Contracts Manager

About Us

Kardigan is a heart health company working to make cardiovascular disease preventable, curable and no longer the leading cause of death in the world. It is Kardigan’s mission to develop multiple targeted treatments in parallel that bring people with cardiovascular diseases to the cures they deserve.

Led by Tassos Giannakakos, Jay Edelberg, M.D. and Bob McDowell, Ph.D., Kardigan’s co‑founders have reunited after leading Myo Kardia to discover and develop mavacamten, the first cardiac myosin inhibitor, resulting in an acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2020.

We have a cutting‑edge discovery and translational research platform, a pipeline of late‑stage candidates, and an industry‑leading team that is driven to improve the lives of patients.

At Kardigan, we are motivated by our values which guide how we work, interact, and achieve our goals:
Driven by patients and their families
, being authentic
, eagerness to learn
, winning as a team
, and enabling the impossible
. We are not afraid to take risks to unlock innovation and advance scientific discoveries.

Contracts Manager

Legal

Vice President, Corporate Law

South San Francisco, CA – On‑site 4 days per week (Mon to Thurs)

Kardigan is seeking an experienced Contracts Manager to oversee all aspects of contract processing and administration. In this role, the Contracts Manager will manage the complete contract lifecycle and lead the implementation and administration of contract management systems. Kardigan seeks an exceptional candidate with strong contract administration experience who can collaborate cross‑functionally, negotiate agreements, and communicate clearly and effectively. Attention to detail is essential in this role.

You will join our fast‑paced legal team, reporting to our Vice President, Corporate Law. This is a highly visible position within Kardigan as you will interface directly with business stakeholders across the company.

• Process all contract requests through the company's internal process from initial request intake to execution and track the status of contracts in process.
• Lead the evaluation and implementation of a contract lifecycle management (CLM) tool and serve as the primary administrator for the system (e.g., maintain users, update user roles and workflows).
• Prepare, review and negotiate a range of contracts, including CDAs, Consulting Agreements, MSAs, and other commercial agreements.
• Track key contractual obligations and deadlines.
• Maintain a library of form agreements and contracts repository.

• Lead weekly interdepartmental contracts update meetings with business stakeholders and contract negotiators.
• Develop and prepare contract management key performance metrics and generate periodic reports.
• Coordinate and manage signature routing for contracts.
• Develop and manage contract‑related processes, guidelines and SOPs.

• Serve as the primary liaison for internal partners on contract processes and operations.
• Interface with teams across the company to gauge and anticipate contracting needs and provide guidance.
• Develop and maintain training programs for contract processes and CLM system usage.
• Develop communication plans to provide contract process updates and performance metrics to internal partners.

• Support special projects and contract‑related initiatives.
• Perform other duties as directed by the manager.

• Bachelor's degree.
• At least 7 years of relevant experience with a minimum of 5 years of contract administration experience.
• Meticulous attention to detail.
• Excellent problem‑solving capabilities.
• Strong organizational and planning skills, ability to manage changing priorities and workflow, and the ability to effectively advance multiple simultaneous projects.
• Strong interpersonal and written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to communicate and collaborate with individuals at all levels inside and outside of the organization.
• Ability to identify risks and communicate those risks to appropriate legal or…