Paralegal

Summit Therapeutics•Palo Alto, CA

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

Summit Therapeutics is seeking an experienced, technology-minded Legal Operations Paralegal to improve the efficiency of its legal department, with a primary focus on administering, optimizing, and championing the company’s Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system. The role combines hands-on paralegal work with operational leadership and reports directly to the Chief Legal Officer. It supports contracting, litigation, securities, intellectual property prosecution and litigation, compliance, and other legal matters. The position is based at Summit’s Palo Alto office. It is onsite Monday through Thursday, with the option to work remotely on Friday; additional remote days may be considered. The paralegal will configure and refine CLM workflows, templates, clause libraries, approval routing, and reporting; maintain contract records and repositories; and improve legal processes, turnaround times, data quality, and visibility. The person will also serve as the company-wide CLM expert, train and onboard users, troubleshoot issues, create guidance materials, and coordinate with the CLM vendor. The role supports due diligence for corporate transactions, financings, partnerships, and strategic initiatives, including organizing data rooms, tracking requests, and summarizing contract terms and findings. Litigation support includes discovery, document collection, review, and production, as well as coordinating case logistics, deadlines, and document management with outside counsel. Working with the Chief Legal Officer, in-house attorneys, outside counsel, and cross-functional teams, the paralegal will help resolve legal issues and support business needs. Under attorney supervision, the role reviews, drafts, and manages agreements such as NDAs, statements of work, and amendments, and supports contracts through intake, negotiation, execution, storage, and renewal. Non-standard terms and risk issues are escalated to attorneys. The stated pay range is $139,000–$163,000 USD. Actual compensation depends on candidate-specific factors, including skill set, experience, certifications, and work location. Total compensation may also include bonus, stock, benefits, and/or other variable compensation.

Requirements

At least 6 years of paralegal experience, preferably in an in-house legal department.
Demonstrated experience with CLM systems such as Agiloft, Ironclad, Icertis, DocuSign CLM, or Conga, or equivalent platforms.
Strong technology aptitude and comfort learning and using legal technology tools.
Deep understanding of contract law, contract language, and in-house legal processes.
Experience supporting litigation and due diligence matters.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams, outside counsel, and vendors.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Strong understanding of how to maintain and protect confidential information.

Nice To Haves

Paralegal certificate or relevant degree.
Experience in life sciences, biotechnology, or pharmaceuticals, including familiarity with clinical trial agreements, CDAs, CRO/vendor agreements, or licensing agreements.
Extensive knowledge of contracts across a variety of agreement types.
Hands-on experience implementing or migrating a CLM system.
Familiarity with e-discovery platforms, e-signature tools, and legal matter management or spend management software.
Experience building dashboards, reports, or metrics to measure legal operations performance.
Knowledge of legal operations frameworks and best practices.

Responsibilities

Administer, optimize, and maintain the company’s CLM system, including configuring workflows, templates, clause libraries, approval routing, and reporting.
Identify opportunities to streamline legal processes, reduce turnaround times, and improve contract data quality and visibility.
Maintain accurate contract records, metadata, and repositories, and reliably track obligations, renewals, and key dates.
Serve as the internal CLM subject matter expert; onboard users, deliver live and recorded training, answer questions, and troubleshoot issues.
Create user guides, FAQs, and best-practice resources, and coordinate with the CLM vendor on updates, enhancements, and issue resolution.
Support due diligence for corporate transactions, financings, partnerships, and other strategic initiatives; organize data rooms, track requests, and summarize contract terms and findings.
Assist with litigation discovery, document collection, review, and production; coordinate case logistics, deadlines, and document management with outside counsel.
Collaborate with the Chief Legal Officer, in-house patent and transactional attorneys, outside counsel, and cross-functional teams to address legal issues and operational needs.
Build relationships with Research & Development, Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Business Development, Procurement, Finance, and third-party vendors.
Under attorney supervision, review, draft, and manage agreements such as NDAs, statements of work, and amendments.
Manage contracts throughout their lifecycle, from intake and negotiation support through execution, storage, and renewal; escalate non-standard terms and risk issues to attorneys.