Contracts Manager / Senior Contracts Manager

Crescent Biopharma; Waltham (MA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Employer-paid benefits

Flexible PTO

Company shutdowns

Development resources

Job summary

Crescent Biopharma in Waltham, MA, seeks a Contracts Manager to lead day-to-day contract intake, drafting, negotiation support, and lifecycle management across research, clinical, and corporate agreements in a fast-moving biotech environment.

You will partner with cross-functional teams to ensure speed, precision, and business-aligned risk management, while maintaining templates, clause libraries, and a robust CLM system (LinkSquares).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; 5+ years in contract management; 7+ for senior.
• Experience negotiating CTAs in US and ROW.
• Proven track record managing high-volume agreements across functions.
• Strong drafting and redlining skills.
• Experience in fast-paced biotech startups.
• Proficiency with CLM tools (LinkSquares), DocuSign, AI-assisted drafting, and MS Office.

Responsibilities

• Draft and review high-volume biotech agreements (CDAs, MSAs, SOWs, CTAs).
• Lead negotiations, escalate material legal, regulatory, IP, privacy, and liability issues as needed.
• Provide strategic contractual guidance to cross-functional teams.
• Maintain and improve templates, clause libraries, and negotiation playbooks.
• Optimize contract infrastructure and manage CLM system (LinkSquares) milestones.
• Support governance, records management, and data summarization for audits.
• Identify bottlenecks and implement process improvements.

Skills

Contract management

Negotiation

Drafting & redlining

Risk assessment

Project management

Tech proficiency

MS Office

LinkSquares

DocuSign

AI-assisted tools

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

LinkSquares CLM

DocuSign

AI-assisted contract review

Microsoft Office

Job description

Crescent Biopharma’s vision is to build a world leading oncology company bringing the next wave of therapies for cancer patients. The Company’s clinical-stage pipeline includes its lead program, a PD-1 x VEGF bispecific antibody, as well as novel antibody-drug conjugates. By leveraging multiple modalities and established targets, Crescent aims to rapidly advance potentially transformative therapiesas single agentsand as part of combination regimens to treat a range of solid tumors. For more information, www.crescentbiopharma.com and follow the Company on LinkedIn and X.

We are seeking a Contracts Manager / Senior Contracts Manager to lead day-to-day contract intake, drafting, negotiation support, execution, and contract operations across the company. This role is for a business-focused contracts professional, not a practicing attorney. You will partner closely with cross-functional leads and drive a high-volume portfolio of research, clinical, and corporate agreements with a focus on speed, precision, and business-oriented risk management.

The right candidate is highly organized, practical, responsive, and comfortable managing a high volume of agreements in a fast-moving biotechnology environment. You should be able to spot issues, drive process, keep stakeholders aligned, and elevate legal or business risks appropriately. This role is based in Waltham, MA and you must have experience in biotech.

Responsibilities

• Drive the full contract lifecycle by drafting and reviewing a high volume of core biotech agreements, includingCDAs,MasterServiceAgreements(MSAs),complexStatementsofWork(SOWs),Consulting Agreements, vendor and supply agreements, Clinical Trial Agreements (CTAs) and clinical and research-related service agreements.
• Manageroutineandmid-levelnegotiationsdirectlywithcounterpartiesandescalatemateriallegal, regulatory, IP, privacy, insurance, compliance, and liability issues when needed.
• Providestrategiccontractualguidancetocross-functionalteams,actingasafirstlineofdefenseto identify and mitigate potential operational, regulatory, and business risks within agreements.
• Maintainandimprovecontracttemplates,clauselibraries,negotiationguidelines,andinternalplaybooks.
• Optimize contract infrastructure by leading management of a Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system(LinkSquares)totrackcontractstatus,keyterms,renewaldates,terminationrights,noticedeadlines,payment obligations, and other critical milestones.
• Supportcontractgovernance,includingsignatureauthority,versioncontrol,recordsmanagement,and repository hygiene.
• Supportaudit,diligence,financing,andbusinessdevelopmentrequestsbyorganizingandsummarizing agreement data.
• Identifybottlenecksandrecommendprocessimprovementsthatreducecycletimewithoutweakeningcontrols.
• PartnerwithkeyinternalstakeholderstoensurecontractexecutionisalignedwithCBIO’sstrategic goals, project timelines, and budgetary requirements.
• Partner with the finance department to continuously improve the contract/PO process and lifecycle.
• Upholdrigorouscompliancestandardsbyensuringallcontractsmeetapplicablelaws,industry regulations, and clinical standards, including FDA, GCP, and GDPR.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree is required. 5+ years (7+ for Senior level)ofprofessionalexperienceincontractmanagement,specificallywithinthelifesciencesor biotech sectors.
• Experience negotiating CTAs in the US and rest of world (ROW) is required.
• Demonstratedexperiencemanagingahighvolumeofagreementsacrossmultiplebusinessfunctions with strong attention to detail, organization, and follow-through.
• Strongdraftingandredliningskills.
• Abilitytoidentifylegalandbusinessriskissuesandescalateappropriately.
• Experienceinafast-paced,high-growthstartupenvironment.
• Highproficiencywithmodernlegaltechnology,includingCLMplatforms(we use LinkSquares), DocuSign, AI-assisted contract review and drafting tools, and the Microsoft Office Suite. LinkSquares experience is not required but is highly desired.
• FamiliaritywithIP-relatedcontractprovisions,includinglicensing termsand publication rights.
• Opportunity to join a mission-driven team where you'll contribute to impactful work, take on varied responsibilities, and grow quickly in a dynamic environment

Benefits

• Competitive compensation, including base salary, performance bonus, and equity
• 100% employer-paid benefits package
• Flexible PTO; also, two, one-week company-wide shutdowns each year
• A commitment to your professional development, with access to resources, mentorship, and growth opportunities

Crescent Biopharma is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where all individuals are valued and respected. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status.