Contracts Manager

About Xaira Therapeutics Xaira is an innovative biotech startup focused on leveraging AI to transform drug discovery and development. The company is leading the development of generative AI models to design protein and antibody therapeutics, enabling the creation of medicines against historically hard-to-drug molecular targets. It is also developing foundation models for biology and disease to enable better target elucidation and patient stratification. Collectively, these technologies aim to continually enable the identification of novel therapies and to improve success in drug development. Xaira is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and London. 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. Reporting to the Sr Director, Strategic Contracts and Procurement, the Contracts Manager will be responsible for efficiently managing a large volume and variety of contracts. This position will have high visibility across the organization and will require a pro-active, 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, user support, and reporting to improve contract visibility, compliance, and operational efficiency. Define and prioritize risks and be able to 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; and suggest and implement new / more efficient processes as needed in coordination with the contracts management team. Prepare contract summaries to assure proper interpretation of contracts (e.g., milestones, obligations, deliverables, invoicing etc.) and advise on the same. Manage internal stakeholders including: contracts process training, guidance to stakeholders regarding contractual rights and obligations, serve as point of contact for contract related questions Maintain and update standardized forms and templates, oversee contract management system. Ensure consistency of contract terms with company policies and goals and best practices to enhance the contracting process. Ensure appropriate data management, repository, and life cycle management of contracts. 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 with