Director, Legal Operations & Contracts

Climb Bio, Inc.; Wellesley (MA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary annual bonus

Medical, Dental, Vision insurance

Life & Disability Insurance

401k match

Generous paid time off

Equity

Job summary

Climb Bio, Inc. is seeking a Director of Legal Operations & Contracts to lead the contracting function for clinical development, draft and negotiate critical agreements, and partner with R&D and Regulatory teams.

The role is based in Wellesley, MA and reports to the SVP and General Counsel. You will build contracting processes, templates, and lifecycle management, while overseeing outside counsel and the legal operations budget.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school; active bar in at least one U.S. state.
• Experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements.
• Experience with clinical development contracts, CRO agreements, and related docs.

Responsibilities

• Serve as go-to attorney for clinical development contracts; draft, review, and negotiate CTAs with sites, hospitals, and investigators.
• Partner with CROs on site contracting; set positions and resolve escalations to keep study start-up on schedule.
• Advise R&D, Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, and other teams on privacy, data rights, IP ownership, and cross-border research.

Skills

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Legal operations

Cross-functional partnering

Budget management

Leadership

Privacy compliance

Education

J.D. + Bar

Job description

Director, Legal Operations & Contracts

About Climb:

Climb Bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapeutics for patients with immune-mediated diseases. Our product candidates include budoprutug, an anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody that presents us with an exciting opportunity given its broad potential applicability across a number of B-cell mediated diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus, immune thrombocytopenia, and membranous nephropathy and CLYM116, an anti-APRIL monoclonal antibody in development for IgA nephropathy.

At Climb Bio, our team has a knack for seeing what no one else sees-and a drive to achieve results no one expects. We believe that our combined strength conquers any summit, and our core values - Build Trust, Decide & Commit, Accelerate Impact, and Mark the Moment - guide how we work, collaborate and innovate.They reflect our commitment to patients, each other, and the pursuit of transformative science.

We are seeking a highly motivated Director, Legal Operations & Contracts. Reporting to the SVP and General Counsel, this is a hands-on, pivotal role as the go-to legal partner for clinical development contracting, and in building the contracting foundation that lets Climb Bio advance its programs and partnerships quickly, with the right protections in place.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as Climb Bio's go-to attorney for clinical development contracts, personally drafting, reviewing, and negotiating clinical trial agreements with investigative sites, academic medical centers, hospitals, site management organizations, and investigators.
• Partner day to day with CROs on site contracting: set the positions and fallbacks they negotiate within, review CRO-negotiated agreements, and step in directly to resolve escalated issues and keep study start-up on schedule.
• Act as the primary legal partner to Research and Development, including Clinical Operations, Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Medical Affairs, Pharmacovigilance, Quality, and Data Management. Advise in real time on subject injury, publication rights, confidentiality, IP ownership, data rights, and cross-border clinical research.
• Draft, review, and negotiate Climb Bio's significant commercial agreements, including manufacturing and supply, licensing, research and collaboration, CRO and vendor master agreements, consulting, material transfer, and software and data processing agreements.
• Lead the contracts and legal operations function as a working leader, setting its strategy, operating model, and priorities on a two-to-three-year horizon while carrying a substantial personal contract workload.
• Build and maintain the company's contracting infrastructure: templates, negotiation playbooks, approval workflows, contract lifecycle management, and turnaround metrics. Train business stakeholders so routine agreements move without legal bottlenecks.
• Manage outside counsel and the legal operations budget, deciding what is handled in-house versus externally and holding firms accountable for cost, quality, and responsiveness.
• Support the SVP and General Counsel on privacy and compliance policies, Board and committee governance, SEC reporting and disclosure, and strategic transactions and collaborations.

Qualifications:

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar
• 8+ years of legal experience at a law firm and/or in-house legal department, with substantial experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements
• Hands-on experience personally drafting and negotiating clinical trial agreements, CRO agreements, and other clinical development contracts
• Demonstrated experience building or improving contracting processes, such as templates, playbooks, approval workflows, or contract lifecycle management systems
• Track record of leading through others, whether direct reports, matrix teams, or outside counsel, and advising senior leaders with practical, risk-calibrated judgment

Preferred:

• In-house experience at a biotechnology, pharmaceutical, life sciences, or CRO company
• Experience with privacy and cross-border data transfer requirements in clinical research
• Public company experience, including SEC reporting, disclosure, and Board governance
• Experience supporting licensing, collaboration, or other strategic transactions
• Experience selecting or implementing a contract lifecycle management system

This position will be based out of our Wellesley, MA office. Base salary offered may vary depending on the individual's skills, experience, and competitive market value.

• Salary Range: $200,000-$260,000

Additional total rewards include discretionary annual bonus, comprehensive benefits to include Medical, Dental and Vision, Life & Disability, 401k company match, generous paid time off, and equity.

For more information, please visit climbbio.com.

Climb is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, place of origin, religion, family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and disability or any other federal, state, provincial or local protected ground.