Legal Operations Manager

Accountabilities:

• Manage the full contract lifecycle, including intake, drafting from approved templates, redlining, negotiation within established guidelines, approval routing, execution, and renewal tracking.
• Negotiate and manage vendor, consulting, nondisclosure, software, supply, and services agreements within defined authority.
• Coordinate clinical trial agreements, site budgets, and CRO contracts with Clinical Affairs and external legal counsel.
• Develop and maintain contract templates, playbooks, approval workflows, and signature authority documentation.
• Identify non-standard terms and material risks, escalating them to outside counsel with clear summaries and recommended next steps.
• Maintain corporate records, including board and committee minutes, consents, bylaws, and entity documentation.
• Prepare board materials and coordinate quarterly board meeting processes.
• Administer equity documentation in Carta, including option grant approvals, board consents, and 409A records, in collaboration with Finance and HR.
• Coordinate data rooms, diligence requests, and closing checklists for financing transactions.
• Manage outside counsel relationships, legal spend, and budget-to-actual reporting.
• Implement and administer a scalable contract lifecycle management system.
• Track intellectual property matters with patent counsel, including filings, deadlines, and invention disclosures.
• Coordinate policy records, employment agreements, state addenda, and regulatory documentation with relevant internal teams and legal advisors.
• Develop reporting on contract volume, cycle times, legal spend, and other legal operations metrics.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 5–8 years of experience in contracts, legal operations, corporate paralegal work, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating commercial agreements and exercising independent judgment within established guidelines.
• Working knowledge of corporate governance, equity administration, and financing processes.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a growing organization.
• Excellent written communication skills and the ability to communicate clearly with internal stakeholders and external counsel.
• High level of discretion and sound judgment when handling confidential and sensitive information.
• In-house experience within life sciences, medical technology, or a venture-backed organization is preferred.
• Paralegal certification or a contract management credential such as NCMA CCCM or WorldCC certification is preferred.
• Experience with clinical trial agreements, FDA-regulated environments, intellectual property, or patent support is advantageous.
• Hands-on experience with Carta, contract lifecycle management platforms, and electronic signature tools is preferred.
• Experience establishing legal processes and infrastructure within an early-stage company is a plus.
• Must be permanently authorized to work in the United States without current or future visa sponsorship.

Benefits:

• Anticipated salary range of $90,000–$110,000.
• Fully remote work arrangement.
• Potential bonus opportunities.
• Potential equity compensation.
• Company-sponsored benefits.
• Occasional in-person meetings or activities for employees located within reasonable commuting distance of the Santa Clara headquarters.
• Opportunity to establish and shape legal operations infrastructure as a first dedicated legal operations hire.
• Opportunity to work across contracts, corporate governance, compliance, intellectual property, and financing activities in a growing medical technology environment.