Senior Manager/ Associate Director, Contracts Management

Dren Bio, Inc.; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 147,000 - 187,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity incentive awards

Employer-sponsored benefits

Job summary

Dren Bio, Inc. in San Carlos, CA is seeking a Senior Manager/Associate Director, Contracts Management to lead end-to-end contract activities, including drafting, negotiating, and managing vendor and R&D agreements.

You will implement a CLM system, create templates, and drive best practices in a cross-functional, fast-paced biotech environment. The role reports to the Head of IP, Risk & Compliance and requires deep knowledge of IP, confidentiality, and regulatory considerations in life

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on biotech/pharma or life sciences contract work, drafting and negotiating NDAs, MTAs, and service agreements.
• IP and confidentiality provisions are central to contracts in life sciences.
• Ability to drive projects independently in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage full lifecycle of contracts (non-clinical vendor and R&D) including drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and amendments.
• Serve as SME for contract matters, ensuring policy alignment and risk considerations.
• Lead CLM implementation: platform selection, templates, reporting, and optimization.
• Refine processes to reduce turnaround times and scale operations.
• Collaborate with Legal, Finance, R&D, and BD to align workflows and approvals.
• Track metrics to support decision-making and audit readiness.
• Develop standardized contract playbooks for consistency.
• Apply contract law, privacy, and pharma/biotech regulatory considerations.

Skills

NDA drafting & document negotiation

Research collaborations & MTAs

IP & confidentiality provisions

Vendor contracts negotiation

Contract law & regulatory knowledge

Communication & negotiation skills

Leadership in contracts initiatives

Cross‑functional collaboration

Data-driven decision making

CLM software experience

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree (JD/masters) preferred

Tools

CLM software

Job description

Senior Manager/ Associate Director, Contracts Management

Dren Bio is a privately held, clinical‑stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery and development of first‑in‑class antibody therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other serious diseases. Leveraging our wholly owned technologies, we have built a robust R&D pipeline, including two clinical‑stage candidates currently being evaluated across multiple ongoing clinical studies. Our lead clinical candidate, dibotatug (also known as DR‑01), is designed to induce antibody‑mediated killing of a specific cell type implicated in a range of oncology and autoimmune indications. In addition, we have launched multiple programs from our proprietary Targeted Myeloid Engager and Phagocytosis Platform, a multispecific antibody‑based technology engineered to selectively engage a novel phagocytic receptor expressed on myeloid cells (antigen‑presenting cells) for the targeted depletion of pathologic cells and other disease‑causing agents. Data generated using the platform support its broad therapeutic potential, including initial programs focused on oncology, immunology, and neurology. Importantly, multispecific antibodies generated from the platform are specially designed to activate phagocytic mechanisms only in the presence of disease targets, potentially offering a superior safety profile compared to other immunomodulatory therapies. For more information, please visit our website at www.drenbio.com.

Function:

Business Development

Level:

Senior Manager/ Associate Director

Location:

San Carlos, CA. This position is based on site.

Reporting Manager:

Head of IP, Risk & Compliance

About the Opportunity:

Dren Bio is seeking a seasoned and results‑oriented Senior Manager / Associate Director, Contracts Management to join our team. This individual will play a central role in negotiating and managing the company's contracts, ensuring efficiency, compliance, and consistency across a wide range of business agreements. Reporting to the Executive Director, Head of IP, Risk & Compliance, the individual in this role will partner with stakeholders across the company to shape best practices and scale contracting processes as the company grows. Title, compensation and scope of duties will be tailored to the successful candidate's experience.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Independently manage the full lifecycle of contracts (primarily non‑clinical vendor and R&D agreements), including drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and coordinating execution and amendments across a broad range of agreements, such as non‑disclosure, material transfer, in‑license, and service agreements.
• Serve as the primary subject‑matter expert for contract matters, ensuring consistency with company policies, business objectives, and risk tolerance.
• Identify, implement, and administer the company's contract lifecycle management (CLM) software, including platform selection, workflow design, template creation, and ongoing reporting and optimization.
• Continuously refine contracting processes to improve efficiency, reduce turnaround times, mitigate risk, and support scalability as the company grows.
• Partner cross‑functionally with Legal, Finance, R&D, and Business Development to align contract practices, approval workflows, and business priorities.
• Track, analyze, and report on key contract metrics to support business decision‑making, operational visibility, and audit readiness.
• Develop, maintain, and enhance standardized contract playbooks to guide negotiations and promote consistency across agreements.
• Apply strong knowledge of contract law, privacy and data protection requirements, and pharma/biotech regulatory considerations to ensure agreements comply with legal and industry standards.

Education, Experience and Qualification Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (e.g., master’s degree or JD) preferred.
• 7‑10+ years of contract management experience with increasing responsibility, and at least 5 years in biotech/pharma industry (or in a law firm and primarily supporting life sciences clients).

Core Competencies, Knowledge and Skill Requirements:

Required

• 5+ years of hands‑on experience in biotech/pharma or at a law firm, drafting and negotiating NDAs, research collaboration agreements, MTAs, consulting and service agreements, and other IP‑focused life sciences contracts.
• Deep subject‑matter expertise in intellectual property and confidentiality provisions within life sciences contracts.
• Proactive self‑starter with demonstrated ability to independently drive projects forward and deliver results in a fast‑paced, cross‑functional environment.
• Experience negotiating vendor and supplier agreements.
• Strong foundation in contract law, compliance, and pharma/biotech regulations.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead contract‑focused initiatives and drive meaningful process improvements.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with key stakeholders, including R&D and Business Development.
• Skilled at leveraging data and analytics to shape recommendations and drive informed decision‑making.

Preferred

• Expertise with contracts management software (CLM platforms a plus), including configuration, optimization, and reporting.
• Proven track record in implementing new systems, managing large‑scale process rollouts, or standardizing contract templates across the organization.
• Certification from NCMA (e.g., CPCM – Certified Professional Contracts Manager), IACCM, or similar.
• Exposure to equity, financing, or M&A‑related contracts in life sciences.

Salaries, Benefits and Other Employee Perks:

Dren Bio strongly believes in investing in, and rewarding its employees. This philosophy is embodied in the Company’s total rewards program, which includes competitive cash compensation, equity incentive awards, and employer‑sponsored benefits. The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $147,000 -$187,000 per year. At Dren Bio, pay ranges are determined by role, level and location. The range displayed in this job posting reflects the minimum and maximum new hire pay for candidates located across all U.S. job markets. Within the range, individual pay will be determined by work location and additional factors, including job‑related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. During the hiring process, Dren Bio’s Human Resources team can share more about the specific pay range based on the candidate’s market location.

Employment Practices:

Dren Bio is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit and business needs. Dren Bio does not discriminate against any job applicant on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, gender identity, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Interested Applicants:

Please send resume and cover letter to [e-mail]

Notice at Collection:

Dren Bio collects identifiers, contact information, and personal and professional information to assess your candidacy. For more information about our privacy practices, please see our Full Notice at Collection and our Privacy Policy at this link.