Head of Legal

More than one million people in the United States today are fighting blood cancer. While a traditional allogeneic stem cell transplant has been the best hope for many, the transplant itself can prove fatal or lead to serious conditions, such as graft vs. host disease. Orca Bio is a late-stage biotechnology company redefining the transplant process by developing next-generation cell therapies with the goal of providing significantly better survival rates with dramatically fewer risks.With our purified, high-precision investigational cell therapies we hope to not only replace patients’ blood and immune systems with healthy ones, but also restore their lives.
Summary
As the company’s first legal hire, the Head of Legal (Director/Sr. Director level) will play a key role in supporting Orca Bio’s growth and development. The ideal candidate will have 7-10 years of corporate and/or transactional law experience in the life sciences industry, and will have served as both in-house counsel at a company and as outside counsel at a top-tier law firm. The Head of Legal will be responsible for providing legal counsel and support to Orca Bio on a wide range of matters, including corporate governance, strategic and financing transactions, contract operations and review, clinical trials, employment, regulatory compliance, and commercial preparedness.
If you are a highly motivated corporate attorney who is interested in a challenging and rewarding opportunity, we encourage you to apply for this position.
Responsibilities

• Advise the Company on strategic and financing transactions, including managing due diligence, drafting and negotiation of transaction documents, and closing
• Draft, review, and negotiate general and sophisticated corporate and commercial agreements, including licenses, manufacturing, confidentiality, material transfer, consulting, employment, vendor, services, purchasing, outsourcing, software, research, licensing, clinical trial, and data-related agreements
• Advise the Company on regulatory compliance matters, including FDA regulations, HIPAA regulations, and export controls
• Represent the Company in regulatory proceedings and litigation
• Provide general advice and guidance on legal best practices as we approach product approval / launch
• Efficiently source, manage, and direct outside counsel

Required Qualifications

• JD degree from an accredited law school
• 7-10+ years of experience in corporate law
• Current admission to any state bar in good standing (California preferred)
• Life Science industry experience
• Experience with strategic and financing transactions, including IPO, equity, and/or MA

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in-house at a small or mid-sized biotechnology company
• Experience at a company progressing from clinical stage through commercialization
• Experience working for a top-tier law firm
• Experience with FDA regulations

The anticipated annual salary range for this job is $175,000– $250,000, based on prior experience in the role/industry, education, location, internal equity, and other job-related factors as permitted by law. For remote-based candidates, this range may vary based on your local market. You will also be eligible to receive pre-IPO equity, in addition to medical, dental, and vision benefits, flexible PTO, 401(k) plan, life and accidental death and disability coverage, and parental leave benefits. Other perks include free daily lunches and snacks at our on-site locations.
Who we are
We are driven by a passion for science and compassion for patients. We act with urgency to ensure our treatments are one day accessible to all who need them.
We live by our core values of passion, courage, and integrity. Excellence in our work means the chance to unlock a better quality of life for our patients, and with that comes tremendous responsibility.
We innovate on a path that hasn’t been paved. We embrace an entrepreneurial spirit and take calculated risks to achieve our mission. We aren’t afraid to ask “why not” and challenge the status quo.
We maintain a start-up culture of camaraderie and leadership by example, regardless of title.
We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and recognize that celebrating our differences creates stronger, lasting solutions that better serve our team, our patients and their healthcare providers.