Sr. Contracts Counsel (Director)

Kyverna Therapeutics is a patient-centered, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing cell therapies for patients suffering from autoimmune diseases. The Kyverna therapeutic platform leverages advanced T cell engineering to suppress and eliminate autoreactive immune cells at the origin of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Be at the forefront of cell therapy innovation by joining scientists, industry veterans and healthcare visionaries and help transform how autoimmune diseases are treated

Kyverna is seeking an in-house Sr. Contracts Counsel, who will be an integral member of the Legal Department. The Counsel will be accountable for coordination of legal risk tolerances and contracting standards, processes, and strategy in support of the Company’s strategic objectives. In addition, the Sr. Counsel will ensure our contracts are in compliance to company policy and provide standard templates when applicable. The Sr. Counsel will collaborate closely with business leaders and other members from all functions in anticipating and providing legal and business risk associated with projects/contracts of different scopes in all areas of the company.

Title: Sr. Contracts Counsel (Director)

Reports to: Chief Financial Officer

Location: Emeryville, CA (Hybrid – twice a week) or Remote with west coast hours

Responsibilties

• Draft, revise, negotiate and manage a wide range of contracts including NDAs, MSAs, consulting/professional services agreements, SOWs, amendments, change orders and various others R&D, IT and Facilities related vendor agreements.
• Work closely with Sr. Management and Executves to translate business strategies and advise/ensure contracts accurately convey desired terms while minimizing risk.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to constantly improve business processes and ensure efficient support.
• Identify and be able to communicate risks appropriately to internal stakeholders and provide guidance for resolution.
• Ensure continuity and improvement in the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of contracting systems, processes, and procedures.
• Support the development of templates in collaboration with business leaders.
• Oversee and provide guidance to a small internal and external team.

Qualifications

• JD degree and minimum 8+ years of contracts experience.
• Admitted to a state bar in good standing, preferably in California.
• 5+ years of relevant in-house experience in a life sciences company with 3+ years of drafting, revising and negotiating Clinical Trials agreements.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve positive results through influence, negotiation, and organizational change.
• Strong experience in reviewing and advising on the legal consequence of contract terms for multiple different functions.
• Proven experience in working well independently and in a team environment.
• Must be efficient, detail-oriented and have strong organizational skills.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and with the ability to pivot on short time frames while delivering quality advice and outcomes.
• Must have excellent interpersonal communication skills and partner well cross functionally.
• Ability to adapt quickly to a fast pace, dynamic culture with evolving needs.




The base salary range for candidates residing in the Northern California Area for this position is $200K to $240K annually. This salary range is an estimate of what we reasonably expect to pay for this posted position, and the actual salary may vary based on various factors that may include but are not limited to quality and length of experience, education, geographic location and alignment with market data. 

Kyverna is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. Kyverna is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identify, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other legally protected status. EOE/AA/Vets