Associate Director, Legal Operations & Contracts

About the Role >>> Associate Director, Legal Operations & Contracts 

As the Associate Director, Legal Operations & Contracts, reporting to the Vice President, Legal Counsel, you will serve as a strategic leader responsible for overseeing and scaling Olema's legal operations and contract management functions in partnership with the legal department’s leadership and IT enterprise systems, while also playing an integral part in the drafting, reviewing, and negotiating of a high volume of contracts. This role requires a balanced combination of operational leadership and hands-on contract management and negotiation expertise, with responsibility for driving legal department effectiveness while supporting the company's contracting needs across a broad range of business activities.   

You will lead the development and execution of the legal operations strategy, including process optimization, technology enablement, metrics and reporting, knowledge management, and vendor management. You will also oversee the end-to-end contract lifecycle, including drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and managing a broad range of commercial, research, clinical, and corporate agreements. 

As a trusted business partner, you will work independently and collaboratively across the organization to develop scalable processes, mitigate risk, improve efficiency, and support the company's continued growth.  

The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in legal operations, contract lifecycle management, and process improvement with strong leadership, communication, and relationship--building skills as well as experience independently drafting and negotiating corporate contracts. This individual is highly organized, technology-savvy, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced biotechnology environment. 

This role is based in our San Francisco or Boston office and will require approximately 10% travel. 

Your work will primarily encompass: 

• Lead and oversee the legal operations function, including strategic planning, process optimization, technology enablement, contract lifecycle management, knowledge management, vendor management, and other initiatives that enhance legal department effectiveness and scalability. 
• Manage and develop at least one direct report, providing coaching, mentorship, performance management, and career development while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence. 
• Own and continuously improve legal department processes, systems, workflows, policies, procedures, playbooks, training materials, and governance frameworks to support efficient and scalable operations. 
• Serve as the business owner and subject matter expert for legal technology solutions, including contract lifecycle management systems (e.g., Agiloft), driving adoption, optimization, reporting, and data integrity. 
• Establish, track, analyze, and report key performance indicators (KPIs), metrics, and dashboards to support decision-making, resource planning, and continuous improvement. 
• Lead cross-functional projects and change management initiatives that improve contracting efficiency, legal service delivery, and alignment with business objectives. 
• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage a broad range of agreements, including confidentiality agreements, consulting and service agreements, statements of work, vendor agreements, and other commercial contracts. 
• Serve as a primary escalation point for  contracting process issues, and stakeholder inquiries, partnering with internal legal counsel and external advisors as needed. 
• Partner with business stakeholders to identify contractual risks, develop practical mitigation strategies, and ensure contractual terms align with company policies, risk tolerances, and legal guidance. 
• Oversee the end-to-end contract lifecycle from intake through execution, ensuring timely review, compliance with applicable laws and regulations (including GDPR and HIPAA), and adherence to service-level expectations. 
• Lead the development and maintenance of contract templates, clause libraries, negotiation playbooks, and contracting standards to drive consistency, efficiency, and risk management. 
• Collaborate closely with Commercial, Research, Development, Clinical, Technical Operations, Finance, Human Resources, IT, and other functions to support business objectives while appropriately managing legal risk. 

Ideal Candidate Profile >>> 

A love of challenging, important work. We are a pragmatic team, driven to imagine and develop meaningful therapies for improving lives. All employees within our company play a unique and crucial role in our success, both in accomplishing our mission and building a positive company culture. As such, we are looking for someone with the right combination of knowledge, experience, and attributes for this role. 

Knowledge and Experience: 

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Legal operations, contract management, project management, or related professional certifications desired (e.g., CLOC, PMP are preferred). 
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in legal operations, contract management, or legal project management. 
• Minimum of 3 years of people leadership experience, including direct management, coaching, and development of team members. 
• Demonstrated success leading legal operations functions, including process optimization, technology implementation, contract lifecycle management and metrics development. 
• Significant experience drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and managing a broad range of commercial, research, clinical, and vendor agreements. 
• In-house experience within biotechnology, pharmaceutical, life sciences, or another highly regulated industry is strongly preferred. 
• Experience implementing, administering, and optimizing contract lifecycle management systems (Agiloft preferred; open to candidates with experience across other CLM platforms) and other legal technology platforms (Prendio, Docusign). 
• Proven ability to drive cross-functional initiatives, and partner effectively with senior leadership. 
• Familiarity and comfort with leveraging AI tools desired. 
• Working knowledge of drug discovery, clinical development, commercialization processes and associated contracting requirements preferred. 

Attributes: 

• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and process-driven. 
• Proactive, pragmatic, and solutions oriented. 
• Strong collaborator with the ability to influence cross-functional teams. 
• Comfortable operating in a growing, fast-paced biotech environment. 
• High level of integrity and discretion. 
• Flexible and willing to learn new procedures and skill sets. 

The base pay range for this position is expected to be $170,000 - $190,000 annually; however, the base pay offered may vary depending on location, market, job related knowledge, skills and capabilities, and experience. The total compensation package for this position also includes equity, bonus, and benefits.

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