Senior Director, Legal

Latigo Bio•Thousand Oaks, CA

14d•$240,000 - $290,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Latigo Biotherapeutics, Inc. is a private, early-stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing the next generation of non-opioid medicines for pain and pain-related syndromes. Our mission is the development of novel therapies that transform the lives of patients. The company is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, CA and has a highly successful management team and an experienced Board of Directors. At Latigo, we value science, patient-focus, and innovation. Latigo is seeking a Senior Director of Legal to lead and scale the company’s contracting function while supporting key areas of corporate compliance. This role will serve as a strategic business partner across the organization—particularly with Clinical Operations, Development, Finance, and Business Operations—ensuring contracts are executed efficiently, risks are appropriately managed, and compliance processes evolve with the company’s growth. The ideal candidate is a hands-on, business-minded attorney with deep experience in vendor and clinical-stage contracting, a strong understanding of biotech operational risk, and the ability to build pragmatic legal processes in a fast-moving environment.

Requirements

JD from an accredited law school and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar (CA preferred).
8+ years of relevant legal experience, including significant in-house and/or biotech/life sciences experience.
Strong experience negotiating and drafting complex commercial agreements, particularly in clinical-stage biotech.
Working knowledge of contracting related to clinical trials (CROs, sites, vendors, budgets, and services agreements).
Strong judgment and ability to balance legal risk with business needs.
Excellent communication skills and ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting corporate compliance programs in a high-growth biotech or life sciences company.
Familiarity with GxP concepts and compliance considerations in vendor relationships.
Experience implementing contract processes, templates, and playbooks in a scaling organization.
Experience managing outside counsel efficiently and cost-effectively.
Practical, solutions-oriented approach—knows when to push and when to streamline.
Highly organized and able to manage multiple parallel negotiations.
Comfortable operating in ambiguity and building structure where none exists.
Strong collaborator who can partner effectively with Clinical Ops, Finance, and leadership.
High-impact role with broad visibility and strong leadership partnership.
Opportunity to shape contracting and compliance foundations at a growing biotech.
Collaborative culture with a mission-driven team.

Responsibilities

Lead the drafting, review, negotiation, and execution of a broad range of agreements, including: Vendor and supplier agreements
Clinical trial site agreements and budgets
CRO, central lab, and other clinical services agreements
Consulting agreements and MSAs/SOWs
NDAs, MTAs, DTAs, and data privacy addenda
Provide practical guidance to internal stakeholders on contract structure, risk, and negotiation strategy.
Build and maintain contract templates, playbooks, and internal contracting workflows to improve speed, consistency, and compliance.
Partner closely with Clinical Operations and Development teams to support contracting for clinical trial startup and ongoing trial execution.
Manage contract lifecycle processes, including renewals, amendments, and documentation practices.
Support corporate compliance programs, policies, and training (e.g., code of conduct, anti-bribery, vendor compliance, records retention).
Assist with corporate governance matters (board materials, consents, and general corporate housekeeping) in partnership with external counsel.
Support legal aspects of insurance programs (D&O, general liability, cyber, etc.) alongside Finance.
Provide guidance on privacy and data protection obligations in vendor agreements (e.g., HIPAA where relevant, confidentiality, data security terms).
Help evaluate and implement scalable compliance systems as Latigo grows.
Serve as a trusted advisor to business teams, helping enable business goals while managing legal and operational risk.
Coordinate with and manage outside counsel as needed to support specialized matters (e.g., employment, IP, financing, litigation).
Contribute to building a lean, high-impact legal function that scales with the company.