Life Sciences Contracts Attorney (fractional)

The Chordoma Foundation is a patient-driven research and drug development organization working to improve treatment options and outcomes for people affected by the rare bone cancer, chordoma. Through end-to-end research-enabling infrastructure, strategic research investments, and a first-of-its-kind in-house laboratory, we are advancing a diverse and growing therapeutic pipeline with a sense of urgency driven by the families we serve. To drive therapy development with the speed and efficiency our mission demands, we are now seeking a fractional life sciences contracts attorney to facilitate rapid execution of agreements in support of projects across the entire R&D continuum. This includes contracts related to incoming/outgoing distribution of disease models, biospecimens, research grants, preclinical evaluation of investigational drugs, and collaborations with academic and industry partners.

Position Overview

• Remote, contract position with estimated time commitment of 5-10 hours per week
• Reports to the Chief Scientific Officer
• Preferred start date is May 2026

Responsibilities

• Proactively negotiate and drive execution of a wide variety of research-related contracts, including grant agreements, material transfer agreements (incoming and outgoing), licensing and collaboration agreements, confidentiality agreements, master service agreements, and sponsored research agreements
• Identify risks or other legal issues in contracts and propose solutions aligned with our contracts playbook
• Ensure consistency of contract terms with our philosophy, policies, research strategy, and upstream agreements
• Develop appropriate context for contract negotiations by participating in meetings with external stakeholders and research partners
• As needed, consult or coordinate with external legal counsel on complex issues
• Maintain and update standardized forms, templates, and internal documentation, including our contracts playbook
• Ensure orderly storage, accurate coding, and appropriate life cycle management of contracts in our CRM (Salesforce) and file management system (Box)

Required Qualifications

• JD from an accredited law school plus at least 5 years of experience with technology transactions in the life sciences industry or academic technology transfer office, including reviewing, drafting, and negotiating a variety of contracts
• Demonstrated ability to drive fast and efficient negotiation and execution of multiple contracts concurrently
• Outstanding judgment, including the ability to make decisions and craft contracts that align with our policies, needs, and priorities, as well as those of our collaborators
• Exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, including fast response times
• Excellent attention to detail in contracts, documentation, and communication
• Highly capable and comfortable using modern SaaS tools to promote efficiency and enable seamless collaboration with our team