Senior Director, Contracts Counsel

UniQure NV; Lexington (MA); Hybrid; USD 246,000 - 318,000; Full time

Job summary

uniQure, a leader in gene therapy, seeks a seasoned Sr. Director, Contracts Counsel to draft, review, and negotiate a wide spectrum of commercial and medical agreements.

You will partner with Customer Strategy, Supply Chain, Finance, IT, HR, and more to keep contracting moving while identifying and addressing legal risks. The ideal candidate brings 10+ years of experience, JD and MA bar status, and a track record in biotech/pharma contract drafting within fast‑paced environments.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree with active MA or US state bar membership.
• 10+ years of relevant legal experience with substantial commercial contract drafting and negotiation; biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry experience preferred.
• Knowledge of laws affecting commercial contracting in life sciences, including FCPA, False Claims Act, and data privacy laws.
• Experience with risk allocation, indemnification, liability limits, IP, confidentiality, and insurance requirements.
• Breadth across contract types; familiarity with R&D or clinical contracting is a plus.
• Experience with software/AI/data agreements and privacy terms (GDPR, HIPAA).
• Experience with employment agreements and staffing arrangements is a plus.
• Ability to guide non‑attorney stakeholders and triage high‑volume contracting workflows.
• Proven collaboration across Legal, IP, and Compliance teams; strong communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial and medical agreements including distributor, data licensing, consulting, sponsorships, and vendor contracts.
• Advise cross‑functional teams on contract terms, obligations, liabilities, and commercial risk.
• Support software, SaaS, and data agreements, including data processing agreements and AI tools.
• Provide coverage for R&D and clinical contracting as needed.
• Escalate complex issues and serve as a legal escalation point for novel risks.
• Maintain and improve contract templates, playbooks, and standard terms with the legal operations team.
• Monitor FDA, privacy, and international regulatory developments affecting contracting.
• Collaborate with business clients to understand objectives, timelines, and risk tolerance; provide practical guidance.
• Develop cross‑functional relationships and contribute to process improvements across Legal, IP, and Compliance.
• Triage high‑volume workflows and set priorities independently.

Skills

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Commercial contracts

Regulatory knowledge

SaaS agreements

Data privacy

Cross-functional

Templates & playbooks

AI tools familiarity

Education

Juris Doctor

Massachusetts Bar in good standing

Tools

Agiloft

Redlining software

AI tools

Job description

At uniQure, we are delivering on the promise of gene therapy – and delivering hope for patients facing urgent unmet medical needs. Every role in our organization carries profound purpose; whether you're in research, operations, access, or support, your contributions impact patients. We're seeking passionate professionals who thrive in high-stakes environments, uphold rigorous quality standards, and share our relentless commitment to transforming the lives of patients. Join us in making the impossible possible, where your expertise becomes a catalyst for life-changing treatments.

Role Summary

We are seeking a seasoned attorney who is comfortable moving across a broad range of matters to join our team as Sr. Director, Contracts Counsel. Reporting to the VP, R&D Legal and Contracts, you will draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of agreements spanning the company’s commercial and operational functions, ensuring contracts protect company interests and comply with applicable laws and internal policies

You will partner closely with Customer Strategy (including Commercial, Medical, Market Access and Business Operations), as well as Supply Chain, Finance, IT, HR, and other business functions to keep contracting moving at the pace the business needs, while identifying legal risks and translating them into practical, business-first guidance. You will also provide secondary support and coverage for R&D and clinical contracting as business needs require.

The ideal candidate is a pragmatic, judgment-driven attorney who is comfortable working across unfamiliar subject matter, moves quickly without sacrificing rigor, and builds trusted relationships with internal stakeholders outside the legal function. This role will also help build a growing contracts and legal operations function, with goals around templates, playbooks, and improved processes for both the legal team and the business.

This role is best suited for an adaptable, hands‑on attorney with 10+ years of legal experience, including substantial commercial and medical contract drafting and negotiation. Law firm experience followed by in‑house experience at a biotechnology or pharmaceutical company is a plus.

