New

Director, Contracts Counsel

Millbrae, CA

Eikon Therapeutics is a new biopharmaceutical company employing revolutionary technology at the intersection of chemistry, engineering, computation, and biology to discover novel treatments for life-threatening diseases. Eikon’s discovery platform is built on groundbreaking innovations from its founders (Nobel Prize, 2014), culminating in the creation of microscopes which enable real time, molecular-resolution measurements of protein movement in living cells, thereby unlocking otherwise intractable classes of proteins as drug targets.

Position

We seek a seasoned Director, Contracts Counsel with a strong contract law background and in-house hands-on experience to support our growing organization. This individual will be an integral member of Eikon’s growing legal team and will be responsible for overseeing our contracting function. Reporting to the VP of Legal and working with leaders across all functions in our organization, this individual will also have the opportunity to lead additional areas commensurate with skills, experience, and interest.

About You

You are someone who prioritizes collaboration, excels working in a fast-paced environment, and is results-oriented. You take a thoughtful, business-centric approach to contracting and negotiation. You lead with a decisive, solutions-driven mindset - dedicated to simplifying workflows and driving operational efficiency with speed and precision. You are a big-picture-thinker who influences and inspires their team members to achieve goals and deliver the best outcomes. While fostering a culture of collaboration and communication, you will provide insightful and practical guidance to stakeholders on a wide range of legal matters to drive the business forward in a thoughtful and strategic manner.

What You’ll Do

  • Draft, review, and negotiate a variety of agreements for the Research, Engineering, and G&A functions, including renewals, amendments, statements of work, confidentiality agreements, material transfer agreements, research collaborations, and other vendor contracts.
  • Be accountable for day-to-day contract workflow, ensuring contracts assigned to you and your team are drafted, processed, reviewed, tracked, and executed accurately in a timely manner.
  • Own, develop, and implement strategy and best practices for efficient contracting.
  • Lead oversight of high-volume contracts across research, engineering, and general operations; including confidentiality agreements, master service agreements, statements of work, and material transfer agreements.
  • Responsible for the organizational and strategic leadership of a high performing contracting team.
  • Design and refine legal templates, operational guidelines, and contract processes that enable and protect R&D efforts and streamline execution across drug development initiatives.
  • Proactively evaluate ongoing contracting performance and needs, and implement corresponding processes and initiatives to drive continuous improvement.
  • Oversee contracting tools and systems (CLM software) to improve visibility and turnaround times.
  • Learn the science behind Eikon’s microscopy platform and research programs to be able to communicate and establish credibility with scientists and leadership, and to accurately assess risk in contractual agreements.
  • Collaborate closely with colleagues and leaders across the Company - including Procurement, Finance, IT, and other internal stakeholders - to ensure alignment and provide clear, succinct, and actionable advice.
  • Work with and manage outside counsel and other legal resources, within budget.
  • Commensurate with experience, skill, and your interests, this role may also include work the following areas: clinical trial contracting, privacy regulations, business development, employment law, healthcare compliance and/or corporate governance.

Qualifications

  • Juris Doctor (JD) degree with 8+ years of relevant experience in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or life sciences industry, including experience leading a contracts function.
  • Deep expertise in the end-to-end drug development lifecycle, core research methodologies, and industry-standard practices for intellectual property contracting.
  • Demonstrated abilities to communicate clearly and collaborate effectively with leadership, scientists and G&A colleagues.
  • Excellent organization, project management, and negotiation skills.

We encourage candidates with a range of experience levels to apply. Role seniority and final compensation will be calibrated based on individual background.

 

At Eikon, employee compensation also includes bonus and equity compensation, in addition to several generous benefit programs, including:​

  • 401k plan with company matching​
  • Medical (premiums covered by Eikon at 95%), dental and vision insurance (premiums covered by Eikon at 100%)​
  • Mental health and wellness benefits​
  • Weeklong summer and winter holiday shutdowns​
  • Generous paid time off and holiday policies​
  • Life/AD&D Insurance (premiums covered by Eikon at 100%) and optional supplemental employee-paid life/AD&D policies ​
  • Enhanced parental leave benefit​
  • Daily subsidized lunch program when on-site​

The expected salary range for this role is $217,000 to $260,000. Role seniority and actual pay will be determined based on experience and qualifications.

Eikon is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment.

We are currently not accepting any new third-party agencies or firms at this time. Please do not forward unsolicited agency resumes to our website, employees or Human Resources. Eikon Therapeutics will not pay fees to any third-party agency or firm associated with unsolicited resumes.

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Eikon Therapeutics? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Eikon Therapeutics’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.