Senior Director, Contracts & Legal Operations

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

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.