Senior Contracts Attorney
Synthego
Summary
The Senior Contracts Attorney provides commercial legal support across all contract and transactional aspects of the business, working closely with business teams to contribute to the company's financial and operational success. Reporting directly to the Chief Legal Officer, this role operates with significant autonomy and manages the company's contract database.
Job description
What You'll Do
- Serve as a direct legal advisor to all business units regarding corporate, commercial, transactional, and contract matters
- Draft, review, negotiate, and execute a broad range of commercial agreements including GMP supply agreements, technology license and sublicense agreements, quality technical agreements, OEM and distribution agreements, master services agreements, confidentiality agreements, consulting agreements, leases, and vendor agreements
- Own end-to-end deal management for biopharma, CDMO, academic, and institutional counterparties
- Partner with QA/QC on Quality Technical Agreements for GMP customer engagements
- Identify and communicate legal and commercial risk to internal stakeholders and provide guidance for resolution
- Build and maintain contract templates and the internal contract management system
- Participate in commercial negotiations with internal clients and third parties
- Assist with and/or manage intellectual property related issues as needed such as TM management and freedom-to-operate inquiries
- Manage performance related metrics related to the legal contracts function including legal intake and contract turn around metrics
- Strategically manage and facilitate resolution of complex matters, both within and outside of the company
- Exemplify leadership, ethical advocacy and serve as a trusted subject matter resource to colleagues
- Manage competing priorities and communicate effectively with stakeholders
About You
- Juris Doctor (JD) degree; science background preferred
- Minimum 6+ years of transactional and contract drafting and negotiating experience at a law firm and/or life sciences company
- Member in good standing of a state bar association; California Bar preferred
- Experience with GMP agreements, quality technical agreements, and technology licensing preferred
- Able to manage a high-volume workload independently and exercise sound judgment, including knowing when to elevate issues
- Works effectively with all levels of the organization
- Experience with intellectual property concepts including patent law
Soft Skills
Strategic judgment, problem solving, strong written and verbal communications, diplomacy, teamwork and collaboration, high attention to detail, self-starter, ability to prioritize, organizational skills, adaptability, ability to manage and use outside counsel resources strategically, ability to navigate conflict effectively
Additional Information
- Hybrid or remote (with internal approval) position with periodic travel as required
- Position may require flexibility in working hours to support deal timelines
Requirements
- Juris Doctor (JD) degree
- Minimum 6+ years of transactional and contract drafting and negotiating experience at a law firm and/or life sciences company
- Member in good standing of a state bar association
- Experience with intellectual property concepts including patent law
- Able to manage a high-volume workload independently and exercise sound judgment
- Works effectively with all levels of the organization
Company overview
Synthego is a leading biotechnology company specializing in genome engineering and CRISPR-based solutions. Founded in 2012, the company has established itself as a pioneer in providing synthetic RNA and CRISPR tools for research and therapeutic applications. Synthego's core technology platform enables precise genome editing through engineered guide RNAs and synthetic biology approaches. The company offers a comprehensive suite of products and services including CRISPR kits, synthetic guide RNAs, and bioinformatics software that streamline genome editing workflows for academic and industrial researchers. Synthego's innovations have significantly accelerated genetic research by making CRISPR technology more accessible, reliable, and scalable. The company serves a global customer base across pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and biotechnology firms, supporting drug discovery, functional genomics, and therapeutic development. With its focus on automation and high-throughput capabilities, Synthego continues to advance the field of precision genome engineering.