discussion and resolution.
• Interact with various internal clients effectively to address legal and business questions.
• Handle miscellaneous legal tasks on an as needed basis under supervision.
• Maintain and track status for contracts.
• Provide support to in-house attorneys as requested.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Complies with all policies and standards.
• No supervisory responsibilities.

Qualifications

• BS/BA degree in related discipline and 7 years of related experience; or JD preferred; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Bachelor's degree and 2 - 3 years of in-house experience at a biotechnology, pharmaceutical or high-tech company, with a focus on contract drafting and negotiation.

Required Skills

• Top Skills:
• Direct experience drafting, redlining, and negotiating Clinical Study Agreements (CSAs), Clinical Trial Agreements (CTAs), and other clinical-study-related contracts.
• Candidate must have hands-on negotiation experience with counterparties, not just contract administration or coordination.
• Bachelor's degree and 2-3+ years of in-house contracts experience supporting contract drafting and negotiation within biotechnology, pharmaceutical, clinical research, or similar environments.
• Broader experience supporting other areas of R&D contracting activities.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Experience using a Contract Management system (Agiloft experience a plus; any CLM experience accepted).
• Thorough understanding of the contract management process, including tracking, negotiation, approval and signature processes.
• Ability to work both independently and effectively across a variety of functional groups (such as Commercial, Research and Development, CMC, Human Resources, Finance, Facilities, IT and Investor Relations) and all levels of management.
• Flexible and willing to learn new procedures and skill sets.
• Must be detail oriented and have strong organizational skills.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to prioritize; must be responsible and conscientious.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet specific deadlines.
• Dedication to quality and reliability in all work tasks.
• Clear and concise verbal and written communication skills; must have excellent interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong computer skills (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint).

Preferred Skills

• 5+ years of relevant experience preferred.
• Strong Plus:
• Experience collaborating with and managing external vendors.
• Experience supporting vendor-related contracting activities, including negotiation of vendor agreements and collaboration with external service providers.
• Working knowledge of the drug discovery and development process and ability to understand risks and requirements associated with pharmaceutical contracting preferred.
• Experience with or knowledge of paralegal support tasks, with a focus on intellectual property matters or corporate matters, preferred.