Counsel, R&D and Commercial Contracts

Compass Pathways • New York, NY

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a Counsel, R&D and Commercial Contracts (Director level) to join our legal team and lead high impact contracting matters across R&D, commercial operations, and market access as we prepare to launch our first commercial product. This is a hands-on role for an experienced in house attorney who enjoys ownership, cross functional partnership, and operating in a fast moving, scaling organization.

Requirements

• JD from an accredited law school and active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
• Typically 3-5+ years of legal experience, with meaningful in house experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry strongly preferred or relevant law firm experience supporting life sciences clients, with exposure to in-house-style responsibilities
• Significant experience negotiating:
• R&D and clinical development contracts
• Commercial vendor and operational agreements
• Payer or market access–related agreements
• Other vendor agreements
• Strong understanding of the legal and compliance considerations facing emerging commercial-stage life sciences companies
• Proven ability to lead matters independently and exercise sound judgment
• Business oriented mindset with excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Legal smarts, analytic rigor, business sense, and a strong work ethic;
• Ability to operate independently and work cross functionally with various teams across the organization;
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and exemplary attention to detail;
• Likes finding solutions to complex problems and works well under pressure;
• Strong written and oral communication (including analysis, interpretation, & reasoning) and organizational skills (project management);
• Flexible, with excellent ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously; and
• Believes in holding themselves and others accountable

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting a clinical to commercial transition or first product launch
• Exposure to market access, reimbursement, or payer contracting strategy
• Experience building scalable contracting frameworks in a growing organization

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiation of complex R&D and clinical development agreements, including:
• Clinical trial agreements (CTAs)
• CRO, CDMO, and other strategic vendor agreements
• Research collaboration and services agreements
• Draft, review, and negotiation of commercial contracting agreements, including:
• Commercial vendor and services agreements
• Supply, manufacturing, distribution, and logistics agreements
• Support negotiation of payer and market access agreements, including managed care, reimbursement, and innovative contracting models (where applicable)
• Advise business partners on contractual risk, deal structure, and practical solutions aligned with company strategy
• Help build and scale contracting processes, templates, and negotiation playbooks
• Partner cross functionally with clinical, commercial, market access, finance, and compliance teams

Benefits

• Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognise employees for their work and any role at Compass, regardless of the location, is eligible for additional discretionary bonuses and equity.
• For an overview of our benefits package and compensation information, please visit "Working at Compass".

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree