Job Title:

Contracts Manager

Location:

Hybrid

Position type:

FLSA:

Full time

Exempt

Department:

Finance ID:

Legal

9160-2025-2

Profoundly Improve People’s lives by Revolutionizing the Delivery of RNA Therapeutics

At Avidity Biosciences, we are passionate about the impact of every employee in realizing our vision of improving people’s lives by delivering a new class of RNA therapeutics. Avidity is revolutionizing the field of RNA with its proprietary AOCs, which are designed to combine the specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the precision of oligonucleotide therapies to address targets and diseases previously unreachable with existing RNA therapies. If you are a committed, solution-oriented thinker, join us in making a difference and become part of our growing culture that is integrated, collaborative, agile and focused on the needs of patients.

Avidity Biosciences, Inc.'s mission is to profoundly improve people's lives by delivering a new class of RNA therapeutics - Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs™). Utilizing its proprietary AOC platform, Avidity demonstrated the first-ever successful targeted delivery of RNA into muscle and is leading the field with clinical development programs for three rare muscle diseases: myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Avidity is broadening the reach of AOCs with its advancing and expanding pipeline, including programs in cardiology and immunology through internal discovery efforts and key partnerships. Avidity is headquartered in San Diego, CA. For more information about our AOC platform, clinical development pipeline, and people, please visit www.aviditybiosciences.com and engage with us on LinkedIn and X.

The Opportunity

Avidity Biosciences is seeking a motivated and highly skilled Contracts Manager to provide support to our Legal team. In this role, you will be responsible for negotiating, drafting, and managing a wide range of company agreements and often complex associated statements of work. This role is critical in supporting cross-functional stakeholders, ensuring contractual compliance, and mitigating risk while enabling business goals. The ideal candidate thrives in fast-paced, highly collaborative environments and brings a proactive, solution-oriented approach to complex contract negotiations. The role is hybrid, requiring on-site presence at our corporate headquarters in San Diego several days per week.

What You Will Contribute

• Independently draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of contracts including master service agreements, consulting agreements, NDAs, vendor and supplier contracts, SaaS/software agreements, clinical trial agreements, and statements of work (SOWs).
• Translate business needs into clear, legally sound contract language, balancing risk mitigation with operational flexibility.
• Ensure contractual terms comply with applicable laws, company policies, and industry regulations.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to internal teams including Legal, Procurement, R&D, Clinical Operations, IT, Finance, and others.
• Proactively communicate risks, priorities, and solutions to stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Support internal contract review and approval processes, including working with business units to understand needs and provide practical guidance.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of contract templates, negotiation playbooks, and contract lifecycle processes.
• Identify and assess legal and business risks and escalate when necessary.
• Drive collaboration with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including vendors, CROs, CMOs, service providers, consultants, clinical sites, and collaboration partners.
  
  

What We Seek

• Bachelor’s or equivalent required.
• 8+ years’ experience (or 6+ years with an MBA/MS) drafting and negotiating contracts within the pharmaceutical or life sciences industry, with a strong focus on drug discovery and clinical development.
• Proven excellence in contract drafting and negotiation, with the ability to manage complex agreements independently.
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills, with the ability to efficiently manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Detail oriented with strong written and verbal communication skills
• Flexible and adaptable to shifting deadlines and priorities; able to effectively prioritize and manage a large volume of contract assignments.
• Commitment to integrity and ethical conduct and ability to handle confidential and proprietary information with discretion.
• Proactive problem-solver with the ability to identify issues, communicate challenges, and propose practical solutions in a timely manner.
• Proficient in contract lifecycle and procurement processes.
• Skilled in Microsoft Office Suite, Power Point, Sharepoint, Excel, Adobe Acrobat.
• Experience with CMC-related contracts and workstreams is preferred.
• Positive attitude, eagerness to learn, and a strong team-oriented mindset.
  
  

What We Will Provide To You

• The base salary range for this role is $133,000 - $147,000. The final compensation will be commensurate with such factors as relevant experience, skillset, internal equity and market factors.
• Avidity offers competitive compensation and benefits, which include the opportunity for annual and spot bonuses, stock options, and RSUs, as well as a 401(k) with an employer match. In addition, the comprehensive wellness program includes coverage for medical, dental, vision, and LTD, and four weeks of time off.
• A commitment to learning and development which includes a variety of programming internally developed by and for Avidity employees, opportunities for job-specific training offered by industry, and an education reimbursement program.
  
  

Avidity Biosciences

10578 Science Center Dr. Suite 125

San Diego, CA

92121

O: 858-401-7900

F: 858-401-7901