Associate Director/Director, Contracts and Alliances

Calico Life Sciences

$215K — $260K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree required, Ph.D. or JD preferred
  • 5-7 years in contracts negotiation/management or business development
  • Direct experience negotiating R&D agreements in healthcare or life sciences
  • Proven track record of establishing R&D collaborations
  • Proficient in IP terms and material transfer dynamics
  • Strong communication, decision-making, and analytical skills
  • Willingness to work onsite at least 4 days a week

Responsibilities

  • Draft, negotiate, and finalize a variety of agreements including SRAs, CDAs, MTAs, and consulting agreements
  • Act as the main business/contracts liaison for scientific collaborations
  • Collaborate with legal counsel to mitigate risk and ensure compliance
  • Streamline internal workflows among leadership, R&D, and finance
  • Enhance contract templates and operational workflows for efficiency

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work closely with high-caliber scientists and researchers
  • Engagement in impactful R&D collaborations
  • Access to professional development and mentorship
  • Chance to refine negotiation skills in a dynamic environment
  • Involvement in improving processes within a business development team
Full Job Description
Position Description:

Calico is seeking an exceptional and experienced individual to provide business and contractual support for Calico's external collaborations and internal research activities. This role will be responsible for working closely with Calico scientists and external academic and industry collaborators, to lead and negotiate a wide variety of agreements in support of Calico's research and development programs, with assistance as needed from Calico's legal and Intellectual Property (IP) counsel. Agreements include, but are not limited to, sponsored research agreements, licenses, CDAs, material transfer agreements, master services agreements, development and manufacturing service agreements, consulting agreements, software agreements and related amendments. Additionally, this role would also support a number of active research collaborations. Within the Business Development group, this individual will expect to collaborate closely with several internal groups, including Senior Leadership, Senior R&D staff, Alliance Management, Finance, CMC and project teams, in support of Calico's corporate goals.

Key Responsibilities:
  • Draft, negotiate, and finalize a broad spectrum of agreements, including Sponsored Research Agreements (SRAs), CDAs, MTAs, Licenses (data, software, materials), MSAs, CDMO/manufacturing contracts, and consulting agreements
  • Serve as a primary business/contracts liaison for active scientific collaborations, ensuring contractual alignment with program milestones and partner commitments
  • Collaborate closely with legal/IP counsel to identify risk, protect Calico's intellectual property, and ensure regulatory and corporate compliance
  • Work seamlessly with Senior Leadership, Senior R&D staff, Alliance Management, Finance, CMC, and scientific project teams to streamline internal approval workflows and facilitate contract lifecycle management
  • Drive continuous improvement of contract templates and operational workflows to increase efficiency across the BD group

Position Requirements:
  • Bachelor's Degree required, Ph.D. or JD is a plus
  • Applicants must have extensive industry or academic/institutional experience with a minimum of 5 (Associate Director) or 7 (Director) years of experience in contracts negotiation/management or business development roles that require working closely with current and/or prospective partners
  • Direct experience negotiating a variety of R&D agreements within a research-focused healthcare or life sciences environment
  • Track record of successfully and efficiently establishing and supporting R&D collaborations
  • Proficiency in IP terms and material transfer dynamics is essential
  • Exceptional communication, independent decision-making and analytical skills, proven ability to deliver on and manage multiple fast-moving priorities, as well as building both internal and external relationships with scientific stakeholders
  • Must be willing to work onsite at least 4 days a week

The estimated base salary range for this role is $215,000 - $260,000. Actual pay will be based on a number of factors including experience and qualifications. This position is also eligible for two annual cash bonuses.

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