Director, Contracts Counsel

Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Waltham (MA); Hybrid; USD 206,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Annual bonus

401(k) retirement plan with match

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Massachusetts seeks a Director, Contracts Counsel to serve as a key legal partner across the organization, focusing on drafting, reviewing and negotiating a broad range of pharmaceutical and business agreements.

You will work with teams across Research & Discovery, Clinical, Technical Operations, Supply Chain, Commercial, IT and other functions, delivering practical guidance and mitigating legal risk.

Qualifications

• JD from an accredited law school and admission to at least one US state bar, with ability to practice as in-house counsel in Massachusetts.
• Strong pharmaceutical contracting experience with independent contract management capability.
• Ability to build relationships across functions and provide timely, practical counsel.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial and corporate agreements, including research, clinical, supply, manufacturing, technology, licensing, consulting and services agreements.
• Independently manage complex contract negotiations and provide practical, business-focused legal guidance to internal stakeholders.
• Partner with Research & Discovery, Clinical, Technical Operations, Supply Chain, Commercial, IT and other teams across the business.
• Serve as an approachable and collaborative legal partner, helping internal teams accomplish objectives while managing risk.
• Help develop and improve contract templates, negotiation playbooks, standard positions and other contracting tools.
• Collaborate with colleagues across Deciphera, ONO and other affiliates on global contracting needs and legal initiatives.
• Support broader Legal & Compliance projects and take on additional areas as experience and needs evolve.

Skills

Contract drafting

Contract negotiations

Legal counseling

Cross-functional collaboration

In-house counsel

Massachusetts bar eligibility

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Bar admission in good standing (US)

Job description

Deciphera, a member of Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing important new medicines and providing hope to people living with cancer, neurologic and autoimmune disease. Deciphera is leveraging its proprietary switch-control kinase inhibitor platform and deep expertise in kinase biology to develop a broad portfolio of innovative medicines. In addition to advancing multiple product candidates from Deciphera’s platform in clinical studies, QINLOCK® (ripretinib) is Deciphera’s switch-control kinase inhibitor approved in many countries including the European Union and the United States for the treatment of adult patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) who have received prior treatment with 3 or more kinase inhibitors, including imatinib. ROMVIMZA® (vimseltinib) is a kinase inhibitor approved in the United States for adult patients with symptomatic tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) for which surgical resection will potentially cause worsening functional limitation or severe morbidity, and in the European Union for adult patients with TGCT associated with clinically relevant physical function deterioration and in whom surgical options have been exhausted or would induce unacceptable morbidity or disability.

The spirit of collaboration that has brought medications to life continues to guide how we operate, grow, and discover new breakthroughs. We cultivate an inclusive culture that values curiosity, creativity, and shared accountability, empowering individuals to challenge the unknown together.

Deciphera offers competitive compensation, including equity-based compensation, and a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, 401(k) retirement plan, life insurance and a flexible spending account for either health care and/or dependent care.

Deciphera is seeking a Director, Contracts Counsel to serve as a key legal partner across the organization, with a primary focus on drafting, reviewing and negotiating a broad range of pharmaceutical and business agreements.

You’ll work closely with teams across Research & Discovery, Clinical, Technical Operations, Supply Chain, Commercial, IT and other functions, providing practical legal guidance and helping business partners navigate complex agreements and contracting needs.

This role is ideal for an attorney with strong pharmaceutical contracting experience who can independently manage complex agreements, enjoys working closely with internal stakeholders, and is looking for an opportunity to continue growing and broadening their experience within an in‑house legal environment.

What You’ll Do

• Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial and corporate agreements, including research, clinical, supply, manufacturing, technology, licensing, consulting and services agreements.
• Independently manage complex contract negotiations and provide practical, business‑focused legal guidance to internal stakeholders.
• Partner closely with Research & Discovery and teams across Clinical, Technical Operations, Supply Chain, Commercial, IT and other areas of the business.
• Serve as an approachable and collaborative legal partner, helping internal teams accomplish their objectives while appropriately managing legal and business risk.
• Help develop and improve contract templates, negotiation playbooks, standard positions and other contracting tools and processes.
• Collaborate with colleagues across Deciphera, ONO and other affiliates on global contracting needs and legal initiatives.
• Support broader Legal & Compliance projects and take on additional areas of responsibility as experience and business needs evolve.

What We’re Looking For

• 7+ years of relevant legal experience, including meaningful experience drafting and negotiating sophisticated agreements within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology or life sciences industry.
• Strong experience independently managing contracts and complex negotiations across multiple areas of a pharmaceutical or biotechnology organization.
• Understanding of the drug development and commercialization lifecycle and the contracting needs that support a pharmaceutical business.
• Strong drafting, negotiation and legal counseling skills, with the ability to provide clear, practical and timely advice.
• An engaging and collaborative approach to working with internal stakeholders and the ability to build strong relationships across different functions.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, take ownership of matters and work effectively within a collaborative legal team.
• JD from an accredited law school and admission in good standing to at least one U.S. state bar, with the ability to practice as in‑house counsel in Massachusetts.
• Interest in continuing to develop and broaden your experience across an in‑house legal organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Research & Discovery, Clinical, Technical Operations, Supply Chain, Commercial, IT/data or other pharmaceutical functions.
• Experience working within a global or multinational pharmaceutical or biotechnology organization.
• Experience with cross‑border contracting and collaboration with colleagues in Europe and/or Japan.
• Experience developing contract templates, negotiation playbooks, standard positions or other contracting best practices.
• Experience improving contracting processes or helping establish scalable contracting practices.

Location:

This is a Hybrid position located in Waltham MA

Benefits

• Competitive salary and annual bonus
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan with company match, and more
• Generous parental leave and family planning benefits
• Outstanding culture and opportunities for personal and professional growth

Deciphera is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The base salary pay range for this role is $206,000 - $250,000. Actual compensation packages will depend on various factors, including but not limited to depth of experience, education, skillset, overall performance, and location.

Deciphera believes in providing a competitive compensation and benefits package to all employees. Our base salary is just one component of Deciphera's competitive total rewards strategy that also includes annual performance bonus, a long‑term incentive plan, a full range of benefits, and other incentive compensation plans (if applicable).

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION

Deciphera is committed to equal employment opportunity and values diversity. To ensure that we comply with reporting requirements, we invite you complete the confidential survey at the end of this application. Providing this information is optional. It will not be accessible or used in the hiring process and has no effect on your opportunity for employment. This information will also be treated confidentially. We are committed to making all hiring decisions and other employment decisions on a non‑discriminatory basis.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION

Deciphera is committed to equal employment opportunity and values diversity. To ensure that we comply with reporting requirements, we invite you complete the confidential survey at the end of this application. Providing this information is optional. It will not be accessible or used in the hiring process, and has no effect on your opportunity for employment. This information will also be treated confidentially. We are committed to make all hiring decisions and other employment decisions on a non‑discriminatory basis.