Senior Contract Negotiator – Office of Sponsored Projects

Senior Contract Negotiator – Office of Sponsored Projects

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree.
• Five years’ experience in preparation, processing, and negotiation of contracts and/or grant administration experience.
• Knowledge of federal, state, local and University guidelines and regulations.
• Individual who pays attention to detail, is accustomed to a fast-paced environment with many deadlines, and who provides excellent customer service to the community.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Extensive experience with the use of MS Word and MS Excel software.
• Must be eligible to work in the United States on a full-time basis.
• Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Responsibilities

• Independently drafts, reviews and negotiates new sponsored research agreements for compliance with University policies, federal and state law and regulations, including terms regarding intellectual property, publication, insurance/indemnification, export control, governing law, disputes, budget, invoicing and payment.
• Independently drafts, reviews and negotiates non-financial research agreements, including non-disclosure agreements, material transfer agreements, data use agreements, teaming agreements, etc., to align with University policies, and federal and state law and regulations.
• Independently submits detailed written exceptions and recommendations on contractual language in a timely manner to sponsors; coordinates negotiation meetings, as required, regarding contractual language with sponsors/contracting party legal offices, technical representatives and University researchers.
• Independently drafts and negotiates standard and some more complex sponsored research and non-financial agreements when such agreements are not provided by the sponsor.
• Works collaboratively, under minimal supervision, with teams within Office of Sponsored Projects and appropriate University offices in the review and handling of various contractual issues (e.g., Discovery to Impact, Risk Management Office, Research Security Office, Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs, and The University of Texas System Office of General Counsel.
• Independently reviews terms and conditions of pre-award solicitations at the proposal stage and provides proposal exceptions for submission to the sponsor; reviews and finalizes contract modifications, including funding increments, extensions, and various revisions to terms and conditions; collaborates with other OSP functional areas on the handling of post-award contract issues including, but not limited to, re-budgeting, invoicing, payment concerns and reporting issues.
• Enters and maintains thorough and accurate documentation, data and negotiation notes related to agreement and modification actions into UT Research Management Suite (UTRMS) and E-Share Repository.
• Responds, or acknowledges, email or phone communication within 48 hours & communicate results of follow-up as appropriate. If volume does not permit timely follow up, communicate with Sr. Manager and/or Associate Director of Contracting for assistance or guidance.
• Takes action or forward correspondence as appropriate in a timely manner.
• Follows up on status of outstanding actions in a timely manner.
• Sends appropriate award information to the department or sponsor, as requested.
• Demonstrates the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in written form.
• Serves as a contracts subject matter expert and resource to campus; respond to inquiries or requests for information in a timely manner.
• Enters and maintains data and notes related to contract/agreement, modifications into UTRMS Log Correspondence in a timely manner.
• Saves pertinent budget, compliance, and contract/agreement documents into E-Share.
• Saves electronic communications, including contract negotiations, PI Memos, etc., into E-Share.
• Assists in training other Negotiators in processes related to electronic documentation and routing.
• Reviews documentation upon receipt of agreement for compliance with University policies, federal and state law, including issues related to environmental health and safety, human subjects (IRB), animal subjects (IACUC), and budgetary compliance for cost sharing, time and effort, and facilities and administrative costs.
• Coordinates with Export Control Officer on review of potential export control risks arising from agreements; coordinate the execution of Technology Control Plans (TCPs) to ensure compliance with export control requirements.
• Coordinates with Information Security Office in review of potential information security risks arising from agreements; coordinate the execution of Confidential Data Control Plans (CDCPs) to ensure compliance with information security concerns.
• Trains junior negotiators and administrative associates on Contracts team.
• Leads or assists Sr. Manager and/or Associate Director of Contracting with drafting training materials, such as standard operating procedures, guidance documents.
• Participates in professional development and attend conferences to remain current with standard and overall University, local, state and federal guidelines and regulations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Graduate or professional degree in business administration, public administration or law.
• More than the required years’ experience in preparation, processing, and negotiation of research contracts.
• Experience working with contract negotiation or contract interpretation, including drafting language and subsequent negotiation.
• University experience. Knowledge of University intellectual property policy.
• Demonstrated knowledge in the development of research budgets.
• Ability to work independently. Ideal candidate will work well with others and contribute positively to the office environment.