Legal Operations Manager

Overview

This role is the organization’s first dedicated Legal Operations hire. The Legal Operations Manager will manage the contract lifecycle and day-to-day legal operations, coordinate with outside counsel, and build practical systems and records to support a growing cardiovascular medical technology company.

Responsibilities

Contracts (approximately 50%)

• Manage the contract lifecycle, including intake, drafting from approved templates, redlining, negotiation within approved guidelines, approval routing, execution, and renewal tracking.
• Negotiate and manage vendor, consulting, nondisclosure, software, supply, and services agreements within established authority.
• Coordinate clinical trial agreements, site budgets, and CRO contracts with Clinical Affairs and outside counsel.
• Build and maintain contract templates, playbooks, approval workflows, and a signature authority matrix.
• Escalate non-standard terms and material risk issues to outside counsel with clear summaries and proposed next steps.

Corporate and Governance (approximately 25%)

• Maintain corporate records, including board and committee minutes, consents, bylaws, and entity records.
• Prepare board meeting materials and coordinate the quarterly board meeting cycle.
• Administer equity documentation in Carta, including option grant approvals, board consents, and 409A records, in partnership with Finance and HR.
• Coordinate data rooms, diligence requests, and closing checklists for financing transactions.

Legal Operations and Compliance (approximately 25%)

• Manage outside counsel engagements, legal spend, and budget-to-actual reporting.
• Implement and administer a scalable contract management system.
• Track intellectual property matters with patent counsel, including filings, deadlines, and invention disclosures.
• Coordinate policy records, employment agreements and state addenda, and regulatory documentation with the appropriate internal teams and counsel.
• Report on contract volume, cycle times, and legal spend.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 5–8 years of experience in contracts, legal operations, or corporate paralegal work.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating commercial agreements and exercising independent judgment within defined guidelines.
• Working knowledge of corporate governance, equity administration, and financing processes.
• Strong organization, discretion with confidential information, and clear written communication.

Preferred Qualifications

• In-house experience in life sciences, medtech, or a venture-backed company.
• Paralegal certificate or contract management credential, such as NCMA CCCM or WorldCC certification.
• Experience with clinical trial agreements, FDA-regulated environments, or IP and patent support.
• Hands-on experience with Carta, a contract lifecycle management platform, and electronic signature tools.
• Experience building legal processes at an early-stage company.

Eligibility

Candidates must be permanently authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future visa sponsorship. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permanent residency applications.

Location

• Remote position.
• Employees who live within reasonable commuting distance of Santa Clara headquarters may be asked to attend occasional in-person meetings or activities at the office.

Compensation & Benefits

• Anticipated hiring range: $90,000–$110,000.
• Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors.
• Base salary with possible bonus opportunities, equity, and company-sponsored benefits.

Equal Opportunity

Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. The organization does not discriminate on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.

Third-Party Recruiter Notice

Unsolicited resumes from staffing agencies or recruiters will not be accepted without a signed agreement in place. Resumes submitted without an agreement will be considered the property of the organization, and no fees will be paid if the candidate is hired.