Vice President, Head of Legal

Superluminal Medicines • Boston, MA

19h

About The Position

Superluminal Medicines is seeking a Vice President, Head of Legal to provide strategic and practical legal counsel as the company grows. Reporting to the CFO, this highly visible, hands-on leadership role partners closely with the executive leadership team and Board of Directors across corporate, intellectual property, employment, governance, compliance, transactional, and other legal matters. The role will establish and scale the company’s legal capabilities, determine which work is managed internally versus through external counsel, and build legal infrastructure as the company’s needs evolve.

The successful candidate will bring strong technical legal expertise, sound business judgment, and excellent communication skills. They will be comfortable in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment, moving between strategic matters and detailed execution, and balancing thoughtful risk management with the need to move quickly. The role is particularly suited to an experienced in-house life sciences attorney who has supported companies through significant growth, financings, strategic transactions, and evolving corporate governance requirements.

The position leads or supports corporate governance and corporate matters; commercial agreements and business advice; intellectual property and life sciences matters; development of the legal function; employment and people matters; legal, compliance, and risk management; and significant transactions and strategic initiatives. The annual base salary range is $315,000–$357,000, with bonus and equity opportunities in addition to benefits.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
• Active license to practice law and good standing with at least one U.S. state bar or the District of Columbia.
• 10–15+ years of relevant legal experience, with significant experience supporting life sciences, biotechnology, or pharmaceutical companies.
• Experience with in-house legal leadership, ideally within a growth-stage life sciences company.
• Experience across corporate, commercial, and general legal matters, serving as a strategic legal partner to the business.
• Experience with corporate governance, commercial transactions, securities, and other strategic legal matters.
• Experience advising CEOs, CFOs, executive teams, and Boards of Directors.
• Experience managing outside counsel and establishing or scaling legal processes and infrastructure.
• Experience supporting significant corporate milestones, financings, strategic transactions, and evolving governance requirements.
• Experience working with external legal and business advisors on complex corporate transactions and strategic matters.
• Experience with intellectual property, licensing, collaborations, and research-related agreements in a life sciences environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience navigating complex securities, disclosure, and corporate governance matters in a private or public company environment is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior legal advisor to the CEO, executive leadership team, and Board of Directors.
• Lead corporate governance matters, including Board and committee support, corporate records, resolutions, minutes, and governance policies; establish practices and processes as the company grows.
• Advise on corporate structure, capitalization, equity matters, securities, corporate communications, disclosures, and other corporate matters in partnership with Finance and external advisors.
• Support corporate milestones, financings, strategic initiatives, and other corporate transactions; monitor relevant laws and regulations and advise leadership on their implications.
• Advise the business on commercial, operational, and other legal matters, including negotiation of strategic collaborations, licensing arrangements, research agreements, and significant contracts.
• Provide guidance on contract terms, risk allocation, negotiation strategy, and approval of material agreements; develop templates, playbooks, and guidance for recurring legal matters.
• Partner with Contract Management and business stakeholders to set escalation points and ensure legal review of material or higher-risk agreements.
• Partner with scientific, clinical, and business development teams on intellectual property and related matters, including matters associated with clinical development, research, vendors, investigators, collaborations, and development activities.
• Work with external IP counsel to protect and manage the company’s intellectual property portfolio; advise on confidentiality, data ownership, publications, research collaborations, and scientific assets.
• Establish the legal operating model and roadmap for expanding the legal function; develop scalable processes for corporate records, Board materials, entity management, legal spend, and outside counsel.
• Develop legal policies, processes, templates, and approval authorities; select, manage, and develop external legal partners; establish legal technology and knowledge-management infrastructure; build an internal legal team as business needs warrant.
• Partner with the Head of HR and executive leadership on employment agreements, executive arrangements, employee relations, workforce changes, policies, and other employment matters.
• Develop and evolve legal and compliance policies, processes, training, and controls; partner with internal functions and external advisors on legal and regulatory risk management.
• Advise leadership on securities law, insider trading, materiality, disclosure, and legal considerations relevant to corporate communications and transactions; support disclosure, document retention, and internal-control processes.
• Identify emerging legal and compliance risks and provide practical recommendations; support insurance and other corporate risk matters with Finance and Operations.
• Lead or support legal work for financings, strategic partnerships, licensing transactions, acquisitions, divestitures, and other significant transactions; lead or support diligence and coordinate internal stakeholders and external advisors.
• Provide commercially oriented recommendations to senior leadership on transaction structure, legal risk, and execution, while supporting complex and time-sensitive strategic initiatives.

Benefits

• Bonus and equity opportunities.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance; the company covers employees’ annual deductibles and monthly premiums.
• 401(k) match program.
• Massachusetts transportation subsidy.
• Unlimited paid time off.
• Disability insurance.
• Life insurance.

What This Job Offers

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