Contracts Manager - Sana Biotechnology

About the role

Sana Biotechnology is growing, and we are hiring new team members who believe in the potential of engineered cells as medicines, who are passionate about delivering the possible to patients, and who lead with the desire to work on novel ideas.  In this role, you will support the company’s contracting activities.  The primary focus of this role is to provide legal contracting support with the guidance of Contracts Counsel for Sana’s research, manufacturing, and clinical activities as well as general business, operational and organization-wide contracting support.  Additional responsibilities include interfacing with members of Finance, Purchasing, IT, and the People Team to develop and improve contract processes/templates, managing contract-related information and data with a view to contract lifecycle management (CLM), and assisting with maintenance and improvement of CLM software. 

What you’ll do

• Reviewing, drafting and negotiating a wide range of contracts with external parties to support the company’s research & development and general business operations, including confidentiality agreements, vendor and service agreements, statements of work, personnel-related contracts, consulting and advisory board agreements, license agreements, software and data-related agreements, amendments and change orders;
• Working with contract requesters with guidance from Contracts Counsel to review and improve legal and business terms of contracts;
• Managing, updating, and maintaining contract templates and contract ‘playbook’ language;
• Preparing contract training materials and training stakeholders in their use;
• Act as a point of contact for internal stakeholders such as clinical development, business development, finance, research, CMC and external contract specialists on contract matters;
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date contract records and documentation in accordance with Sana processes in the CLM system (Agiloft), and escalate issues to Contracts Counsel;
• Manage contract lifecycle, including processing contracts through execution, running CLM reporting, tracking expiration dates, and proactively consulting internal business partners about contract renewals;
• Working with stakeholders in the IT and Legal groups to implement, improve, maintain, and train end-users on, the CLM system;
• Continuously assess and provide recommendations to optimize the contract management processes to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and overall effectiveness
• Providing sound guidance and education to employees with support from Contracts Counsel on contract matters, including contractual obligations, the contract process, and Sana’s contractual standards;
• Consult with subject matter experts (e.g. IP, Regulatory, Quality, Compliance, IT) on contract terms; and
• Managing special projects as needed, including compliance initiatives, implementation of contract process changes, and development of contracting standards.

What we’re looking for

• Bachelor’s degree required;
• JD or 7+ years of professional experience as a paralegal/contracts manager;
• 4+ years of experience reviewing, drafting and negotiating the legal provisions of contracts in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry, including confidentiality agreements, vendor and service agreements, statements of work, personnel-related contracts, consulting and advisory board agreements, license agreements, software and data-related agreements, amendments and change orders;
• Familiarity with CLM software (Agiloft);
• Ability to understand and analyze legal contractual terms, accurately identify and assess the risks in a business arrangement, make decisions with respect to contract content that are in alignment with Sana’s risk tolerance and contracting standards, and offer a practical, business-minded approach to contract negotiation;
• Personable collaborator who can work successfully and build relationships with internal stakeholders and external parties to achieve business goals while managing risk;
• Ability to work independently and negotiate contracts with or without a playbook;
• Flexible and adaptable to shifting deadlines and priorities; able to effectively prioritize and manage a large volume of contract assignments;
• Analytical thinker with enough creativity to synthesize new solutions to old problems;
• Strong organizational and administrative skills;
• Commitment to integrity and ethical conduct and ability to handle confidential and proprietary information with discretion;
• Must have attention to detail and excellent drafting skills; and
• Effective and professional verbal and written communication skills.
  
  

What will separate you from the crowd

• Experience as a Contracts Manager in a clinical and commercial phase biotechnology or pharmaceutical company;
• Experience using and managing CLM software as a legal end-user;
• Experience implementing GDPR and other data privacy law compliance processes;
• Experience negotiating contracts related to clinical and scientific advisory boards; and
• Basic familiarity and experience drafting and negotiating contracts with health care providers (HCPs) and health care organizations (HCOs).
• Experience as a corporate and securities paralegal

What you should know 

• Less than 5% travel anticipated
• The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $130,000 and $165,000/year; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience

How we work together for patients

• Lead from every seat – we seek to understand, act with honesty, and engage in the crucial conversations
• Thrive as a team – we hire amazing people, are intensely curious, and cultivate inclusion and personal connectivity
• Make it happen – we value vigorous debate, alignment around our decisions, and resilient execution 

Get to know us

At Sana, we believe that a diverse workforce strengthens us as a company and helps us to achieve our mission to meaningfully change the outcome of many human diseases. This belief is a pillar of our business and is critical to our success. Our goal is that Sana is the place for talented people to bring their authentic selves to work, to have a great career and to deeply, positively impact patients.

Core to our values, we believe there is nothing more important than the health and wellness of you and your family. For benefit eligible employees, we cover 100% of the cost for employee health coverage and offer generous time-off (various paid time off benefits, such as holidays, vacation, sick time, and parental leave), short- and long-term disability, employer paid basic life insurance, additional voluntary life insurance protection, financial wellness programs including financial planning resources, a 401(k) Plan with an immediately vested employer match, Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Repayment, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, commuter subsidy and a variety of wellness offerings to support each person individually.  For more details on our benefits, visit Sana’s Benefits Portal.

We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental or sensory disability (including the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability), genetic information, actual or perceived HIV or Hepatitis C infection, medical condition (cancer or a record or history of cancer and genetic characteristics), marital status, sexual orientation, sexual preference, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), disability, veteran status, political ideology, social class (including caste/caste identity), taking or requesting statutorily protected leave, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

To perform this job successfully, you must be able to perform each job responsibility satisfactorily. The job description listed above is representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required for this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions described above.