Our mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. We are working to change the trajectory of cancer mortality and bring stakeholders together to adopt innovative, safe, and effective technologies that can transform cancer care.
We are a healthcare company, pioneering new technologies to advance early cancer detection. We have built a multi-disciplinary organization of scientists, engineers, and physicians and we are using the power of next-generation sequencing (NGS), population-scale clinical studies, and state-of-the-art computer science and data science to overcome one of medicine’s greatest challenges.
GRAIL is headquartered in the bay area of California, with locations in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and the United Kingdom. It is supported by leading global investors and pharmaceutical, technology, and healthcare companies.
GRAIL is seeking a highly experienced and strategic Head of Legal Operations to lead, mature, and scale the operational infrastructure of our Legal Department. This role serves as the head of Legal Operations. The Head of Legal Operations will drive operational strategy; technology and process optimization; budget management; and data and analytics.
This is a high-impact position requiring deep Legal Operations expertise, exceptional business acumen, and the ability to influence across a complex, regulated environment. The ideal candidate is a forward-thinking operations leader who thrives in a fast-paced, mission-driven organization.
This role is based in Menlo Park, California, and will move to Sunnyvale, California in Fall 2026. It offers a flexible work arrangement, with the ability to work from GRAIL's office or from home. Our current flexible work arrangement policy requires that a minimum of 60%, or 24 hours, of your total work week be on-site. Your specific schedule, determined in collaboration with your manager, will align with team and business needs and could exceed the 40% requirement for the site. At our Menlo Park campus, Tuesdays and Thursdays are the key days where we encourage on-site presence to engage in events and on-site activities.
Responsibilities:
- Leadership & Strategy
- Serve as the senior operational leader for the Legal Department, defining and executing the Legal Operations strategy in alignment with GRAIL’s enterprise goals.
- Operate with significant autonomy and provide strategic counsel to senior Legal leadership on operational performance, resource planning, technology investments, and process maturity.
- Lead and develop a high-performing Legal Operations team, including functions spanning technology, knowledge management, analytics, project management, and vendor management.
Operational Excellence
- Oversee end-to-end process improvement initiatives, including workflow automation, cross-functional coordination, and operational risk mitigation.
- Establish operational governance, including documentation standards, policy frameworks, and legal process controls.
Technology & Systems
- Own the legal technology roadmap and evaluate, implement, and manage enterprise tools (e.g., e-billing and matter management, legal intake/workflow, AI-enabled legal technology databases, and compliance platforms).
- Partner closely with IT, Cybersecurity, Finance, Procurement, and Accounting to ensure legal technology solutions integrate effectively with enterprise systems.
- Oversee electronic discovery.
- Maintain and improve legal forms and templates; handle overflow agreement support (including NDAs); and help manage the legal intake process.
- Manage records retention, including preservation and destruction.
- Oversee litigation administrative support, including record requests, reviews, and production.
Data, Metrics & Analytics
- Build and lead a data-driven performance program for Legal, tracking KPIs such as contracting velocity, matter lifecycle management, outside counsel spend, cost trends, and service metrics.
- Translate data insights into actionable recommendations.
Financial & Vendor Operations
- Direct spend management activities and manage detailed aspects of the Legal Department’s budgeting, forecasting, accruals, and cost optimization efforts.
- Manage outside counsel and vendor relationships, including rate negotiations, performance evaluations, engagement guidelines, and overall vendor portfolio strategy.
- Track outside counsel budgets, discounts, and invoices.
Project & Program Management
- Drive major cross-functional initiatives requiring Legal oversight or coordination, ensuring clear project structure, communication, timelines, and execution.
- Provide enterprise-level project management support for complex legal, regulatory, or operational programs.
Knowledge Management & Training
- Lead Legal’s knowledge management strategy, ensuring policies, playbooks, templates, and training materials are maintained, accessible, and aligned with compliance and regulatory expectations.
- Partner with legal subject-matter experts to build training programs that enhance organizational capability and readiness.
- Elevate self-reliance among Legal internal stakeholders and strengthen corporate risk management practices.
- These responsibilities summarize the role’s primary responsibilities and are not an exhaustive list. They may change at the company’s discretion.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelors degree or advance degree
- 12+ years of experience in Legal Operations, legal program management, or legal technology leadership.
- Experience operating in a high-growth, highly regulated industry.
- Demonstrated success leading Legal Operations at scale, including:
- Budget ownership and financial management
- Team leadership
- Legal system implementation
- Operational transformation initiatives
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in biotech, healthcare, or life sciences.
- Litigation paralegal experience.
- Strong analytical skills, with experience building data programs, metrics, and operational dashboards.
- Exceptional communication and influencing skills, with a proven ability to partner with senior executives and cross-functional leaders.
- Ability to operate with autonomy, navigate ambiguity, and drive solutions in a fast-paced environment.
- High integrity, strong judgment, and alignment with GRAIL’s mission, values, and leadership attributes.
- Deep knowledge of legal technology ecosystems and operational best practices across commercial, regulatory, compliance, privacy, IP, employment, and governance domains.
Physical Demands & Working Environment:
- Hours and days may vary depending on operational needs.
- Standing or sitting for long periods of time may be necessary.
- Some lifting (up to 25 pounds) may be necessary.
Expected full time annual base pay scale for this position is $168K-$223K. Actual base pay will consider skills, experience and location.
This role may be eligible for other forms of compensation, including an annual bonus and/or incentives, subject to the terms of the applicable plans and Company discretion. This range reflects a good-faith estimate of the range that the Company reasonably expects to pay for the position upon hire; the actual compensation offered may vary depending on factors such as the candidate’s qualifications. Employees in this role are also eligible for GRAIL’s comprehensive and competitive benefits package, offered in accordance with our applicable plans and policies. This package currently includes flexible time-off or vacation; a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match; medical, dental, and vision coverage; and carefully selected mindfulness programs.
GRAIL is an equal employment opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a workplace where every individual can thrive, contribute, and grow. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, status as a protected veteran, , or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, and local laws. Additionally, GRAIL will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in a manner consistent with applicable law and provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please contact us at
[email protected] if you require an accommodation to apply for an open position.
GRAIL maintains a drug-free workplace. We welcome job-seekers from all backgrounds to join us!
