Senior Contracts and Compliance Leader

Melissa Pretlow

252-***-**** **********@*****.***

Summary

Results-driven Contracts Manager with 10+ years of experience specializing in complex negotiations and strategic contract optimization. Proven track record of streamlining workflows to boost compliance and reduce contract cycle times by up to 40%. Expert at leading initiatives at industry leaders, including Johnson & Johnson and Merz North America, to drive process improvements and risk mitigation. Eager to leverage expertise in a senior capacity to advance organizational goals and foster high-value stakeholder partnerships.

Education

BS in Business Administration - Capella University Paralegal - Blackstone Career Institute

Pharmaceutical and Devices Dual Certificate – RAPS Online University

Certifications

NC Notary Public

Contracts and Commercial Management Associate (CCMA)

Professional Experience

LEGAL PROMOTIONAL Reviewer/ JOHNSON & & JOHNSON /Nov 2023 – Nov 2025 (Contractor)

●Legal representative for Patient Engagement & Customer Solutions (PECS), evaluating assets HCP/patients shared across therapeutic areas: Neuroscience, Oncology, Immunology, Pulmonary Artery Hypertension, Established Products, and Infectious Diseases.

●Provided timely and thorough feedback to U.S. operations regarding business initiatives, including but not limited to advertising and promotion, product launch plans, product profile/positioning development to ensure compliance with applicable US regulations and J&J’s expectations.

●Reviewer and final sign-off of 30-50 promotional and non-promotional materials per week, ensuring alignment with legal policies, advertising regulations, and guidelines for the Copy Approval Committee (CAC).

●Ensured compliance of CAC assets with State and Federal laws, including the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), avoiding potential violations.

●Resolved legal issues during meetings by identifying content approval discrepancies, collaborating with business partners to ensure consistent messaging, resulting in savings in rework costs.

●Mitigated legal risk by ensuring promotional content for Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) and patients complied with regulatory requirements, avoiding potential fines.

●Legal lead and final approval for issue management, PECS Steering Committee and Concept Reviews for assigned therapeutic areas, addressing concerns and evaluating new marketing ideas and concepts for compliance.

UNEMPLOYED – FAMILY HEALTH MATTERS / MAY 2023-Nov 2023

SENIOR CONTRACTS EXECUTIVE / MD Group/ DEC 2022- May 2023

●Directed a team of 3 contract specialists, serving as the primary escalation point and fostering collaboration with sales and operations to improve the contract lifecycle.

●Optimized the contracting process, reducing contract cycle time by 80% while ensuring compliance and contributing to sales revenue growth.

●Reviewed, redlined, negotiated, and managed global commercial agreements valued at over $1M, including MSAs, DPAs, LOIs, work orders, and SCCs.

●Implemented processes and controls, developing SOPs and WIs to improve contract lifecycle management.

●Spearheaded the creation of a CDA playbook, improving CDA alignment across the contract team by 90%.

●Developed a knowledge guide that improved team efficiency by 95%.

SENIOR LEGAL CONTRACTS MANAGER / NEOGENOMICS LABORATORIES / APRIL 2022 – DEC 2022

●Managed the lifecycle of 20-30 pharma, clinical, and corporate contracts weekly, including MSAs, SOWs, and license agreements.

●Spearheaded the creation of legal playbooks and a Legal SharePoint repository, resulting in reduction in review times.

●Administered DocuSign CLM, providing troubleshooting, training, and process improvements; conducted monthly training sessions.

●Fostered collaboration between Legal and Business as a liaison to address contracting issues and resolve contractual matters, achieving stakeholder satisfaction.

●Led the "Legal as Business Partner" Lunch and Learn Series, enhancing team collaboration by 80% and reducing contract resolution times by 95%.

●Maintained regulatory compliance by updating process maps, SOPs, and work instructions using Microsoft Visio, PowerPoint, and Word.

CONTRACTS MANAGER / MCG /JAN 2022 – APRIL 2022

●Led contract revisions reflecting new requirements and finalized new contract template documents through internal subject matter experts, aiming for 85% faster contract finalization.

●Reviewed and negotiated 20+ legal documents weekly, including HIPAA, Business Associates, RFPs, and software/subscription agreements.

●Managed Salesforce and Apttus end-to-end contract engagement data flow, resulting in 80% improvement in data accuracy.

●Streamlined contract lifecycle by automating routine tasks, reducing manual intervention and saving up to 5 hours per week.

