Director, Contracts Counsel

MBX Biosciences, Inc.; New Jersey; Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

MBX Biosciences, Inc. is seeking a Director, Contracts Counsel to oversee the contract lifecycle from proposal through execution and renewal. You will partner with finance, R&D, clinical development, and operations to align agreements with business goals while minimizing risk and ensuring regulatory compliance.

This role blends strategic leadership with hands‑on drafting and negotiation across all stages of discovery to commercialization. The position requires a J.D.

Qualifications

• Experience negotiating clinical trial and other life sciences agreements.
• Strong understanding of regulatory environments applicable to biopharma.
• Ability to balance legal risk with business objectives and timelines.
• Proven track record drafting and negotiating R&D contracts and vendor agreements.

Responsibilities

• Lead negotiation, drafting, review, and administration of contracts across all discovery, development, and commercialization stages.
• Develop contracting policies and templates to improve efficiency and compliance.
• Collaborate with IP counsel to manage rights within contracts.
• Provide guidance on terms, obligations, liabilities, and commercial risks.
• Maintain contract management systems and reporting for visibility.
• Mentor and develop contracts professionals in a fast‑paced environment.
• Ensure adherence to laws, regulations, and company policies.

Skills

Contract drafting

Contract negotiation

Regulatory knowledge

Risk assessment

Independent work

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

J.D. from an accredited law school

Job description

Working with Us

MBX Biosciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, with a secondary office in Burlington, MA. Our mission is to transform the lives of people impacted by endocrine and metabolic disorders through our novel precision peptides.

Leveraging our proprietary Precision Endocrine Peptides (PEPs)™ platform, we are pioneering technology designed to overcome key limitations of existing therapies and enhance efficacy, tolerability, safety and convenience. Our team is advancing a pipeline of novel candidates with clinically validated targets, established endpoints for regulatory approval, and strong market potential.

Our pipeline includes canvuparatide (MBX 2109) for the treatment of chronic hypoparathyroidism, currently preparing for Phase 3 development, and a growing obesity portfolio that includes MBX 4291 in Phase 1 development, MBX 5765, a next‑generation amycretin prodrug designed for once-monthly-dosing, as well as MBX 6180, a GLP/GIP/GCGR triple agonist prodrug for once monthly dosing; all of which optimize our PEP platform.

If you’re passionate about advancing innovative treatments for patients and shaping the future ofprecision peptide therapeutics, this is your chance to make a real impact alongside a fast-paced, growing, mission-driventeam. To learn more, visit our website mbxbio.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Do

As the Director, Contracts Counsel, you will manage and support the organization’s contract review, overseeing contract lifecycle from proposal and negotiation through execution, compliance, and renewal. You will partner with key business functions to support contracting needs and provide contract legal guidance including executive leadership, finance, human resources, medical (clinical development, medical affairs and clinical operations), commercial, technical operations (CMC and supply), and other operational teams. This position will ensure contractual agreements align with business objectives, while minimizing risk and maintaining regulatory compliance. This role requires strong leadership, commercial acumen, and the ability to balance risk management with business growth opportunities. The successful candidate will have experience with the full life cycle of product discovery, development and commercialization, and the contracting needs each stage, across a fully integrated organization. This role will successfully handle routine (e.g., CDA), mid-level standard (e.g., CRO MSA) and sophisticated (e.g., CMC, commercial/market access) contracting,, as well have he ability to make legal and business decisions rapidly to advance contracting to help achieve business objectives. Partnering with the business owners and understanding their scientific and business goals and needs is critical in this role.

• Lead and oversee the negotiation, drafting, review, and administration of agreements covering all functional areas and spanning all stages of discovery, development and commercialization.
• Develop and implement contracting policies, procedures, and best practices to improve efficiency, compliance, and risk management, in partnership with existing professionals.
• Partner with in-house and external IP counsel to identify, protect, and manage intellectual property rights within contracts.
• Provide guidance and recommendations on contract terms, obligations, liabilities, and commercial risks.
• Establish and maintain contract management systems, databases, and reporting tools to ensure visibility and accountability in partnership with existing professionals.
• Over time, lead, mentor, and develop a team of contracts professionals, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture.
• Monitor compliance with contractual obligations, company policies, and applicable laws and regulations.

Additional more detailed summary of responsibilities include:

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide variety of agreements, including but not limited to: clinical trial agreements (CTAs), master service agreements (MSAs) and statements of work with CROs and clinical sites, confidentiality/non‑disclosure agreements, material transfer agreements (MTAs), consulting and advisory agreements, manufacturing and supply agreements, quality agreements, licensing and collaboration agreements, and vendor/procurement contracts.
• Help assist existing professionals in managing the end‑to‑end contract lifecycle, including intake, drafting, negotiation, execution, and post‑signature obligations tracking; help establish and continuously improve contract templates, playbooks, and processes as the company scales.
• Identify, assess, and elevate legal and business risks in proposed agreements, and provide practical, business‑oriented recommendations to internal stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Support diligence and contract review in connection with corporate transactions, financings, licensing deals, and potential partnerships or M&A activity.
• Maintain and continuously improve the company’s contract management system, templates, and standard terms to ensure consistency, compliance, and efficiency.
• Monitor and advise on relevant legal and regulatory developments affecting contracting practices in the biopharmaceutical industry (e.g., FDA, HHS/OIG, Sunshine Act, data privacy, and international considerations as applicable).
• Provide training and guidance to internal stakeholders on contracting policies, procedures, and risk considerations.
• Manage and coordinate with outside counsel on specialized or high‑complexity matters as needed.

What You Bring

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• 8+ years of relevant experience, including significant in‑house or law firm experience negotiating commercial, clinical and research/discovery contracts within the life sciences, biotechnology, or pharmaceutical industry.
• Demonstrated expertise drafting and negotiating clinical trial agreements, CRO/vendor agreements, confidentiality agreements, and other R&D‑related contracts.
• Strong understanding of the clinical development process and the regulatory environment applicable to biopharmaceutical companies.
• Demonstrated expertise drafting and negotiating commercial agreements and sophisticated manufacturing and supply agreements.
• Ability to make decisions that balance risk and business goal achievement.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and analytical skills, with sound business judgment and the ability to balance legal risk with business objectives.
• Ability to work independently and manage a high volume of agreements with competing deadlines in a fast-paced, resource‑lean environment.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trust and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization.

Travel & In-Office Presence

You will be expected to travel periodically based on the needs of the business, including attendance at Together Weeks, Together Days, and functional meetings as requested by the team. Employees are expected to work on hybrid schedules, consistent with local office practices and the terms of the companies in office policy as in effect from time to time.

EEO Statement

MBX Biosciences is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to treating all applicants fairly without discrimination.

We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of race, national origin, gender, age, physical characteristics, social origin, disability, union membership, religion, family status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or any unlawful criterion under applicable law.