Director, Legal Operations

Care Access

8h•$165,000 - $200,000•Remote

About The Position

Care Access is working to make the future of health better for all. With hundreds of research locations, mobile clinics, and clinicians across the globe, we bring world-class research and health services directly to communities that often face barriers to care. We are dedicated to ensuring that every person has the opportunity to understand their health, access the care they need, and contribute to the medical breakthroughs of tomorrow. With programs like Future of Medicine, which makes advanced health screenings and research opportunities accessible to communities worldwide, and Difference Makers, which supports local leaders to expand their community health and wellbeing efforts, we put people at the heart of medical progress. Through partnerships, technology, and perseverance, we are reimagining how clinical research and health services reach the world. Together, we are building a future of health that is better and more accessible for all. To learn more about Care Access, visit www.CareAccess.com. How This Role Makes a Difference The Director, Legal Operations reports to the General Counsel and is responsible for leading and optimizing the operational infrastructure of the Legal Department. This role oversees the contracting ecosystem, legal systems and technology (including Ironclad), vendor due diligence and management, compliance and privacy operations support, litigation holds, enterprise legal calendaring, and cross-functional legal project management. How You'll Make An Impact This leader will build scalable processes, implement and manage legal technology solutions, drive operational excellence, and ensure the Legal team delivers timely, high-quality, and business-aligned services. The Director will serve as a strategic partner to internal stakeholders, ensuring legal risk is managed effectively while enabling business growth.

Requirements

Deep understanding of contract lifecycle management, legal operations best practices, and process design.
Working knowledge of applicable regulations, including Good Clinical Practice, HIPAA, and GDPR.
Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and competing stakeholder demands and high productivity and achievement in a self-directed manner.
Strong organizational and project management skills with high attention to detail.
Experience with enterprise tools such as Ironclad, Salesforce, compliance systems, and Microsoft Office Suite.
Ability to operate strategically while executing tactically.
Bachelor’s degree required; JD or MBA preferred.
8+ years of experience in legal operations, contract management, compliance operations, or related roles within healthcare, pharmaceutical, life sciences, or regulated industries.
5+ years of leadership or supervisory experience.
Demonstrated experience administering Contract Lifecycle Management systems (preferably Ironclad).
Experience building and optimizing legal workflows, system integrations, and automation initiatives.
Experience managing vendor due diligence programs and third-party risk frameworks.
Familiarity with litigation hold processes and document retention best practices.
Experience supporting privacy and compliance operations in a regulated environment.
Experience partnering with Finance on budgeting, vendor spend, and financial controls.
Strong project management capabilities across complex, cross-functional initiatives.

Responsibilities

Developing and executing a comprehensive legal operations strategy aligned with company objectives
Overseeing the full contract lifecycle management (CLM) ecosystem, including workflows, templates, approvals, reporting, and system integrations.
Managing third-party vendor due diligence, risk assessments, and ongoing vendor oversight processes.
Supporting compliance management systems and privacy operations in partnership with Compliance and IT teams.
Administering litigation hold processes, document preservation protocols, and legal deadline tracking.
Driving operational metrics, KPIs, and continuous improvement initiatives across Legal.
Supporting key enterprise and strategic initiatives that require legal operational leadership.
Develop and lead Care Access’s legal operations function, including systems, processes, metrics, and service delivery models
Identify and implement performance enhancements to improve efficiency, transparency, and scalability of legal services.
Establish and monitor KPIs for contracting, compliance support, vendor management, and other legal functions; provide regular reporting to the General Counsel.
Manage legal department budgeting processes, vendor spend tracking, and outside counsel management in partnership with Finance.
Lead strategic planning initiatives for Legal and support company-wide strategic projects.
Oversee the global contracts management strategy and the entire contract lifecycle management ecosystem.
Administer and optimize Ironclad, including workflows, clause libraries, templates, user permissions, reporting dashboards, and system integrations (e.g., Salesforce).
Ensure contracts are reviewed, routed for approvals, executed, and stored in accordance with company policies.
Track and manage key contractual obligations, renewal dates, expirations, and risk triggers.
Design and manage third-party due diligence processes, including compliance reviews, privacy assessments, and risk-based screening.
Oversee onboarding and periodic reassessment of vendors in coordination with Compliance, IT, and Procurement.
Monitor vendor performance, contract compliance, renewal timelines, and termination rights.
Implement standardized risk evaluation frameworks and maintain appropriate documentation.
Partner with Compliance and Privacy teams to operationalize and track progress towards regulatory requirements (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR, Good Clinical Practice).
Support the administration of compliance management systems, tracking tools, and internal controls.
Assist in developing and maintaining legal and compliance policies and procedures.
Coordinate vendor assessment support and negotiate data protection agreement workflows.
Manage litigation hold processes, document preservation protocols, and coordination with internal stakeholders and outside counsel.
Maintain centralized tracking of litigation deadlines, regulatory inquiries, and investigation milestones.
Ensure legal calendars reflect critical dates, including contract expirations, notice periods, litigation deadlines, and regulatory filings.
Develop, implement, and continuously refine Legal department policies, procedures, and standard operating guidelines.
Build scalable intake and triage systems for legal requests.
Foster a culture of accountability, transparency, and service orientation within the Legal team.
Lead change management initiatives related to legal technology and process enhancements.
Collaborate with Business Development, Finance, Regulatory, Compliance, IT, and Operations to ensure appropriate controls and approvals across legal workflows.
Support RFPs, RFIs, audits, and enterprise initiatives requiring legal operations leadership.
Serve as a pragmatic, solutions-oriented partner to internal stakeholders.