Senior Paralegal/Senior Contracts Manager

Job Title:           Senior Paralegal/Senior Contracts Manager

Location:          Hybrid – Menlo Park, CA.  Onsite 3 days/week

Role Overview:

Our Senior Paralegal/Senior Contracts Manager will play a key role in managing day-to-day contracts and supporting a wide range of legal matters for a growing public biopharma company. This position is ideal for a proactive, highly organized professional who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. The ideal candidate will bring experience supporting small to mid-size legal departments, preferably within the life sciences industry, and be comfortable working across multiple projects with minimal supervision.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage the full contracts lifecycle, including intake, review, negotiation support, execution, and archiving.
• Maintain and enhance contract management systems, tracking key dates, renewals, obligations, and reporting metrics as needed.
• Lead the continued development of the contract management system, including optimizing workflow, implementing process improvements, and partnering cross-functionally to enhance contracts operations.
• Draft and review routine agreements, such as confidentiality agreements, clinical trial agreements, amendments, and statements of work.
• Serve as a key liaison with internal teams, ensuring timely contract execution and providing guidance on legal processes and requirements.
• Support corporate governance matters, including maintaining corporate records, board materials, and managing state filings.
• Assist with public company obligations, including securities filings, compliance initiatives, and corporate policies.
• Help other legal functions such as IP as needed.
• Contribute to special projects and provide additional legal support as assigned. 

 Qualifications: 

• Education: Bachelor’s degree required; paralegal certificate or equivalent preferred.
• Experience: 5–7+ years of paralegal or contracts management experience, with prior work in life sciences or biopharma strongly preferred; public company experience a plus.
• Skills & Competencies:
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and proactively manage competing priorities.
• Familiarity with contract management systems (SharePoint or similar).
• Strong business acumen and ability to partner effectively with cross-functional stakeholders.

Compensation:

• An appropriate financial package will be developed for the successful candidate to include a competitive base salary and equity, with a performance-related bonus opportunity.
• The anticipated salary range is $161,000 - $187,000. The final salary offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to the type and length of experience within the job, type and length of experience within the industry, education, etc. Oruka is a multi-state employer and this salary range may not reflect positions that work in other states.