SENIOR LEGAL SSU CONTRACT ANALYST / SYNEOS HEALTH / AUGUST 2021 – JAN 2022

●Expedited contract approvals by 95% as the main point of contact for sponsors, resolving legal issues arising from clinical trial set-up and building stronger business partnerships.

●Managed the workflow of 50+ legal requests per week, providing subject matter expertise on global CTAs, POAs, and CDAs to ensure compliance and reduce legal risks.

●Proposed contracting solutions that addressed issues during project lifecycles, enhancing negotiation strategy and deliverables, resulting in 65% improvement in contract negotiation outcomes.

●Drafted and negotiated 30+ clinical trial agreements concurrently, collaborating with legal and business teams to ensure regulatory compliance and mitigate risks.

●Streamlined contract processes, identifying and implementing improvements that reduced turnaround time by per contract and improved efficiency.

SENIOR CORPORATE PARALEGAL / SYNEOS HEALTH / NOVEMBER 2019 – AUGUST 2021

●Managed contract intake using a contracts intake tool, assigning legal resources and streamlining triage of high-risk activities via a SharePoint site for 300+ contracts per month.

●Improved contract management processes by evaluating existing SOPs and job aids, recommending changes that led to an 80%+ improvement in compliance rates.

●Drafted and facilitated the execution of template-based contracts, including NDAs, consulting agreements, and clinical trial agreements.

●Developed training materials on contracting processes, drafting internal resources and policies, and training leadership, leading to a 30% reduction in legal review requests.

●Managed the contract approval process, overseeing the signature process and ensuring compliance with internal policies, achieving 50% faster contract approval times.

CONTRACTS MANAGER /MERZ NORTH AMERICA / JULY 2017 – NOVEMBER 2019

●Implemented CRM system to manage and track company-wide global contracts, processes, and reviews.

●Analyzed each business unit's training needs and developed training programs based on the analysis while collaborating with sourcing, finance, and other stakeholders to streamline and merge contracts.

●Develop and maintain appropriate contract management documents and tools, including but not limited to contract request status reports, contract summary reports, and expiration reports. Deliver ad hoc reports and analyses as requested. Maintain complete, accurate, and up-to-date contract records and audit trails.

●Identified policy violation trends and retrained employees on regulations and regulatory requirements.

●Closely monitored and evaluated contract performance to determine regulatory compliance

●Served as Contract Developer, designer, and trainer of the CRM including overseeing organizational contract development and management activities, and enforcing organizational principles of integrity, compliance, GCP regulations, contracting principles, and other policies.

●Drafted contractual provisions based on sales strategy discussions, senior management input, and organizational needs and expectations.

●Escalation channel for contract questions and issues.

●Reviewed and analyzed performance metrics against established service level targets, identifying trends to improve performance quality and efficiency.

●Negotiated a variety of contracts to support organizational needs as well as reviewed marketing materials for medical devices and drug products in relation to Neuroscience, Dermatology, Aesthetics, and Merz Therapeutics.

SENIOR CORPORATE PARALEGAL / MERZ NORTH AMERICA / FEBRUARY 2015 – JUNE 2017

●Reduced contract review time by 99% through automated processes and consolidation of vendor contracts, enabling price negotiation.

●Developed and delivered training programs that improved contract compliance by providing criteria for necessary approvals based on policy, resulting in 45% improvement.

●Identified and resolved policy violations by retraining employees on regulations and requirements, addressing violation trends across the organization resolving violations.

●Negotiated 50+ contracts to support organizational needs by drafting contractual provisions based on sales strategy and senior management input.

LEGAL SPECIALIST / QUINTILES / APRIL 2013 – 2015

ASSOCIATE LEGAL SPECIALIST /QUINTILES /APRIL 2011 – 2013

●Conducted anti-corruption due diligence on vendors and third-party payees, responding to RFIs and revising CRA monitoring site access forms.

●Drafted and reviewed contractual agreements, providing feedback on client/supplier contracts and managing approval timelines/negotiations.

●Managed Privacy Incident Response Team (PIRT) SharePoint, advising on corrective actions, leading to faster incident resolution.

●Streamlined contract management and trademark filing, maintaining contract database and ensuring compliance across trademarks filed.

●Negotiated outside counsel billing, reducing legal expenses by $10K+ monthly and contributing to budget management.

References Upon Request

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