Director, Clinical Contracts at Rapport Therapeutics in Boston, MA

Job description

When our people share why they joined Rapport and love it here, it comes down to three things: the science, the mission, and the team. At Rapport, we’re driven by a passion for developing precision neuromedicines with the potential for fewer side effects, enabling patients and their families to enjoy healthier, more fulfilling lives. And we’re doing this with extraordinary science and awesome people (affectionately called Rapptors). Our innovative scientific platform is centered on Receptor Associate Proteins (RAPs). RAPs are a component of neuronal receptor complexes, which play a crucial role in regulating receptor assembly and function. This precision approach has the potential to revolutionize the development of small molecule therapies. We are excited about the potential of our lead program, RAP-219. Our first indication targets focal epilepsy with additional clinical trials in primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures (PGTCS) and bipolar disorder. The strength of Rapport comes from our Rapptors – who are united by our mission to improve patients lives. We bring the heart and hustle to advance our science forward, always staying true to our core values. We hope you’re as excited about this opportunity as we are! This role is based in Boston, MA with onsite presence required Monday-Wednesday Your impact: As our Director of Clinical Contracts, you’ll help turn clinical plans into action. You’ll own clinical trial agreements, site budgets, and vendor contracts while partnering with Clinical Ops, Legal, Finance, and our CROs to keep studies moving. You’ll help build a contracting process that keeps pace with our growing global portfolio. Your day-to-day: Develop, own, and maintain clinical contract lifecycle strategy (templates, fallback language, and negotiation playbooks) to standardize contracting process as the portfolio scales globally. Review and negotiate site Clinical Trial Agreements (CTAs) and CDAs Develop and align contracting strategy with clinical development plan, shaping negotiation strategy and risk tolerances in line with the pipeline stage (e.g., trial scale-up, new geographies). Lead end-to-end drafting, review, and negotiation of Confidentiality Disclosure Agreements (CDAs), Master Service Agreements (MSAs), Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs), Statements of Work (SOWs), License Agreements, Subscription Agreements Partner closely with Clinical Operations, outside counsel, Finance, and CRO/vendor teams to design a preferred vendor program and align contract terms with study timelines and budget parameters. Serve as strategic advisor to Clinical Operations surfacing contract risk, budget exposure, and portfolio-level trade-offs to inform program decisions. Track contract status, cycle times, and site activation timelines; proactively identify and resolve bottlenecks. Ensure all agreements comply with applicable regulations (FDA, ICH-GCP, GDPR and other privacy regulations), Fair Market Value (FMV) standards, and company policies. Maintain accurate, audit-ready contract files and documentation in support of inspection readiness. Lead technology and process strategy for the Contracts function, including selection, rollout, integration, use of AI and governance of systems and tools, including buy vs. build decisions. Develop and implement AI strategy and roadmap for the contracts function Support department headcount plan and structure; hire, mentor and develop a growing team of contract professionals. Must-Haves: Bachelor's degree required 10+ years of experience reviewing and negotiating clinical trial agreements, and/or related vendor contracts within a biotech, pharmaceutical, or clinical CRO environment. Experience with strategic level decision making for the Contracts function. Demonstrated executive presence, with experience advising senior leadership on contracting risk and strategy Experience building, leading, and developing a contracts team. Global contract experience, including familiarity with inte