Head of Legal Affairs

The Head of Legal Affairs

The Head of Legal Affairs will report to the CEO and play a key role in overseeing a broad range of legal and business matters. The ideal candidate will be looking to build on existing strengths, in one or more of these areas, to quickly develop a broad range of legal and business expertise to support a growing cancer cell therapy company.

Responsibilities

• Manage the preparation and filing of periodic and annual reports and other securities-law matters, including Securities and Exchange Commission filings on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, Form 8-K, and proxy materials
• Assist in the preparation and review of earnings releases, annual meetings and other relevant public announcements in collaboration with key stakeholders, including finance and investor relations functions
• Manage general corporate governance matters, including coordinating, preparing, and distributing board/committee materials, setting meeting agendas, taking minutes, maintaining corporate records, and leading other governance related matters
• Provide general legal and business advice to the company's management team and the board of directors
• Provide legal advice and support in connection with stock plans, executive compensation, subsidiary management, investor relations, shareholder outreach and other corporate matters
• Develop, recommend, implement corporate policies and compliance programs
• Manage legal work streams in connection with financing, strategic partnerships, and BD activities, including drafting term sheets and definitive agreements and managing due diligence
• Provide oversight of the company's patent portfolio and IP strategy; provide counseling to management on IP related legal matters
• Manage company's contract review and approval processes and systems
• Manage assignments and prioritize workload in line with the company's objectives and departmental needs
• Advise on the interpretation of legal documents in a manner that provides accurate guidance and practical advice while properly managing risk to the organization
• Work across all company departments to meet business objectives
• Manage outside counsel
• Other special projects and duties as assigned to support the company

Qualifications

• Active membership in good standing in at least one state bar required, CA preferred
• J.D. from a respected law school and sterling academic credentials
• Minimum of 12 years legal experience in securities, corporate governance, corporate transactions, intellectual property and legal operations with exposure to biopharmaceutical industry and healthcare regulatory law
• Thrive in a fast-paced environment while remaining proactive, resourceful, flexible and efficient, and maintaining high quality and ethical standards
• Excellent analytical and contract interpretation skills, and an ability to communicate complex issues in a simple way
• Experience with complex contract drafting and negotiations required
• Experience managing legal work for a public company required
• Familiarity with a wide variety of transaction types (e.g., public company, private company, stock purchase, asset purchase, cross-border, etc.)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to provide timely, practical, and actionable legal advice
• Exceptional organizational and analytical skills, independent judgment, a desire to learn, and an ability to take on and prioritize a wide variety of complex matters
• High emotional intelligence, capable of collaboratively influencing decision making through respectful exchange of competing ideas and perspectives
• Self-driven to identify and solve complex and challenging problems

Salary and Benefits

• Compensation for this role includes base salary, annual target bonus and equity
• The base salary range for this role is $290,000-$340,000. Starting pay is determined by multiple job-related factors including a candidate's skills, education and experience level, benchmark, and internal parity
• Significant growth opportunity as the company expands
• Empathetic, supportive, and collaborative colleagues and work environments