Contracts Manager

About the Role

The Contracts Manager will work across functions and teams as a trusted partner to proactively manage the negotiation, execution, efficient tracking, and management of research and development contracts. This role requires the ability to independently draft, negotiate, and manage a variety of research and development contracts, as well as a broad understanding of life sciences and general business transactions and related legal issues.

We are building a modern, AI-enabled contracts function, and this role sits at the center of that effort. Beyond managing agreements, this role will help define what an AI-native contracts operation looks like; applying AI across the contract lifecycle, from intelligent intake and first-pass drafting to review, obligation tracking, and analytics while enabling stakeholders across the company to move quickly while ensure proper risk is mitigated through executed agreements. The right candidate brings an entrepreneurial mindset: they see contracts operations not as back-office administration, but as a strategic capability in building a world-class drug company.

Reporting to the Sr Director, Strategic Contracts and Procurement, the Contracts Manager will be responsible for efficiently leading a large volume and variety of contracts from platform capabilities, early drug discovery through to clinical enablement. This position will have high visibility across the organization and will require a proactive, positive, and professional approach.

Key Responsibilities

• Independently prepare, negotiate, and manage a wide variety of contracts related to the company's general business and Research and Development needs, including Master Service Agreements and associated work orders, License Agreements (including software license agreements and terms & conditions), Consulting Agreements, CDAs, and research collaboration agreements.
• Maintain and optimize the Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) platform, including system administration, workflow enhancements, AI-assisted review and drafting capabilities, user support, and reporting to improve contract visibility, compliance, and operational efficiency.
• Identify, pilot, and scale AI and automation tools (e.g., AI-assisted contract review, generative drafting, clause libraries, intelligent intake and self-service workflows) that reduce cycle times and free the team to focus on higher-value negotiation and risk work - always with appropriate human-in-the-loop and sound judgment.
• Stay current on the rapidly evolving legal AI landscape and bring forward practical recommendations for how emerging capabilities can improve the contracting experience for stakeholders.
• Use contract data and AI-driven analytics to surface insights such as cycle times, bottlenecks, common negotiation friction points, and obligation trends informing playbooks, templates, and continuous process improvement.
• Define and prioritize risks and communicate those risks to appropriate internal stakeholders for discussion and resolution.
• Escalate and coordinate legal or other issues to the appropriate internal stakeholders (i.e., research, operations, legal counsel, finance, etc.) to facilitate and resolve contractual issues.
• Identify legal risks and business exposures and collaborate with the relevant business teams to avoid and/or mitigate such risks.
• Manage contract workflow and collaborate with senior leaders to ensure efficient contract execution; suggest and implement new, more efficient processes as needed in coordination with the contracts management team.
• Prepare contract summaries leveraging AI tooling where appropriate to assure proper interpretation of contracts (e.g., milestones, obligations, deliverables, invoicing, etc.) and advise on the same.
• Champion stakeholder enablement: deliver contracts process training, build self-service resources, playbooks, and guidance regarding contractual rights and obligations, and serve as a trusted point of contact for contract-related questions.
• Maintain and update standardized forms, templates, and clause libraries; oversee the contract management system.
• Ensure consistency of contract terms with company policies, goals, and best practices to continuously enhance the contracting process.
• Ensure appropriate data management, repository hygiene, and lifecycle management of contracts, recognizing that clean, well-structured contract data is the foundation for analytics and AI-enabled operations.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 5+ years of experience in the life sciences industry drafting and negotiating a variety of contracts.
• Prior in-house experience as a member of a legal department in a biotech company or drafting and negotiating agreements in-house at a life sciences organization strongly preferred. JD from an accredited law school with less experience considered.
• Experience reviewing, drafting, and negotiating a broad range of agreements, including MSAs, CDAs, consulting agreements, software licenses, and data/dataset agreements; experience supporting contracts within the biotechnology or life sciences industry is highly beneficial.
• Genuine enthusiasm for AI-enabled legal technology — ideally hands-on experience with AI contract review, generative AI drafting assistants, or CLM automation — and an experimental mindset: someone who actively tests new tools, learns quickly, and knows where human expertise must remain in the loop.
• Entrepreneurial spirit: comfort with ambiguity, a bias toward action, and enthusiasm for building and improving processes rather than simply operating within them.
• Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects at once, drive execution, and meet critical deadlines.
• Ability to develop and maintain strong partnerships and demonstrate the expertise needed to collaborate with — and enable — internal stakeholders.
• Excellent judgment: ability to understand when and how to escalate open items during negotiations with leadership, partners, and key stakeholders.
• Track record of delivering in a fast-paced, innovative, dynamic environment while remaining flexible, proactive, resourceful, and efficient.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Google Workspace, DocuSign, NetSuite, Ironclad or equivalent Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) platforms, and other systems supporting contract administration, legal operations, and corporate governance; hands-on experience with AI-powered legal or productivity tools strongly preferred.
• Outstanding organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills — focus on accuracy of details in all contracts and the ability to think creatively to find common ground in contract negotiations.
• Strong team player with a willingness to jump in and support all functions as needed.

Compensation

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, seeking to provide an open, flexible, and friendly work environment to empower employees and provide them with a platform to develop their long-term careers. A Summary of Benefits is available for all applicants. We offer a competitive package that includes base salary, bonus, and equity.  The base pay range for this position is expected to be $124,000 - $155,000 annually; however, the base pay offered may vary depending on the market, job-related knowledge, skills and capabilities, and experience.
Xaira Therapeutics an equal-opportunity employer. We believe that our strength is in our differences. Our goal to build a diverse and inclusive team began on day one, and it will never end.
TO ALL RECRUITMENT AGENCIES: Xaira Therapeutics does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias or employees. Xaira Therapeutics is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.