Bit.bio is an award-winning spinout from the University of Cambridge. Our breakthrough technology combines synthetic and stem cell biology for the precise, efficient, and consistent reprogramming of human cells used in research, drug discovery, and cell therapy. At bit.bio, we are passionate about engineering human cells that will enable the medicine of the future. To do this, we need talented and curious people who want to make an impact on the future of science and therapeutics.
As a team of individuals, we value science, collaboration, openness, curiosity, and creativity. We are united by trust and respect for each other.
Location: Babraham Research Park, Cambridge
Type: Full time, permanent
Start: Immediate
Salary: Competitive
Hybrid working available (minimum 1 day/week on-site in Cambridge)
Your role in our team:
Reporting to the Head of Legal and IP, the Legal Counsel will play a key role in providing legal advice and support with contract negotiation and finalisation across all areas of bit.bio's operations. This includes a strong focus on commercial and corporate operations, while also providing broader legal support across the business.
Your key responsibilities will include:
Commercial support
* Draft, negotiate, and finalise NDAs, commercial contracts, material transfer agreements (MTA), research collaboration agreements (RCA), supplier agreements, distribution agreements, SaaS agreements, consultancy agreements, terms and conditions of data as a product, and other agreements.
* Provide legal advice to the business on commercial terms, update and maintain the business' terms and conditions of sales and services, and licensing terms.
* Support licensing activities and compliance with licensing terms as required.
Corporate support
* Provide support to the business with all legal corporate functions, including Heads of Terms, due diligence exercises, drafting, negotiating, reviewing transaction documents, and ancillary documents, completing transactions, and implementing post-completion steps.
* Prepare or review ancillary documents necessary for wider corporate transactions.
General support
* Draft, negotiate, and finalise consulting agreements and support general business operations, including reviewing related contracts.
* Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders, external counsels, and business partners.
* Maintain a strong knowledge of company contracts, standard terms, and business objectives.
* Develop and maintain a clause library to expedite contract drafting and negotiation.
* Improve company agreement templates and tools, including drafting internal policies and guidance documents.
* Manage contracts lifecycle management tool for bit.bio's legal department.
* Serve as the central point of contact for managing contracts supporting ongoing operations and growth.
* Administer the contracts lifecycle management system, including classification, reporting, follow-up tracking, and project-specific analysis.
* Develop and deploy tools and training for leveraging contract management systems.
* Implement system improvements, liaising with service vendors and managing stakeholder feedback.
You…
* Are a UK-qualified lawyer with a minimum of 2 years PQE and substantial in-house experience reviewing contracts.
* Are pragmatic, responsible, solution-oriented, and highly organized.
* Are professional, with unimpeachable integrity, sound judgment, and confidentiality.
* Are comfortable working in a fast-paced, start-up environment with a diverse, geographically dispersed team.
With essential experience in…
* Working closely with internal business partners in the Life Sciences industry, ideally within academic technology transfer, biotech, or pharmaceutical sectors.
* Focusing on commercial and research contracts, with confidence in broader corporate matters.
* Ensuring compliance and proactively mitigating legal and commercial risks.
* Using standard software tools for contracts drafting (e.g., Microsoft Office, Google G Suite).
* Working independently with minimal supervision.
* Possessing excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
* In-house experience within the start-up or scale-up biotechnology industry is a plus.
More reasons to join us:
bit.bio offers a vibrant, dynamic work environment during an exciting time for biology. We work with cutting-edge technologies and our scientific advisory board. We conduct pioneering work with real-world impact. We trust our people to contribute early and meaningfully, supporting personal development within an inclusive, multi-skilled team. Creativity and open-mindedness are encouraged to contribute to our success. For information on data management, see our Candidate Privacy Notice.
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