Contracts Specialist – Discovery Science / Life Sciences

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Contracts Specialist for a 6–12 month, full-time temporary assignment supporting discovery science and research contracting activities.

This individual contributor will be responsible for drafting, negotiating, and processing procurement-facing agreements supporting outsourced discovery science and research services. The Contracts Specialist will work from assignments provided by the contracting lead and will execute agreements accurately, efficiently, and within established templates, playbooks, approval frameworks, and systems.

The ideal candidate will have previous contracts experience within a pharmaceutical, biotechnology, CRO, or life sciences procurement environment and be comfortable managing a high volume of agreements while negotiating directly with external suppliers.

Scope of Work

Contract Drafting & Negotiation

• Draft, review, negotiate, and finalize assigned agreements for outsourced discovery science services.

• Manage agreements including:

  • Confidentiality Agreements (CDAs)

  • Work Orders

  • Amendments

  • Software and SaaS Agreements

• Negotiate directly with third-party suppliers to advance and close assigned agreements.

• Apply established contract templates, fallback positions, playbooks, and approval frameworks throughout the negotiation process.

• Review agreements for common commercial and legal provisions, including:

  • Intellectual Property

  • Confidentiality

  • Indemnification

  • Limitation of Liability

  • Payment Terms

Contract Management & Compliance

• Manage a high volume of concurrent contract assignments while meeting established timelines.

• Adjust priorities as directed by the contracting lead.

• Identify non-standard terms, contractual risks, or issues that fall outside established playbook positions.

• Escalate identified issues to the contracting lead with a clear summary of the concern and proposed options.

• Provide regular status updates regarding assigned agreements.

Contract Lifecycle Management

• Utilize the organization's Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system for all assigned work.

• Manage contract activities within the CLM system, including:

  • Intake

  • Drafting

  • Version Control

  • Status Tracking

  • Record Keeping

• Maintain complete, current, and accurate contract records.

Procurement Support

• Create purchase requisitions in SAP Ariba for executed agreements as assigned.

Out of Scope

This position will not be responsible for:

• Engaging directly with internal business partners, scientific teams, or project management teams regarding contracting needs or intake.

• Escalating matters directly to Legal or other internal subject matter experts. All escalations will be routed through the contracting lead.

• Procure-to-pay activities beyond purchase requisition creation.

• Invoice reconciliation.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.

• 2+ years of contract drafting and negotiation experience within a pharmaceutical, biotechnology, CRO, or life sciences procurement environment.

• Working knowledge of common commercial and legal contract provisions, including:

  • Intellectual Property

  • Confidentiality

  • Indemnification

  • Limitation of Liability

  • Payment Terms

• Demonstrated ability to manage a high volume of concurrent agreements while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.

• Experience working within established contract templates, playbooks, and approval frameworks.

• Experience using a Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Experience negotiating directly with external suppliers.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including:

  • Outlook

  • Word

  • Excel

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience contracting for outsourced research and discovery science services, including:

  • Preclinical CRO services

  • Discovery Biology

  • Chemistry Services

• Degree or professional background in biology or another related scientific discipline.

• Scientific literacy sufficient to understand the scope, deliverables, and technical terminology associated with discovery research services, including:

  • In vitro studies

  • In vivo studies

  • Assay development

  • Chemistry services

• Ability to accurately translate scientific and technical requirements into contract language.

• Experience negotiating software and SaaS agreements, including data platform agreements within a research environment.

• Experience with SAP Ariba or a comparable procurement platform.

• Comfortable using AI tools to support contract drafting and review.

Key Skills

• Contract Drafting & Negotiation

• Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM)

• Pharmaceutical / Biotechnology Contracting

• CRO & Research Services Agreements

• Supplier Negotiations

• Confidentiality Agreements (CDAs)

• Work Orders & Amendments

• Software / SaaS Agreements

• Commercial & Legal Terms

• Risk Identification & Escalation

• SAP Ariba

• Procurement Support

• High-Volume Contract Management

• Microsoft Office

• Attention to Detail

Work Environment

• Work Model: Remote

• Assignment Length: 6–12 months

• Schedule: Full-time

• Travel: None expected

• Light office duties associated with the position.