Legal Operations Manager at Absci Washington DC

Legal Operations Manager – Absci – Washington DC.

Responsibilities

• Draft, execute, and manage the full lifecycle of contracts across functions and programs.
• Review, or assist in the review of, and negotiate a high volume of routine legal agreements, including but not limited to:
  • Confidentiality Agreements (CDAs/NDAs)
  • Consulting Agreements
  • Work Orders and Scopes of Work (SOWs)
  • Sponsored Research Agreements (SRAs)
  • Master Services Agreements (MSAs)
  • Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs)
• Support the legal, finance and scientific teams in executing agreements with CROs, academic collaborators, vendors, and consultants.
• Provide guidance to stakeholders on contractual rights and responsibilities.
• Assist with preparation and management of board and committee minutes, agendas, reporting calendars, written consents, routine legal resolutions, secretary certificates, powers of attorney, and other board documents.
• Support the preparation and filing of Form 8‑K, 10‑K, 10‑Q, Section 16 reporting, proxy statements and other SEC filing documents, including assisting the Disclosure Committee.
• Support the coordination and execution of board meetings, including preparation and distribution of materials through the electronic board distribution portal.
• Support onboarding of Directors and executive officers.
• Coordinate matters related to Annual Meeting of Stockholders, including D&O questionnaires and ESG.
• Assist with M&A, financing and other strategic transactions.
• Assist in the formation, dissolution and maintenance of corporate entities, including international subsidiaries.
• Review and assist in administering corporate governance policies.
• Maintain records and proactively design legal file‑management systems for corporate subsidiaries, director and officer information, corporate record‑keeping, transaction execution, governance policies, and compliance processes.
• Aid attorneys and participate in projects across the department, including employment law or other transactional matters.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, law, business administration, or a similar discipline; paralegal certificate required.
• Minimum 8 years’ of paralegal experience (with a focus on corporate governance, securities and/or public company reporting); some in‑house experience preferred.
• Experience preparing, managing and maintaining board minutes, agendas, stockholder meeting materials, and corporate record‑keeping.
• Experience preparing and filing Section 16 reports (Forms 3, 4 and 5) preferred.
• Ability to multi‑task and work independently, partnering across all levels of the organization.
• High attention to detail is essential, combined with a positive, partnership‑oriented approach.
• Advanced proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Pay Range: $115,000 – 147,000.

Legal Operations Sr. Manager (In addition to Manager level Qualifications)

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, law, business administration, or a similar discipline; paralegal certificate required. Advanced degree (JD, MBA, or equivalent) preferred.
• Minimum 10 years’ of paralegal experience (with a focus on corporate governance, securities and/or public company reporting); some in‑house experience preferred.
• Proven experience taking initiative to anticipate organizational needs, flag potential issues, and drive collaboration among cross‑functional partners to achieve successful outcomes.
• Ability to proactively evaluate and recommend new tools and technologies to optimize legal operations and reporting workflows.
• Pay Range: $137,000 – 176,000.

Preferred (but not required)

• Education or work experience in life sciences.
• Previous experience with contract management systems like Conga or LinkSquares.
• Previous experience with patent and trademark administrative matters, including experience with US, PCT, and foreign prosecution, drafting formality documents, attending to document legalization, and complying with priority document requirements.

Benefits

• Competitive equity package applies. Pay offered may vary depending on job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience.
• Medical, dental, vision benefits.
• Unlimited vacation, parental leave, breakfast and lunch for onsite employees.
• Employee assistance program, voluntary life and disability insurance.
• Annual bonus potential, 401(k) with a generous company match.
• Ability to participate in employee stock purchase plan.

Legal Authorization and Equal Employment Opportunity

Legal authorization to work in the United States is required. Absci is committed to equal employment opportunity and non‑discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status, or any characteristic protected under applicable law. Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process or to perform the essential functions of the position should request the recruiter, hiring manager or contact View email address on click.appcast.io.