Using living cells to treat – and sometimes even cure – cancer is one of the most dramatic advances in modern medicine. Patients with hematologic malignancies have been successfully treated with cell therapies. However, these profound results have not yet been achieved in patients with solid tumors, representing approximately 90% of all cancers. At Lyell, our goal is to change that. We are a clinical-stage T-cell reprogramming company advancing a diverse pipeline of cell therapies for solid tumors based on our innovative technologies. We were founded by cell therapy pioneers whose decades of research elevated the broader understanding of T-cell biology and its interaction with cancer. In our quest to defeat solid tumors, we have built a fully integrated company capable of discovering new technologies, translating science into therapies, manufacturing cell therapy products, and clinically evaluating them in patients. Our culture is based on Science, Respect, Collaboration, and Courage and reflects who we are, the environment we create, and our mission’s urgency.

 

The individual in this role will be responsible for working cross-functionally to support the legal organization. This role will enable the legal team to support the organization more effectively by applying business and technical practices to the delivery of legal services.  

KEY ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Design and build a contracts program including implementing a contracts management system designed to integrate within an enterprise resource planning system, develop and managing various contract templates and playbooks, and assist in the review and processing of contracts. 
• Project manage the roll-out of legal operations programs and systems with broad organizational impact. This includes developing policies, SOPs, communications plans and training plans for programs such as the contracts management, and the records management and information governance programs. 
• Develop a long-term technology plan to automate manual processes including tools for  eBilling, contract management, and eventually, transparency reporting and eDiscovery • Develop vendor relationships that deliver value by implementing effective requests for production (RFP) processes, negotiating rates and pricing models and onboarding vendors quickly and efficiently. 
• Build records management and information governance program, in close partnership with IT, to lower corporate risk and exposure. Manage and monitor access to all sensitive, confidential, and restricted information. 
• Assist in setting strategic priorities for the legal team that serve the needs of the function and overall business. Serve a strategic role by defining success of the various projects, identifying gaps in legal expertise, and navigating through change management. 
• Assist in developing the annual budget for the function, manage legal expenses against the budget throughout the year, seek new opportunities for savings and efficiencies including alternative fee arrangements with law firms, develop outside counsel billing guidelines and manage an eBilling system effectively and efficiently. 
• Manage corporate insurance policies and renewals. 
• Manage core legal operation functions designed to scale commensurate with organizational growth. 
• Manage a team of paralegals, contract managers and/or legal operations specialists. 
• Build and manage a transparency reporting program and system. 
• Identify and develop operational infrastructure for the healthcare compliance, corporate compliance and privacy law functions within the function.

PREFERRED EDUCATION:  

• BS or equivalent with a minimum of 17 years’ experience  
• MS, MBA or JD with a minimum of 14 years’ experience 

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:  

• A minimum of 7 years’ experience in legal operations roles at early-stage and/or commercial-stage pharmaceutical or medical device company 
• Demonstrated, broad experience across a majority of the Core 12 elements for operational excellence advanced by the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) 
• Proven experience managing other paralegals or legal operations employees • Strong client-service orientation with proven experience effectively supporting internal clients. 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES: 

• Ability to effectively communicate and demonstrate operational authority with various levels of management (including senior and executive leadership) as well as employees at all levels of the organization. 
• Demonstrated collaborative skills working with teams and in a cross-functional environment. 
• Proven large-scale project management skills on projects having broad organizational impact. 
• Self-motivated and detail oriented 
• Strong organization and time-management skills 
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and within an organization experiencing growth.
• Strong aptitude in technology tools used to achieve operational excellence.
• Advanced computer skills with strong command of Microsoft Office tools
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Lyell offers its employees a range of compensation and benefits. To assist you with your decision to apply for this role, the following decision to apply for this role, the following information and links to our site highlight our competitive market position and support to our employees and their dependents.

 

 

 

At Lyell, we believe that highest performing teams include people from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences who respectfully challenge each other. We are committed to building an open, diverse and inclusive culture for all employees. Lyell is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or any other characteristics protected under applicable federal, state and local laws.

 

We’ve learned from experience that some of the best people don’t always match our requirements perfectly - if you’re interested and think you could fit, please don’t hesitate to apply.