Position Title: Director, Contracts and Transactions Counsel 

Department: Legal  

Reports To: Vice President, Corporate Law and Head of Transactions 

Location: South San Francisco, CA or Princeton, NJ – On-site 4 days per week (Mon to Thurs) 

Job Overview  

Kardigan is seeking an experienced Director, Contracts and Transactions Counsel. This will be a strategic legal role responsible for providing comprehensive legal guidance on commercial transactions and contracts management. This person will serve as a key legal advisor to support business leaders in navigating complex commercial relationships while supporting the company to meet its objectives. 

This single role can be based in either Princeton, NJ or South San Francisco, CA, and reports to the Vice President, Corporate Law and Head of Transactions.  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities   

Contract Negotiations 

• Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of agreements, including master services agreements, license agreements, supply agreements, manufacturing agreements, quality agreements, sponsored research agreements, clinical trial agreements, material transfer agreements, and other agreements. 

• Provide strategic guidance on transaction structure and contract terms to optimize business outcomes while managing legal risk. 

• Develop and maintain contract templates, playbooks, and standardized contract terms. 

Risk Management & Compliance 

• Identify and mitigate legal risks in business operations and commercial relationships. 

• Update and improve contract policies and procedures. 

• Train business teams on contract policies, procedures, risk management, and other legal practices. 

Legal Operations and Technology 

• Evaluate and implement legal technology solutions to improve efficiency and effectiveness such as contract lifecycle management system. 

• Establish metrics and reporting systems to track efficiencies and effectiveness of contracting procedures and other legal practices. 

• Manage outside legal consultants and counsels for specialized matters and overflow work. 

Stakeholder Management 

• Collaborate with and support business development, research, and other functions to identify and address legal considerations in new business opportunities. 

• Provide strategic advice and counseling in connection with management of collaborations with collaborators, licensees, and other external partners. 

• Serve as a legal liaison to the company. 

Qualifications and Preferred Skills

• JD degree from an accredited law school with admission to practice law. 

• A minimum of 7 years of legal experience with a mix of leading law firm and in-house experience at innovative pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or medical device companies with a focus on a broad array of transaction related agreements including clinical trial agreements, manufacturing and supply chain agreements.   

• Expertise in drafting and negotiating complex agreements. 

• Experience providing legal counsel for managing external business relationships and collaborations, supporting alliance management and potential business development matters. 

• Key understanding of intellectual property and privacy and data protection laws as they relate to contracts and agreements, and the ability to work closely with internal and external IP counsel. 

• Knowledge of healthcare, FDA regulations, and other relevant laws applicable to life science business transactions. 

• Demonstrated ability to connect the dots across functional areas, identifying how legal issues in one domain may impact other business operations. 

• Strong systems thinking approach to understand complex interdependencies and anticipated downstream effects of legal or business decisions. 

• Proven track record of translating complex legal concepts into practical business implications.