Key Result Areas (major Duties, Accountabilities And Responsibilities)

• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad variety of complex commercial and medical agreements, including distributor, patient support services, data licensing, consulting and advisory board, sponsorships, and other vendor agreements.
• Partner with Customer Strategy, Supply Chain, Finance, IT, and HR teams as a legal subject matter expert to provide guidance and recommendations on contract terms, obligations, liabilities, and commercial risks.
• Support software, SaaS, and data agreements, including data processing agreements and agreements for tools with artificial intelligence functionality.
• Provide support and coverage for R&D and clinical contracting as business need requires.
• Serve as a point of legal escalation on contracts presenting novel legal issues, elevated risk, or material deviation from approved templates.
• Assess contracts to determine operational and legal obligations and potential risks and advise internal stakeholders in a timely, pragmatic and logical way.
• Maintain and improve contract templates, playbooks, and standard terms in partnership with the in‑house legal operations team.
• Monitor and advise on relevant legal and regulatory developments affecting contracting practices in the biopharmaceutical industry (eg, FDA, HHS/OIG, Sunshine Act, data privacy, and international considerations as applicable).
• Support contract compliance efforts, including ensuring the use of approved templates, identifying deviations from standard terms, and escalating issues appropriately.
• Partner with business clients to understand their strategic objectives, operational needs, timelines, and risk tolerance, and provide solutions‑oriented legal guidance.
• Cultivate strong, trusted cross‑functional relationships and partner with the broader Legal, IP, and Compliance team, contributing to process improvement and best‑practice sharing.
• Appropriately triage a high‑volume, cross‑functional contracting workflow, setting priorities independently and escalating appropriately.

Qualifications & Skills

• Juris Doctor degree with excellent academic credentials; active membership in good standing with the Massachusetts Bar or another U.S. state bar.
• 10+ years of relevant legal experience with substantial commercial contract drafting and negotiation; biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry experience strongly preferred. Law firm experience combined with in‑house experiance is a plus.
• Working knowledge of the laws and regulations affecting commercial contracting in the life sciences sector, including anti‑bribery and anti‑corruption (e.g., FCPA), Federal Anti‑Kickback Statute and False Claims Act, and relevant US and international data privacy laws impacting patient data.
• Demonstrated command of commercial risk allocation, including indemnification, limitation of liability, warranties, intellectual property, confidentiality, and insurance requirements.
• Demonstrated breadth across a range of commercial contract types; exposure to R&D or clinical contracting is a plus. Comfort taking on unfamiliar contract types and getting up to speed quickly.
• Experience with software, SaaS, and technology agreements, including data processing and privacy terms (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA); some experience with, or genuine interest in, the legal issues arising from enterprise adoption of artificial intelligence tools is a plus.
• Experience with employment‑related agreements, including offer letters, separation agreements, restrictive covenants, and independent contractor and staffing arrangements, is a plus.
• Ability to identify key legal, compliance, privacy, regulatory, intellectual property, operational, and business risks and advise internal stakeholders to reach timely, practical, and risk‑appropriate resolutions, while escalating higher risk matters as appropriate.
• Strong interpersonal, collaborative, and organizational savvy; an approachable team player able to build relationships across business functions, treat all colleagues as valued internal clients, and provide guidance to non‑attorney contracts professionals.
• Self‑motivated quick learner who is flexible and adaptable to shifting deadlines and priorities; works well under pressure and can manage multiple tasks in a fast‑paced, deadline‑driven environment.
• A commitment to be a collegial team player with a healthy sense of humor.
• Advanced computer and document management skills, familiarity with contract lifecycle management systems (including Agiloft and redlining software) and artificial intelligence tools.

Location

Lexington, MA. This is a hybrid role requiring a minimum of three days per week onsite. Some travel to other uniQure sites, including Amsterdam, may be required.

The estimated salary range reflects an anticipated range for this position. The actual base salary offered may depend on a variety of factors, including the qualifications of the individual applicant, relevant years of experience, specific and unique skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location in which the applicant lives and/or from where they will be performing the job. The actual base salary offered will be in accordance with state or local minimum wage requirements for the job location.

US Salary Range

$246,000—$318,000 USD

uniQure is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact [e-mail].

uniQure posts all open positions exclusively on our official Careers page and LinkedIn. We do not recruit through any other job boards, third‑party websites, or unsolicited outreach via text or messaging apps. All legitimate communication from uniQure’s Talent Acquisition team will come from an @uniqure.com email address. We will never request financial information nor payment of any kind during the application process. If you receive suspicious outreach claiming to be from uniQure, do not respond or share personal information. Inquiries can be made via [e-mail].

uniQure processes personal data submitted through this application for recruitment and hiring purposes only. Depending on your location, you may have specific rights regarding your personal data. For full details on how we collect, use, store, and protect your information — including disclosures for California residents under the CCPA and for applicants under the GDPR — please review our applicant privacy notice.