Senior Legal Contract Manager (US)
About The Position
The Senior Legal Contract Manager supports sponsor relationships by reviewing, negotiating, and managing complex commercial contracts. The role balances business objectives with legal and operational considerations and structures agreements to support successful partnerships and execution. Working collaboratively with Legal, Finance, Business Development, Operations, Therapeutic Leaders, and senior stakeholders, this position serves as a key contact during sponsor negotiations. The Senior Legal Contract Manager independently manages high-impact contract matters, identifies risks, proposes practical solutions, and drives contracts from intake through execution. The role also contributes to contracting strategies and improvements to processes, templates, and standards. This is a remote role open to candidates based in the United States, with collaboration across global teams and multiple time zones.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Legal Studies, Contracts Management, Healthcare Administration, Life Sciences, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
- At least 5 years of experience reviewing, negotiating, and managing commercial contracts, including at least 3 years supporting sponsor-facing contracts within CRO, clinical research, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, or life sciences environments.
- Demonstrated experience independently managing MSAs, sponsor-provided templates, CDAs, amendments, contract notices, and other commercial agreements.
- Strong understanding of legal and commercial contracting principles, including risk assessment, contract negotiation, and issue resolution.
- Experience applying contract playbooks, guidance documents, standard clauses, and approved fallback positions with sound judgment and appropriate escalation.
- Ability to collaborate with sponsors and cross-functional stakeholders to drive alignment, resolve issues, and move contracts to completion.
- Proficiency with contract management systems, Salesforce, Microsoft Word redlining, Excel tracking tools, and document-management processes.
- Proficiency in English.
Nice To Haves
- Juris Doctor (JD) preferred.
Responsibilities
- Review, negotiate, and manage Master Services Agreements (MSAs), sponsor-provided contract templates, amendments, and other sponsor-facing agreements.
- Draft, revise, and negotiate Confidential Disclosure Agreements (CDAs), contract notices, and ad hoc commercial contracts.
- Identify legal, operational, financial, regulatory, and commercial risks; recommend practical solutions and escalate higher-risk matters when appropriate.
- Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure contract language reflects agreed scopes of work, budgets, timelines, payment terms, and sponsor requirements.
- Lead and participate in sponsor negotiations and contract discussions, communicate company positions, and drive resolution of open issues.
- Manage the full contract lifecycle, including intake, prioritization, negotiation, internal approvals, execution, and recordkeeping.
- Evaluate the business impact of contract terms and support decisions related to revenue, payment structures, deliverables, and operational commitments.
- Maintain accurate contract documentation, status reporting, and records across contract management, finance, and CRM systems.
- Recommend enhancements to templates, playbooks, workflows, and contracting standards to improve efficiency, consistency, and quality.
Benefits
- Competitive benefits package, depending on location.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
