Senior Level Head of Legal Department Jobs

About Us…

Obsidian Therapeutics is pioneering engineered cell and gene therapies to deliver transformative outcomes for patients. Obsidian’s programs apply our cytoDRiVE® technology in Cell and Gene therapy products to control expression of proteins for enhanced therapeutic efficacy and safety. Obsidian’s lead program is currently in clinical development for the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. We’re proud of our diverse talented team and committed to cultivating an environment of inclusion where each person feels a strong sense of belonging and is supported to continuously learn and contribute their best work. Our Research team is based in the heart of Cambridge, MA, and Technical Operations team is based in our purpose built facility in Bedford, MA. Obsidianites enjoy a highly collaborative culture, competitive salary and benefits, and potential for ownership through stock options.

Our Opportunity...

We are seeking a Director, Contracts & Legal Operations to join our Legal team. As a newly public clinical stage company advancing toward potential commercialization, we are building the legal, operational and governance infrastructure needed for our next phase of growth. This is a highly visible, business-facing role at the intersection of Legal, Technical Operations, Clinical, Finance and other corporate functions. In this role you will own the company’s end to end contracting lifecycle and build the legal operations infrastructure needed for our next stage of growth. The ideal candidate is proactive, confident and direct. They work closely with business stakeholders, push issues to resolution, and use good judgment about when to escalate. Reports to the VP, Legal. As a member of our G&A team, you will be a vital part of a highly collaborative group working to unlock the promise of precision cell therapy for patients, starting with our lead program amsoki-cel (OBX-115), a novel engineered tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cell therapy that uses our proprietary cytoDRiVE® platform. This is a unique opportunity to be a valuable contributor in a well-funded clinical company with field-leading advisors, best-in-class partners, and an experienced team.

This is a Hybrid role based out of our Cambridge, MA location until Q2, 2027 when our Bedford, MA office space expands to become our single MA location

You Will...

Core responsibilities
- Own the end-to-end contract lifecycle, from intake through drafting, negotiation, execution and post-signature management.
- Draft, review and independently negotiate a broad range of agreements across the business, including CDAs, MSAs, SOWs, consulting, vendor, clinical, manufacturing, supply chain, quality and commercial agreements.
- Serve as the primary contracting partner to Technical Operations, Clinical Operations, Research, Commercial, Finance, and People, working directly with business stakeholders to understand objectives, drive negotiations and escalate material or novel issues as appropriate.
- Identify contractual, operational and business risks and propose practical, business-oriented solutions.
- Train and enable business users on contracting processes, templates and self-service tools.
- Assess and improve end-to-end contracting workflows and CLM processes in partnership with Finance, IT, and other stakeholders, including contract intake, purchase orders, approval and signature authority, and handoffs between contracting and spend management.
- Build and maintain templates, clause libraries, negotiation playbooks, fallback positions and approval matrices.
- Establish legal intake, prioritization, metrics and reporting.
- Track key obligations, milestones, renewals and notice requirements.
- Drive automation, AI adoption and process improvements across the Legal function.
- Support and, as appropriate, lead process design and improvement initiatives such as:
+ Commercial-readiness contracting and related process design
+ Operational support for public-company governance, including proxy and D&O questionnaire processes, and corporate records
+ Scaling legal processes as Obsidian moves toward commercialization

You Bring...

Core Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree and 12+ years of experience in contract management, legal operations or a related legal/commercial function.
- 5-8+ years of experience in the biotech, pharmaceutical or another regulated life-sciences industry.
- Substantial experience independently drafting and negotiating complex life sciences agreements, with meaningful experience supporting CDMO, CRO, ATC, supply chain, and/or technical operations strongly preferred.
- Hands-on CLM experience, including configuring workflows, templates and reporting.
- Track record of building or improving contracting processes, playbooks or legal operations infrastructure.
- Excellent planning, coordination, and time management skills.
- Excellent oral, written, and visual communication skills. You listen to understand and communicate effectively and persuasively with partners, colleagues, and leadership.
- Proactive ownership: takes initiative and moves work forward without waiting for direction.
- A confident and direct workstyle - communicates clearly with stakeholders at all levels and is comfortable pushing back when warranted.
- Business judgment: balances risk with business objectives and knows when to escalate.
- A builder mindset: does well where processes are still being designed and creates structure where none exists.
- Cultivates collaboration, transparency, and accountability within and across teams; recognizes success requires interdisciplinary thinking and partnership.
- Inspires confidence, credibility, and trust internally and externally; recognized for high integrity.
- Operates with Urgency, adept at building buy-in and driving alignment within and across teams, senior leadership, and external partners.
- Tenacious and resilient – has navigated significant challenges and is not easily daunted.
- Remains calm under pressure and leads others through complex situations.
- Seeks the data, information, and support needed (internally and externally) to make efficient and informed decisions and meet objectives.
- Continuous learner – actively follows innovations in area of expertise, fosters innovative thinking, and adopts novel approaches that are fit for purpose.
- Reflective and self-aware; operates with a growth mindset.

Bonus Qualifications

- Experience supporting commercialization or launch-readiness activities is highly preferred.
- Public-company experience supporting governance, proxy, equity or insider trading processes.
- Experience with AI-enabled contracting tools or workflow automation.

Obsidian is committed to equitable and transparent pay practices. The anticipated base salary range for this role is below. The actual base salary offered will be determined based on a combination of factors, including applicable qualifications, level of education, the depth of experience, unique skills, geographic location, internal equity, and/or business needs. The actual base salary offered will be in accordance with federal, state, and/or local wage requirements for the role’s location. Our competitive compensation package includes an annual incentive bonus as a percentage of actual base salary and long-term incentives in the form of employee stock options, both of which are commensurate with the role’s level. We also offer a generous benefits package which includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage; company contributions to health savings and retirement accounts; ample paid time off; access to wellness programs; and rich career growth opportunities.

Anticipated Base Salary Range
$198,000—$242,000 USD

Obsidian is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, cultivating a welcoming and diverse environment. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status or any other applicable legally protected characteristics.