Contracts Paralegal

Forj Medical•Saint Paul, MN

9d•$120,000 - $160,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Contracts Paralegal serves as Forj Medical's primary internal resource for commercial contract management and legal operations support. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, this role reviews, negotiates, drafts, and administers commercial agreements with customers, suppliers, and business partners, and acts as the primary coordinator and gatekeeper for outside legal counsel. The ideal candidate combines strong commercial contracting expertise with sound business judgment and executive presence, and can move quickly in a fast-paced, matrixed, regulated manufacturing environment.

Requirements

Associate's or Bachelor's degree and a Paralegal certificate from an ABA-accredited or equivalent program.
7+ years of commercial contracting, contracts administration, or corporate paralegal experience, including significant hands-on negotiation of complex B2B customer agreements
Strong understanding of contract law principles, IP and liability allocation, and risk management
Excellent contract drafting and redlining skills
Executive presence with excellent written and verbal communication; comfortable engaging senior leaders and a sales organization
Strong project management skills and ability to prioritize multiple matters in a fast-paced, matrixed environment
Must be authorized to work in the United States

Nice To Haves

Law degree not required.
Experience within a larger organization with an in-house legal team strongly preferred
Experience with long-lead-time, project-based contracts (e.g., multi-year programs with OEMs) preferred
Industry experience in medical device, contract manufacturing (CDMO/CMO), engineering services, or FDA-regulated industries preferred
Familiarity with FDA regulations, ISO 13485 environments, CLM systems, and ERP/commercial workflows a plus

Responsibilities

Review, draft, redline, negotiate, and administer commercial agreements including MSAs, Manufacturing Agreements, Design & Development Agreements, SOWs, NDAs, Quality Agreements, Supply Agreements, Purchase and Sales Terms & Conditions, Distribution, Consulting, and Licensing Agreements, and amendments/change orders
Partner with the Commercial team as a customer-facing contracts resource, driving timely deal execution while protecting company interests; serve as a responsive partner who keeps deals moving forward
Analyze and advise on key provisions including limitation of liability, indemnification, intellectual property ownership, confidentiality, warranties, insurance, product liability, regulatory compliance, and dispute resolution
Understand and protect Forj Medical's position as a CDMO relative to OEM customers, including IP ownership and allocation of liability
Identify legal, operational, financial, and compliance risks; recognize the limits of own expertise and escalate appropriately
Maintain contract templates, clause libraries, and playbooks; establish standardized approval workflows
Own document control and contract repository administration, including tracking obligations, renewal dates, notice periods, and key deliverables; support contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems
Review and support agreements across Supply Chain & Procurement, Facilities & Real Estate, Human Resources, and Corporate & Compliance, including supplier and vendor contracts, leases, employment and restrictive covenant agreements, corporate governance documents, and state filings
Assist with claims management, dispute documentation, internal investigations, audits, and litigation support
Serve as the primary coordinator for outside legal counsel; evaluate when engagement is warranted and escalate specialized matters such as M&A/divestitures, complex employment matters, intellectual property, litigation, regulatory, and international business
Prepare issue summaries for counsel, manage law firm relationships, track legal spend and budgets, and translate legal advice into practical business recommendations
Serve as a trusted advisor to Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, HR, and Executive Leadership
Other duties as assigned