Senior Contracts Manager

Position Summary:

The Senior Contracts Manager is responsible for comprehensive support of the organization’s commercial and general and administrative (G&A) contracting program, including the review, drafting, negotiation, and administration of a broad range of commercial and operational agreements. These include master services agreements, confidentiality agreements, consulting agreements, statements of work, and related contracts.

In addition to contract execution, this role contributes to the development and ongoing maturation of contracting processes, templates, and workflows, partnering closely with Commercial, Medical Affairs, Finance, Procurement, and other stakeholders to ensure contracts strategically support the business needs. Work can be based at Crinetics’ headquarters in San Diego or remote.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:

These may include but are not limited to:

• Collaborate with Compliance and other internal stakeholders to implement and manage documentation and administrative processes for review and approval of Commercial, Legal, Compliance and Medical Affairs activities under the direction of Executive Director & Associate General Counsel, Commercial Legal.
• Support Commercial and Medical Affairs initiatives through ad hoc legal research, cross-functional collaboration, and other related responsibilities, as assigned.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and execute a broad range of contracts supporting diverse business transactions.
• Lead contract negotiations, including reviewing and coordinating stakeholder input on redlines to ensure appropriate review and approval by business, Finance, Compliance, IP, and other relevant partners.
• Ensure contractual terms and conditions are consistent with Crinetics policies, standards, and established guidance. 
• Exercise sound judgment to identify contract issues, decisions, or other matters impacting agreements that require escalation, and coordinate with appropriate stakeholders, including Legal, Finance, Compliance, and business partners.
• Act as point of contact for all contract requesters’ queries relating to submission of their contract requests.
• Oversee contract execution, including maintaining accurate records and facilitating internal and external distribution.
• Support and partner in the development, enhancement, and maintenance of contract templates and playbooks.
• Provide guidance to contract requestors and business stakeholders on intake requirements, contracting processes, and system navigation.
• Contribute to the development of training materials, documentation, and process improvements to support efficient contracting practices.
• Support the ongoing development and maturity of the organization’s contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems by contributing to the design, implementation, and refinement of contract workflows.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience:

Required:

• Paralegal with 16 years of relevant experience, or Paralegal and Bachelor’s degree in a related field with 12 years of relevant experience in contracts and providing direct legal support in pharmaceutical/biotech industry required.
• Experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide range of vendor-facing commercial agreements.
• Experience using and navigating centralized contract lifecycle management (CLM) system, including intake, workflow routing, document management, and reporting functionality.
• Strong organizational skills demonstrated across a range of supplier and commercial contexts.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, project coordination, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think strategically when negotiating complex financial and business-critical contractual terms, assess risk in real time, and mitigate potential liabilities to the company.
• Ability to rapidly establish credibility and work collaboratively across various Commercial Legal contexts with a broad range of individuals.
• Attention to detail and high level of accuracy.

Desired:

• Completion of an ABA-approved paralegal certificate program preferred, demonstrating formal legal training and experience supporting commercial transactions in a regulated environment.
• Prior experience overseeing, administering, or reviewing commercial materials and communication for internal and external use in accordance with applicable laws, regulations and industry standards.
• Experience using Ironclad or a similar CLM system, with a working understanding of workflow design, system functionality, and end-to-end contract lifecycle management.

Salary Range

In addition to your base pay, our total rewards program consists of a discretionary annual target bonus, stock options, ESPP, and 401k match. We also provide top-notch health insurance plans for employees (and their families) to include medical, dental, vision and basic life insurance, 20 days of PTO, 10 paid holidays, and a winter company shutdown.