Full job descriptionThe successful candidate will be a proven contracts professional with experience of the full contract lifecycle from drafting to completion.
An immediate start available, initial 12 months Assignment with potential to extend. Hybrid role.
Overview:
The Senior Contracts Associate will be an integral member of the Contracts Team, which provides a professional, effective and efficient service for King’s researchers by drafting, reviewing, negotiating and advising on contracts from private and public sector organisations for King’s research and consultancy activity. The candidate should have experience of negotiating legal and research-related agreements, preferably in an HE environment, and be confident and persuasive negotiators with a track record of successful negotiation with different stakeholders. Applicants also require excellent organisational, communication and literacy skills, proven decision-making ability and be able to work well under pressure.
Key responsibilities:
·The Senior Contracts Associate will be required to negotiate the following agreement types:-
-Research contracts, collaborations and framework agreements
-Consultancy and Service Agreements
-Other agreements, including material and data transfers and CDAs
·To be primary point of contact for contract support and legal expertise in their area and to establish good practice and procedures for their area of work.
·To cost and price projects using the King’s costing tool, Worktribe. To negotiate effectively the price to maximum advantage to King’s with particular attention to the recovery of full costs and favourable payment terms.
·To review and secure optimum terms in research or research related agreements (including publication and intellectual property rights, institutional risk and liability exposure, strategic value general provisions, apportionment of risk and reward, reputational management), referring to the Contracts Team Leader and Director of Research & Consultancy Agreements where appropriate.This will involve collaboration with partner organisations as well as service providers.
·To draft legal agreements for projects and provide a level of expertise in contractual negotiation.
·To have delegated authority and responsibility within certain limitations to negotiate contractual conditions, draft agreements and submit official costs related to his/her area of activity.
·To develop and deploy an expertise in external funders’ terms and relevant costing/pricing methods in the context of King’s policy.
·To ensure that contracts they negotiate comply with King’s regulations and policies and, where relevant, those of external funding organisations and NHS collaborators.
·To disseminate information on relevant King’s policy and procedures and explain them appropriately to academic and research support staff, including participating in seminars as necessary
·To give academic staff accurate, clear advice on legal/contractual and policy matters and hold meetings with academic staff, departmental staff, senior managers and/or external organisations as necessary to develop relationships and negotiate terms for activity.
·Provide training for academic and administrative staff, in conjunction with the Contracts Team Leader and the Director of Research & Consultancy Agreements
·To recommend the acceptability of contracts in their area for signature in conjunction with the Contracts Team Leader and the Director of Research & Consultancy Agreements
·To prepare detailed information and instructions as may be necessary for the financial administration of contracts they negotiate so they can be administered and managed properly and efficiently by the Award Management Team
·To be personally responsible for their own work but to refer to the Contracts Team Leader and Director of Pre award, Research & Consultancy Agreements on complex matters of policy and/or legal matters.
·Work closely with King’s staff on all campuses, including other colleagues in the Research Management & Innovation Directorate to ensure a consistent and integrated approach and response in policy and practice.
·To ensure proper records of activity are maintained using Worktribe and contribute to the preparation of Divisional and Directorate reports and analyses of activity.
·To undertake such other duties as are consistent with the role of a Senior Contracts Associate as required by the Director of Research & Consultancy Agreements, or the Contracts Team Leader where delegated, and to work on such campuses as may be required.
·To contribute to forming the King’s view on legal policy and practice in their area and in related areas
·To support the work of and advise the Contracts Associates in their area.
Essential requirements:
Degree or equivalent professional qualification
Proven negotiation/influencing skills with a track record of negotiation of contracts and agreements, including negotiation of intellectual property, liability/indemnity and price.
Proven negotiation/influencing skills in relation to external funders and partners and ability to analyse and problem solve complex contractual issues
Ability to manage a large and diverse turnover of bids and contracts
Ability to explain complex ideas with clarity and liaise effectively with a wide range of stakeholders of varying seniority
Self-starting, a completer/finisher and able to work largely unsupervised
High levels of accuracy and attention to detail
Good analytical skills and sound numeracy skills, IT literacy and experience of word processing, spreadsheets and databases
Knowledge of material transfer and data protection legislation
Desirable:
Knowledge of regulations for AI and Clinical Research
Understanding of service provision and performance standards
Knowledge of full economic costing methodology
Broad research funding administration in the university sector, or other relevant institutions
Working knowledge of the university research funding environment, including familiarity with key funders’ terms and conditions