Corporate Counsel

Corporate Counsel

Affinia Therapeutics is an innovative gene therapy company with a vision to create a paradigm shift by broadening the reach of gene therapy to prevalent diseases. Our proprietary Affinia Rationally-designed Therapies (ART) platform was created to address key efficacy, safety, and cost of goods limitations of conventional gene therapies. We are backed by a strong syndicate of life science investors. Our purpose is to have a dramatic impact on the lives of patients around the world.

You will play a key role in shaping our culture and embodying our values of integrity, passion, and teamwork. You will be working alongside the founding management team who have a track record of success in the industry. The pace of work is dynamic, fast, and fun.

We offer competitive salary and benefits with the ability to make a difference.

Position Summary

Affinia Therapeutics is seeking a corporate attorney to serve as legal counsel for a wide variety of legal matters.  In this role, you will support and partner closely with the Company’s management team to support all functional groups,  including research, development, manufacturing, alliance management, licensing and collaborations, intellectual property, regulatory affairs, human resources, finance, accounting, corporate governance, SEC filings and investor relations, business development and corporate development, and, where appropriate, will oversee and work closely with external legal counsel specialty area experts, to provide legal guidance and support for the Company’s counseling, transactional, operational and reporting matters across the full spectrum of the Company’s operations and legal affairs.  The ideal candidate has experience working with a diverse range of life sciences transactions and operational matters and is interested in serving as a key legal advisor to multiple business functions. 

This position is based out of our state-of-the-art facility in Waltham, MA with at least 3 days per week in the office. 

Primary Responsibilities

• Serve and provide practical, business-oriented legal advice to all business functions
• Draft high quality, clear contracts and documents with exceptional attention to detail, in a risk-calibrated approach
• Manage a high volume and wide range of agreement types with minimal supervision, including confidentiality, master service, license, collaboration, consulting, and clinical trial agreements
• Play a key role in balancing legal exposure while focused on creative, client-focused solutions to achieve business goals
• Assist management by filing of public disclosures and publications, including assistance with drafting and managing of future SEC filings

Minimum Qualifications

• JD from an accredited law school in the U.S. and license to practice law and in good standing in Massachusetts, or ability to register as in-house counsel in Massachusetts
• Minimum 3-5 years of in-house experience within a privately-held or publicly-traded biotech, biopharmaceutical or pharmaceutical company Legal Department, or a minimum of 3-5 years of experience within the life sciences transactions practice group of a top-tier national or regional law firm handling primarily biotech, biopharmaceutical or pharmaceutical transactional and operational matters
• Excellent drafting, negotiating and counseling skills is a must, with a strong track record of attention to detail, thoroughness, and excellence in work product
• Strong track record of demonstrating a high degree of responsiveness and creativity in resolving difficult or complex legal and business issues across a broad range of operational, counseling and transactional areas, working as part of multi-disciplinary teams with multiple stakeholders
• Excellent operational skills, including planning, organizing and ability to lead cross-functional teams
• Self-motivated with sound judgement and innovative thinking to deal with challenges and opportunities
• Significant experience managing external counsel in specialty legal areas is a plus
• Although not a requirement, an undergraduate degree in the life sciences or a strong interest in patent law or prior experience as a patent agent is also a plus

Equal Opportunity Employer

Affinia is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, genetics, disability, age, sexual orientation or veteran status.